It's 'pinakbet' galore today in Pangasinan's 'vegetable bowl'

VILLASIS, Pangasinan, Philippines – It’s an eat-all-you-can feast of pinakbet – a popular Ilocano dish – in today’s fiesta celebration of this town – dubbed as the “vegetable bowl” of the province – as 21 barangays cook the dish their way for the “Pinakbet sa Kawa” contest.

Fe Callanta, event coordinator of Pinakbet sa Kawa, told The STAR that the 21 barangays and the municipal government’s own team of cooks will use a total of 690 kilograms of talong (eggplants), 230 kilograms of ampalaya, 230 kilograms of tomatoes, 46 kilograms of sili and 92 kilograms of okra, all produced in this town and provided for by the fiesta committee, to prepare their pinakbet entries.

Each barangay was also given a kawa, a big pan where the pinakbet will be cooked.

An estimated 5,000 people are expected to partake of the dishes.

“May the best cooks in the barangays win,” Callanta said, adding that they can add other ingredients to make their entry taste better. 

Mayor Dita Abrenica said this is the third staging of the Pinakbet sa Kawa, a highlight of the annual fiesta celebration started by her husband, former mayor Nato Abrenica.

“All roads lead to the town hall again like in previous years as people excitedly troop here to witness various events and to partake of the food,” she said.

Aside from pinakbet, she said the townsfolk and visitors will also get to taste the winning recipés in the previous “101 Ways to Cook Talong” festival.

“It’s like one big happy family gathering of Villasinians which everybody looks forward to during this time of the year,” Abrenica said.

She said barangay officials will also bring extra food like pork, chicken, fish, rice and fruits for their constituents to partake of.

Prior to the Pinakbet sa Kawa, there will be a street dancing exhibition with at least six groups clad in talong-inspired costumes.

A new feature this year is a contest for the best table setting using pinakbet products.