MANILA, Philippines - Some things are worth repeating — good things, successful things, fun things — like the Northern Food Festival, “Big Bite!” at MarQuee Mall in Angeles City, Pampanga. After the huge success of the first Big Bite! held last year, this year’s promises to be even bigger.
Over 100 food merchants from as far north as the Ilocos and the Cordilleras, Kalinga, Baguio and Tuguegarao, to Nueva Ecija and Nueva Viscaya, Pangasinan, Tarlac, Bulacan and Pampanga, will be participating in the three-day food festival, from Oct. 17 to 19 at MarQuee Mall, Ayala’s premier shopping, leisure and entertainment destination just an hour’s drive north of Metro Manila.
At a sneak preview that was held at the Activity Center of MarQuee Mall, members of the media were treated to a buffet of good eats from the northern regions. There was Vigan empanada and bagnet, longanisa from Tuguegarao, kare-kare and binulo rice (wrapped in banana leaf), pako salad, swam na mais from Pampanga and, of course, sisig.
“It’s the quintessential Kapampangan dish,” says Mark Sablan, general manager of MarQuee Mall. “With Angeles dubbed by the Department of Tourism as the sisig capital of the Philippines, it was just perfect and timely that Big Bite! celebrates the iconic dish at the food festival.”
In a recent review, Ligaya Mishan of The New York Times recognized sisig as “arguably the greatest pork dish on earth.”
Traditionally made of parts from the pig’s face such as the cheeks and ears, and served on a sizzling plate, different versions and presentations have been developed through the years since it was first served by Aling Lucing in an eatery by the railroad
tracks in Angeles some 40 years ago.
Chefs Sau del Rosario and Emily Galang showed two different preparations in a cooking demonstration during the program hosted by TV personality Ginger Conejero. Chef Emily prepared her version of sisig done the traditional way.
View all“Every family in Angeles has their own way of preparing sisig,” she says. Meanwhile, chef Sau did a modern take and healthy version using tuna in his tuna sisig ravioli and tuna sisig steak.
Cooking demonstrations are scheduled during the food festival featuring Lifestyle Network’s celebrity chefs: on the evening of Oct. 18 is chef Sharwin Tee, the first winner of Clash of the Toque-en Ones and star of Curiosity Got the Chef; on Oct. 19, recognized restaurateur and food writer, chef Sandy Daza of Foodprints, together with Atching Lilian Borromeo, famous food historian and expert on traditional Kapampangan cuisine.
A culinary cook-off between top culinary schools in Pampanga and Bulacan is another activity that’s expected to add more sizzle to the festival.
An interesting new feature at the Big Bite! Northern Food Festival is the Street Food Aisle, where you can find both unique and familiar street foods such as Baguio strawberry taho, ice scramble, sorbetes (local ice cream), and binatog (boiled corn with
grated coconut and salt), reminiscent of childhood encounters with itinerant street vendors plying the streets daily around the neighborhood.
Another new attraction are the Food Art installations at the MarQuee Mall park by award-winning visual artist Leeroy New and the Pampanga Arts Guild. Pivi Ann Diaz, Ayala Land marketing manager, commercial business group, explains that each of the installations measuring 3x3 meters depicts the different northern regions through food art forms.
The Bulo’l Cordillera rice god is carved on Styrofoam and covered with mountain brown rice. Representing Region I (Ilocos Region) is the Bojeador Lighthouse carved on Styrofoam covered with tobacco leaves, while Region II (Cagayan Valley) is represented by a fishing net with dried fish. Region III (Central Luzon) is represented by a Christmas Lantern made with Japanese paper and pastillas wrappers, which the province is famous for. The Food Art gallery will also feature the History of Sisig.
“We like to support local and homegrown products and concepts,” says Rowena Tomeldan, Ayala Land vice president and head of operations and support services for the commercial business group. Space at the festival venue is provided free of charge to the food vendors and participants. “We like to provide them the opportunity to showcase and market their products and make them available to more people.”
For a minimum P1,000 purchase, mall shoppers can also enjoy free food samples from food vendors participating in the Big Buffet promo.
The Department of Tourism, a festival partner, has recognized and lauded the Big Bite! Northern Food Festival. Because of its continuing success, replicating the festival in other regions such as Negros, for example, is already in the pipeline, Rowena shares. This is one good thing you won’t mind going back to for seconds, or even more.