By Analou De Vera
The unique food of Western Visayas was highlighted when the Department of Tourism (DOT) held its food and travel festival “Kain Na!” in Iloilo province.
(Photo courtesy of Iloilo City Tourism and Development Office / MANILA BULLETIN)
“The greeting 'Kain na’ is the Filipino’s way of showing hospitality and respect to our guests. It also indicates that food is always central to Philippine culture and always brings together people in the Philippines,” said Tourism Undersecretary Edwin Enrile.
The regional chefs that participated in the event were Chef Jian Ong, who cooked chicken inasal bahn mi, an Ilonggo-Vietnamese fusion; father-son tandem Iloilo City-Province Mayor Jerry Treñas and Chef Miguel who dished out the city-province’s heirloom lengua recipe; and Chef Pauline Banusig who served farm-to-table goodness.
“One of the many things that we can be proud of as Ilonggos beyond our famed Dinagyang Festival, century-old churches, and majestic heritage mansions, is our unique Ilonggo cuisine," said Mayor Treñas.
"Aside from delicacies such as batchoy, pancit molo, butterscotch, and biscotcho, we also have our kansi, KBL, and laswa that are loved by many tourists,” he added.
The 'Kain Na!' Iloilo is the fifth and last leg of the event this year. The food and travel festival was also previously held in Parañaque, Baguio, Alabang, and Cagayan de Oro.