Highlighting the use of kamote as a healthier food substitute, this year’s batch under the Cultural Heritage Program of the Ateneo de Manila University, in cooperation with Mama Sita Foundation (MSF), launched “Kamote Recipes for a Warmer Planet: Ilocano Inspirations,” a dinner event which is aimed to reinvent root crops as a staple food, as well as preserve the rich culture and cuisine of the Ilocos region last Oct. 25, 2017 at the Victorino’s restaurant located at Scout Rallos, Quezon City.
Inspired by the recipes of Jean Savellano, the event introduced kamote dishes fit for Filipino taste. Lumpiang kamote at hipon, roast beef with kamotato were among he delectable meals served.
MSF’s annual food writing contest, Mga Kuwentong Pagkain, was also launched during the event. The tilt encourages Filipinos nationwide to share food tales coming from their own regions.
“This kind of dialogue is precisely what the foundation strives to inspire through our projects like Mga Kuwentong Pagkain,” said Clara Reyes-Lapus, president of Mama Sita Fondation, as she expressed her delight in advocating Philippine culinary heritage.
“Mama Sita loved to promote local food and how they are prepared. In her life, she travelled to different places to search for the most authentic flavors, and in turn she spread it out to share it with the world. This is what we hope to achieve tonight, talking about food and appreciating our culture and our flavours,” Lapus added.
Students from the Ateneo de Manila University presented their researches concerning the preservation of the local heritage of the Ilocanos.
Source: Sundy Mae Locus, The People's Journal, October 28, 2017