CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — A celebration of Kapampangan culinary excellence, aptly dubbed “Manyaman” (delectable in the local language), has been set Dec. 4 – 6 as part of the Pampanga Day festivities this year.
Pampanga 2nd District board member Mylyn Pineda-Cayabyab said at Monday’s Capitol presser the festival is aimed “to strengthen, enliven, and preserve the exceptional food culture of the province acclaimed as the culinary capital of the Philippines.”
Manyaman Festival is divided into two parts: a food fair/expo to be held Dec. 4-6 at The Events Center of SM City Pampanga; and a series of cook-off competitions at the Capitol grounds on Dec. 5-6.
Twenty-two Pampanga LGUs, including Angeles City, will showcase in the food fair their signature heirloom/iconic dishes as well as their best food products and delicacies, while the best of their home cooks will battle it our in the cook-off for the Best Heirloom/Iconic Dishes prize.
Notable Pampanga restaurants and food products will be featured in some 20 booths in Yuletide decors manned by sellers in Christmas costumes, with prizes at stake for the Best Booth and Costume competition.
As in Kapampangan fiestas, cultural performances will be staged at the three-day food expo, if only to provide traditional celebratory vibe.
The cook-off competitions will have separate categories for senior high school students and culinary/hotel and restaurant management students.
Pineda said the involvement of the academe in the festival is “one effective way to ensure the perpetuation of the superior culinary practices of our cabalens.”
Celebrated Pampanga chefs shall cap the cook-off with a cooking demonstration “adding innovation and allowing cuisine fusion to Kapampangan dishes.”
Asked if the signature Kapampanga sisig will be allowed to be “fused” with egg and mayonnaise, Pineda responded with an emphatic “NO!”
“While we allow cuisine fusion in the spirit of global sensitivity and inclusivity, we still make sure that this goes without ever losing the essence of the signature Kapampangan flavor,” the festival chair said.
Marked as historical cultural milestone for its being the first-ever province-organized annual festival celebrating Capampangan cuisine, the Manyaman Festival is expected to grow even bigger, better and more delectable in the coming years. Punto News Team
