EVERYONE is now a food tourist or food traveler. We go to the provinces for work or vacation, or go on holidays abroad, and take photos not just of the beach or iconic landmarks of the places we are visiting, but the food we eat as well. Social media, especially Facebook and Instagram, are filled with posts upon posts of dishes here and around the world, with hashtags like #instafood, #foodporn, #foodie and the like.
Our own experience speaks of the incredible array of Filipino dishes that we can offer up to the world. We go to Iloilo and have Pancit Molo, have some crispy lechon in Cebu, go to Vigan for the tasty hot empanada, or even in Manila, where some kwek-kwek with vinegar could be quite an adventure. The Philippines is incredibly ripe for food and gastronomy tourism, what with the late celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain and culinary expert Andrew Zimmern calling the cuisine the next big thing.
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) defines gastronomy tourismas “a type of tourism activity which is characterized by the visitor’s experience linked with food and related products and activities while traveling. Along with authentic, traditional, and/or innovative culinary experiences, gastronomy tourism may also involve other related activities such as visiting the local producers, participating in food festivals and attending cooking classes.”
According to the latest market report of the UK-based market research company Technavio, the global culinary tourism market is projected to post a compounded average growth rate of over 9 percent from 2019 to 2023. The Asia Pacific region, to which the Philippines belongs, ranks third in terms of growth in food tourism, after Europe and North America.
In the Philippines, spending by inbound tourists on food and beverage has been rising as well. From just P41 billion in 2012, F&B spending by foreign tourists has grown to P116.84 billion in 2017, with its share in total inbound expenditure rising as well from just 21 percent in 2012 to 26 percent in 2017. (F&B expenditures fell slightly to P105.06 billion in 2018, with the slowdown in arrivals that year due to the closure of Boracay Island. Its share to total expenditures similarly slipped to 23.8 percent.)
The Department of Tourism (DOT) took a serious crack at promoting the Philippines as the “center of gastronomy” in Asia, by hosting Madrid Fusion Manila—the local edition of the popular gastronomy congress in Spain— for the first time in 2015. Featuring Michelin-starred chefs and popular local chefs showing off their culinary expertise and food philosophies, MFM was held every year thereafter, until it was put on hold in 2018, due to funding problems.
More than the educational opportunity, what stood out during the three-day event were the exceptionally curated lunches featuring Filipino chefs/restaurants using local ingredients, as well as a wide selection of food products from across the country sold at the adjoining trade fair. MFM truly shined a much-needed spotlight on the Philippines and its exotic cuisine.
The impact on the local food scene was enormous and transformative. DOT Assistant Secretary Verna C. Buensuceso, who had helped mount the annual culinary extravaganzas, observed “more restaurants now serving Philippine cuisine and ingredients on their menu.” Also, “Filipino chefs are connecting more with their counterparts in other countries, doing collaborations with other chefs (four-hands dinners, etc.) that also help drive awareness about the Philippines and our cuisine,” as well as the development of “food tourism products like food crawls and bar crawls, pop-ups, Philippine cuisine tutorials (e.g., Travelling Spoon), market tours that are livening up the food tourism scene here in the Philippines.”
The DOT continues to push the Philippines as a major food tourism destination, hand in hand with farm tourism. It currently holds a regular food and farm tourism event, Philippine Harvest, in partnership with the SSI Group at Central Square in BGC. A food and travel festival “Kain Na,” organized with the Ayala Malls, features food and farm tourism offerings of provinces and regions where the malls are located, aside from cooking demos by local resident chefs.
She added, DOT offices abroad have also been constantly promoting culinary and farm tourism packages to their target markets, and in travel fairs abroad, promotional activities are undertaken highlighting Philippine cuisine, food and beverage products and produce.
There are as well constant familiarization trips for foreign media and foreign tour operators to check out popular Filipino dishes in select destinations in the country.
Tweaks in the DOT’s promotion efforts may have to be made, however. A number of tour operators report that there are still few foreign tourists coming in specifically for food tourism. Rajah Tours Philippines president Jose C. Clemente III said, “In some instances, we include [a food tour] in the tour programs they want to see from us. Like if they want to go to Banaue, we suggest doing a Pampanga Culinary Tour.”
He thinks food tourism in the country has yet to fully develop because “we still don’t have an established ‘food route’, that we can use like we do with our other tours. Also, while Filipino food is gaining some traction abroad, there is still a need to put more effort in promoting it. We need ambassadors in the foreign culinary community to spread the word so that Pinoy cuisine becomes fashionable and thus, interesting.”
He noted, “Philippine cuisine still seems a novelty abroad. And if it’s not available abroad, people don’t think about it unlike Chinese, India, Thai and other cuisines.”
Clemente suggests DOT plan an international event along the lines of MFM, but “locally organized”.
While we wait for more foreign tourists to beat a path to our country’s doors looking to taste the hundred and one ways we make our adobo as well as our other incredible dishes, BusinessMirror’s chef friends point us to their own favorite hole-in-the-wall restaurants or hidden gems in their province’s cuisines.
Chef JP Anglo (Sarsa)
An avid surfer, the Bacolod-born Anglo indulges in his hobby mainly in Siargao, Surigao del Norte, where the ubiquitous pan de coco is a favorite snack. These are sold in local panaderias by the roadside, in front of the church or a basketball court. What makes this pan de coco unique, he explains, is “they add coconut husk meat to cook the bread in the makeshift oven. It’s done by hand, they put gata [coconut milk] in it, and grated coconut, and because of the husk, it gives a nice aroma to the bread.” Baked fresh, and tasty all the way, the pan de coco costs P5 per piece, and, Anglo says, is a hit with many foreigners.
Chef Sau del Rosario (Cafe Fleur)
Although trained in the classical French techniques, Del Rosario is a proud Capampangan and promotes his province’s native dishes especially when cooking for foreign diners. He says he takes comfort in restaurants like Maggs Canteen at the old public market in San Fernando. “It’s the best for me. It’s really hidden in the middle of the market and serves at least 30 different Capampangan dishes turo-turo style.” His favorite is the Kilayin Pampagueña, which he describes as similar to a kilawin as it uses vinegar for cooking, but is closer to bopis as it is made of pork lungs, throat, esophagus, liver and pancreas.
Chef Pauline Gorriceta-Banusing (Al Dente)
Although Gorriceta-Banusing specializes in Italian dishes, she is a major proponent of Ilonggo cuisine and is often invited to helm Ilonggo or Western Visayas food festivals at hotels in Metro Manila. The culinary delight she wishes to share is the sea urchin, harvested at one of the small islands in Islas de Gigantes, a growing attraction in Iloilo province. “There’s no specific eatery that sells them. Kids from the island will come swimming and offer these sea urchins (P20 per piece) while you are touring in the pump boat. They open it right in front of you and offer vinegar.”
Chef Robby Goco (Green Pastures)
The enfant terrible of the Philippine restaurant industry recommends a visit to the little known Pinakbet Farm in Caoayan, Ilocos Sur. “It’s a great concept, with eat-all-you-can really fresh pinakbet, portioned roasted chicken, grilled pork belly, grilled tilapia, pandan rice and lemongrass juice all harvested for their farms. It’s a real farm-to-table experience! Great value pa.”
Chef J Gamboa (Cirkulo)
Gamboa’s go-to restaurant is Mr. Sunmoon on Club Filipino Avenue in Greenhills, where his favorites are the fried crab and crab sotanghon. “It’s a small place with seats for just 50 people, and the owner is always there.” He adds, “for the fried crab, I think they lightly coat it in potato starch before frying. I recommend selecting 850-1,000-gram male crabs, which are best enjoyed with chili onion and vinegar. For the crab sotanghon, female crabs are recommended as their fat (aligue) adds to the richness of the dish. The crabs are braised with sotanghon noodles, ginger, leeks, soy sauce and butter.”
Image credits: Dmitry Pichugin | Dreamstime.com