ANTIQUE is described as a province where the mountains meet the sea.
And because of its landscapes and seascapes that provide an abundant supply of food, Antique’s cuisines and delicacies are prepared using the best natural ingredients.
The challenge, however, is how to preserve these dishes amidst globalization that brought many foreign cooking into our soils.
One answer is the Culinary Heritage of Antique program of the Advance Central College (ACC) in San Jose which has now become one of the top culinary schools in the Philippines.
ACC has been promoting Antique’s slow food that aims to “prevent the disappearance of local food cultures and traditions.”
Of late, it has become synonymous to batwan lechon, a dish its students prepared that topped the Savory Category in the Oro Plato Masa, the biggest culinary competition in the country held in SM Mall of Asia Music Hall in Manila in February 2020.
Batwan lechon highlights the use of batwan (garcinia binucao) as stuffing for the roasted pig, instead of the more popular lemon grass and tamarind leaves.
The batwan lechon prepared by ACC students Genie Patanindagat and John Aaron Ponsaran captivated the judges in contest dubbed “The Best of Pinoy: Ulam and Minatamis.”
These days, said ACC president Mary Rose Gemma Rodriguez, the school requires its students to document their respective locality’s culinary heritage and study how are prepared.
These include Antique dishes like nilagpang nga manok (grilled chicken soup) and kinunot nga pakul (flaked trigger fish with coconut milk) as well as snacks like huwadhuwad (sweet rice cake with coconut curd) and puto muscovado (steamed rice cake with muscovado).
Antique’s culinary heritage was showcased in the very first CPTEX (Central Philippines Tourism Expo) held on June 16 to 18 at the Iloilo Convention Center, making ACC the only exhibitor from the province of Antique.
Next year, ACC is joining the Slow Food International in Turin, Italy to bring to the palate of the world the many mouthwatering dishes of Antique.
ACC has networked with other slow food advocates to expand its research and development so it can work well in the preservation of Antique’s culinary heritage.
“We are now part of the Slow Food Movement,” quipped Rodriguez proudly.
The movement promotes local food and traditional cooking, and was founded by Carlo Petrini in Italy in 1986 and has since spread worldwide.
It strives to preserve traditional and regional cuisine and encourages farming of plants, seeds, and livestock characteristic of the local ecosystem.
It promotes local small businesses and sustainable foods, and also focuses on food quality, rather than quantity.
Slow Food has become ACC’s main knowledge product for its BS in Hospitality Management program, and in its diploma courses in Culinary Arts and Technology, and in Tourism, Hotel and Restaurant Technology. (Nereo C. Lujan)/PN
