24Shares

Negros Occidental Food Parade

The Negros Occidental Tourism celebrates Tourism Week 2017 Negros Occidental Food Parade.

Negros Occidental Tourism Week Food Parade 2017

Negros Occidental Provincial Tourism Week

September 22-29, 2017 is hailed as the Negros Occidental Provincial Tourism Week. One of the highlights is the Negros Occidental Food Parade. It is where all the cities and municipalities under the provincial government (including the lone district of Bacolod City) came together at the provincial capitol in Bacolod to showcase their specialties.

The gathering was attended by tourism officers and staff of the different LGUs as well as media and this Bacolod food blogger. The different foods were paraded and then presented and these were also enjoyed for the luncheon that followed.

Negros Occidental vice governor — Vice Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson (center) with Mr. Tim Ticar of DOT Region 6 and Ms. Tin Mansinares, Negros Occidental Tourism Officer.

Let’s Encourage More Filipinos to Visit Negros

Vice Governor Lacson said that for now, Negros Occidental is the No. 2 most visited province by local tourists, second to Manila. He encouraged everyone to “help each other and encourage more (fellow) Filipinos to visit us.” He said that the sugar industry is down because of the prices of sugar but many people and industries will benefit with the boom of tourism.

Here are some of my food finds during the parade. There are many more but these ones caught my attention…and my palate. In no particular order, of course.

NEGROS OCCIDENTAL FOOD FINDS

These are my food finds at the Negros Occidental Food Parade held at the Provincial Capitol, just across the Capitol Lagoon, in Bacolod City.

Marang Ice Cream of Sagay. Creamy, sweet, and could pass up as gelato. This is a must-try. I would like to feature this again if given the chance.

Cadiz City dried seafood — Of course, Cadiz City is known for their assorted dried seafood, being a coastal city. These are available in vacuum packs and can be easily brought anywhere.

Calatrava chorizo — Chorizo form Calatrava. Homemade, this chorizo tastes so good. Thankfully, they were available for sale at the parade so I was able to buy some. My kids loved chorizo.

Silay piaya — Piaya of Silay. This is crunchy and fresh, plus the taste and aroma of sesame seeds are so underscored.

Read: DON SALVADOR BENEDICTO Family Food Trip

About the Negros Occidental Food Parade

The Negros Occidental Food Parade is on its 12th year already. Ms. Tin Mansinares, Provincial Tourism Officer of Negros Occidental, said, “Food is one of the major reasons why people travel to Negros Occidental. Showcasing their heirloom dishes and innovative food products continue to provide awareness and appreciation of our rich Negrense heritage.”

These foods are available at the pasalubong centers of these respective LGUs, at Bacolod pasalubong outlets, and specialty Bacolod restaurants. You may also enjoy them during the Panaad Festival. Interest parties can keep in touch with the tourism officers or livelihood coordinators of the different cities and municipalities.

Escalante city breads — This native bread from Ecalante is a crowd favorite especially during the Negros Panaad Festival. It is cooked in a pugon, or earthen oven. Locally, it’s called pan de dapog.

Ilog seafood — Different seafood from Ilog.

Bounty of the Land and Sea

The island of Negros is average sized, with many municipalities around the coastal side while some are in the flatlands, while others are on the mountains. These foods are products of the bounty of the land and the sea, combined with the creativity of the people.

Some of the products are clearly popular and already established while others have been newly created and still needs some research and development if they are to push for the national and international market.