‘BAGOONG’TAKES CENTER STAGE IN LINGAYEN

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan: “Bagoong,” a fermented product that Lingayen has made famous, takes center stage as this capital town kicked off its threeday Bagoong Festival on Thursday, March 14.

“We are now open and we are now welcoming all people from different places including balikbayan,” said Mayor Leopoldo Bataoil.

The celebration began with an early morning motorcade that ended at the town’s civic center, where a Thanksgiving Mass was held, followed by different events scheduled for the day.

Bataoil said that the festival was organized as a tribute to the makers of the “world-class” bagoong.

“We salute them for continuously producing the best and world-class bagoong and we are now exporting the product,” said Bataoil.

This town has more than 30 bagoong manufacturers, most of them located in the coastal villages of Pangapisan North and Maniboc, said Michelle Lioanag, this town’s tourism officer.

“In Lingayen, when you say bagoong, it’s the fish bagoong, monamon (anchovy). But in other places, when you say bagoong, it’s the shrimp (krill),” said Lioanag.

Raymond Martin Reyes, a chef from the Señor Tesoro College in Calasiao town, said that bagoong will always enhance anyone’s eating experience.

“Bagoong helps boost your appetite because of its saltiness when used sparingly,” Reyes said.

Reyes prepared a Vietnamese salad using boneless Lingayen bagoong in a cooking demonstration.

“I have a garden salad, a composition of different fresh vegetables, also with lettuce, then the bagoong mixed with calamansi concentrate, a bit of ketchup, herbs of Vietnamese basil, then mixed it to combine the sour, salty, and very aromatic tastes,” Reyes said.

The salad was eaten with fried chicken marinated in bagoong, salt, pepper and a pinch of “calamansi” or lime.

During the cooking competition, 11 groups presented different recipes using Lingayen bagoong.

Rev. Fidelis Bautista Layog, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan, who celebrated the Mass, said that this town was witnessing not only a festival of cooking talents, but talents of sharing time and efforts.

“It’s a talent to bring people together, to really have one vision for the best of Lingayen. It is not only the product. The best product we could ever see is when we can bring together as one the people of Lingayen,” Layog said.