1. Always something new in the food scene
Whether it’s the piaya, Napoleones, or the five-roll Barquillos, the lipsmacking Cansi or chicken inasal, we crave for authenticity. While the region’s delicacies are available across the country, nothing beats having the heritage dishes at its origin.
Just when I thought I had seen and tried everything Bacolod has to offer, something new and exciting cropped up. The recent visit to the place introduced me to Slow Food Negros, a community that champions food traditions, biodiversity, and artisanal food producers.
Like how sugar gave birth the region’s famed sweet delicacies and batwan into cansi, the Slow Food Negros community has turned to other food components endemic to the Negros region to whip up flavorful recipes that may end up as part of Bacolod’s heritage cuisine. But these are no ordinary ingredients. These ingredients are catalogued in the Slow Food International’s Ark of Taste, which lists food in danger of disappearing if not protected.
In Negros Island, batwan is one because its trees are not cultivated but grow naturally in the island’s forests. The Kasag (Blue Swimming Crab) is at risk of overharvesting because Western Visayas is a major fishing ground. The kutitot, a chili pepper variety, and the Criollo beans, considered among the best kinds of cacao, grow on the island are part of the list. In using these ingredients, farmers are encouraged to protect and preserve these resources, and produce more. It’s a winning cycle.
Perhaps the most surprising new dish I’ve tried at the culinary presentation (which aims to promote food tourism in Bacolod) uses an ingredient in abundance—jairus Cambelisa’s Sweet Potato Croquettes—fried purple sweet, creamy potato balls coated with toasted coconut flakes, for a nutty flavor and texture contrast. It landed on my favorite list and may land on yours.
Drop by the Earth Market (which highlights the products of local producers) at Casa Gamboa in Silay City. It happens every last Saturday of the month.