by Rose Churma
Iloilo City has recently joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network as a Creative City of Gastronomy. This has inspired the Ilonggos to celebrate their culinary excellence and share their gastronomic heritage.
One of the city’s goals in being part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network is to establish Iloilo as a destination for those wanting to experience authentically produced good food that could spur economic activity, attract infrastructure investments, create jobs, and open opportunities for innovation.
Clearly, the city has succeeded!
When I first visited Iloilo City in 1998 as part of the Filipino Chamber’s trade mission, it was a quiet place with mostly low-rise buildings.
Nowadays, airlines arrive at the City’s recently built airport. The tarmac of the old airport is now the location of high-rise hotels and multi-level shopping malls. The city has a vibrant vibe—one can feel the pride of the locals in the transformation of their city.
Despite the influx of investments and technology, the city has nurtured and preserved its rich heritage and history.
The book consists of a foreword from the current Secretary of the Department of Tourism who touts tourism as a “crucial economic pillar.” She describes the essence of this book as a testament to how “food reflects the convergence of history, culture, and innovation.”
The preface from the executive director of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts notes that the gastronomy of a place is a valued culture, or a representative of its heritage—“…the memory of the past, the identity of the present, and the reason for continuity in the future.”
In the introduction by Mayor Jerry P. Treñas, he notes that food is the city’s love language—the Ilonggo is always concerned with what to eat for the day.
But this love affair with food is a gift to those who are part of the food chain—from the farmers and fisherfolk, to the cooks and chefs, the artisanal makers and food vendors, and the mothers and homemakers who prepare the daily meals that keep families together.
The main part of the book consists of six chapters followed by an afterword.
Chapter 1, titled “Framework” explores Iloilo’s gastronomic identity through the lens of geography, ethnicity, ingredients, and technology. Written by Ige Ramos of the Ugnayan Center for Filipino Gastronomy, he notes that food has a crucial role in bringing people together, from shared meals, community gatherings and religious or secular festivals.
Chapter 2, “Geography” written by Vicente Segovia Salas explains that Iloilo City’s gastronomy is indelibly intertwined with the Island of Panay’s history and geography. The place-names affixed to dishes are examples of how geography is linked to the origins of the food. An example is Pancit Molo, a signature Iloilo dish, comes from the Molo district, which was originally a Chinese enclave called Parian, established by the Spanish colonizers in the 18th century to control and tax the Chinese traders.
Hazel Palmares Viila describes how Iloilo’s food tells the story of its place and people in Chapter 3 “Ethnicity.” Its three signature dishes of Pancit Molo, Batchoy and KBL (Kadios-Baboy-Langka) are examples of this. KBL is considered its truly native dish which is made of pigeon peas, pork and unripe jackfruit and soured by the endemic fruit batwan, all native to the island of Panay. Pancit Molo and Batchoy, on the other hand, are influenced by trade with merchants from China.
Chapter 4 “Ingredients” examines the sources of food in the Western Visayas Region that play a crucial role in the rich culinary heritage of the place. Sustainable sources of ingredients or panakot (sangkap or rekado in Tagalog) are from three community-based supply chains: upland, lowland and coastal geographical origins.
This chapter, written by Glenda S.Tayona and Pearl Rylene S. Socias, with beautiful illustrations from Victorico Nabor and Kevin Z. Fernandez, highlights the basic ingredients of Ilonggo cuisine—from the staples of rice, corn and sugar to its native chicken called darag or the rare and popular snail called ige.
A section is devoted to ingredients that elevate the region’s cuisine to another level like ginamos (shrimp paste), kalkag (dried salted small shrimp) and hibi (sun-dried skinned shrimp).
Ted Aldwin Ong discusses in detail in Chapter 5 “Technology” where the blending of heritage and modernity takes place. The coexistence of old practices and use of contemporary equipment has expanded Iloilo’s culinary possibilities without compromising taste or the essence of the heritage dishes.
Chapter 6 contains the recipes of Iloilo’s heritage dishes like binakol na manok, a chicken soup dish with young coconut. The young coconut meat is scraped and shaped like pasta noodles, its mildly sweet coconut water provides the liquid base and seasoned with ginger, onions, tomatoes, and simmered with pounded lemon grass stalks.
The last chapter is an afterword written by Lara Boquiren Gonzales. She notes that this book positions Iloilo as a gastronomic hub, but as a creative city it must also prioritize food security and sustainable agricultural practices. She also challenges the consumers and encourages them to use local produce, embrace seasonality and pay fair prices—and to be guardians of Iloilo’s cultural landscapes. She cautions that consumers can also be change makers—and any small gesture can make a significant difference—whether one is a local resident or a visitor.
Iloilo’s food experience is a celebration of life and a reflection of the Ilonggo’s love for their land and heritage. The Ilonggo story is told through the flavors of its dishes, its aroma, textures, and vibrant colors. But what makes this happen is its people—their zest for living and appreciation for their rich heritage and history.
This is the time to visit Iloilo—a few days maybe, or for a much longer time.
Consider it as a retirement location: it has the combination of a well-run city with warm and friendly locals, a dynamic economy, and a happy mix of green landscapes around modern structures.
And of course, the food: a culinary paradise!
ROSE CRUZ CHURMA established Kalamansi Books & Things three decades ago. It has evolved from a mail-order bookstore into an online advocacy with the intent of helping global Pinoys discover their heritage by promoting books of value from the Philippines and those written by Filipinos in the Diaspora. We can be reached at kalamansibooks@gmail.com.
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