Cordillera food fair highlights indigenous cuisine

BAGUIO CITY — A food fair highlighting traditional Cordillera cuisine opened on 23 April at the Rose Garden of Burnham Park, drawing visitors eager to explore indigenous dishes from across the region.

Dubbed “Mangan Taku” (Let us eat), the event features more than 40 exhibitors from the six provinces of the Cordillera Administrative Region, showcasing local and slow food traditions.

Among the featured dishes is etag, a preserved meat commonly compared to ham or bacon, prepared through salting and smoking methods that allow it to last for months. Variations in preparation, including processes known as “kiniing” or “kinuday,” differ across provinces.

Another crowd favorite is pinikpikan, a chicken dish popular in Benguet and Mountain Province, known for its smoky flavor. Some versions are paired with etag, while others incorporate local preparation methods such as Ifugao’s “inlagim.”

Traditional dishes such as pinuneg, a blood sausage made from pig’s blood and spices, and binungor or finungol from Kalinga, a mix of beans, snails, bamboo shoots, and native chili, are also featured.

Visitors can also sample inandila, a sweet sticky rice delicacy, as well as local coffee varieties and traditional rice wine known as tapey or tapuey.

The event is organized by the Department of Tourism Cordillera and runs until 27 April.