Written By: Bernadette Patañag
A sneak peek on some of the mixed local and heritage ingredients to be highlighted during the Gulay Pa More! Fiesta in Quezon City on May 25.
Have you ever heard of parirutong, kalingag, kulitis or sampinit? These are just some of the diverse indigenous crops in the Philippines that will be highlighted as key culinary ingredients in some of the plant-based dishes to be served during the ‘Gulay Pa More Fiesta’ event, the country’s first ever fiesta highlighting the abundance of
Philippine flora. The festival is happening on May 25, 2024, from 10 am to 7 pm, at the CSSP
Parking Lot in UP Diliman, Quezon City.
Buoyed by the widening public support for local farmers and preservation of Philippine food heritage, the ‘Gulay Pa More’ fiesta is a timely festival, especially with the Filipinos’ growing interest in our local biodiversity. The work of
food heritage advocates John Sherwin Felix of Lokalpedia and RG Enriquez-Diez of AstigVegan,
environmentalist Celine Murillo, and taxonomist Leonard Co, Lumad leader Bai
Bibyaon, and food historians Felice Sta. Maria, Ige Ramos, and Doreen Fernandez, among many others, will be featured in the event.
The climate crisis bringing unprecedented heatwaves, drought, and stronger typhoons
resulting in food shortages, the fiesta organizers believe that it’s high time the Philippines bring
our often-neglected indigenous foods front and center as priority crops in this new normal of
extreme weather.
“These crops are key to our food security and climate resilience, and ‘Gulay Pa More!’ is our way
of inviting people to celebrate and protect them by making sure they remain in our diets,” shares
Chef Lao of Gulay Na, one of the fiesta organizers.
The first-ever fiesta highlighting Philippine local and indigenous crops is a celebration that brings to the forefront the abundance of Philippine flora and our wide array of plant-based dishes that are important to our many local communities’ economy, culture, and resilience.
The fiesta will also feature food innovations by participating chefs and small food businesses and an organic talipapa to promote interest in keeping our native biodiversity alive. Gulay Pa More! also aims to promote Philippine food heritage and plant-based cuisine, raise awareness on sustainable food systems, foster solidarity and create
community, honor the invaluable work of farmers, small producers and advocates, and
institutionalize this fiesta as an annual event.
During its press Launch recently, the organizers teased and provided a ‘sneak peek’ of what
to expect on May 25. Food heritage advocates John Sherwin Felix of Lokalpedia, Patrick Dela Cueva of MASIPAG, and Chef Laorence Castillo of Gulay Na! led a community cooking of “burong kanin” using mixed local and heritage ingredients. Aside from this, a “patikim” of a variety of plant-based dishes were served to the attending media, guests, and influencers such as kinalabasa-sedesdem-bignay canapés, raspberry sampinit and pili nut ice cream, and mango
tamarillo kombucha.
Chef Lao shared, “As a fiesta, Gulay Pa More! wants to create a joyful atmosphere as we learn about food sufficiency, biodiversity preservation, healthy living, veganism, and collective care. That’s why we have invited chefs, professional home cooks, and small food retailers to create plant-based dishes using our abundance of native and endemic flora to reintroduce them to a new generation of eaters.”
Sherwin of Lokalpedia also emphasizes the importance of protecting our heritage and traditional food. He adds, “These foods are intricately woven into a community’s identity, history, and environment. They are often produced sustainably, celebrating cultural diversity, and honoring local ingredients and traditions. In contrast, mass-produced items prioritize uniformity and standardization, often controlled by a few large corporations, which marginalize small-scale farmers, fishermen, and artisans. By championing our heritage foods, we also champion our environment, support our people, and preserve our culture for future generations.”
So what else can we expect to find in the fiesta on May 25? Apart from the different food innovations using heritage, indigenous, and local ingredients, the fiesta will also have a talipapa of organic produce and rare native crops and artisanal products from different parts of the country (merchant stalls and produce market). There will be learning sessions on food and agriculture, native tree walks within UP Diliman, art workshop (with Kids and Wellness Zones),
additional community cooking featuring wild leaves, and tributes to Leonardo Co and Bai Bibyaon.
Gulay Pa More! is organized by Agroecology X, Good Food Community, Gulay Na!, Lokalpedia, Magsasaka at Siyentipiko para sa Pagunlad ng Agrikultura, and Poverty Reduction through Social Entrepreneurship (PRESENT) Coalition. It is supported by University of the Philippines Diliman, SAMASA, Oxfam Pilipinas, Foundation for a Sustainable Society, Inc. (FSSI),
Foundation for the Philippine Environment, Agroecology X, Mga Likha ni Inay, CARD, and CARD MRI Hijos Tours.
For more details about this event, go to their Facebook and Instagram pages at
https://www.facebook.com/moregulaypa and https://www.instagram.com/gulaypamore/