Pangasinan Town Celebrates Talong Festival with Focus on Eggplant Harvest

Pangasinan – The town in Pangasinan celebrated its Talong (eggplant) Festival 2024 on Friday, marking the event with an array of eggplant dishes, vibrant street dances, and its characteristic hospitality. This year’s festival, the 16th since its inception in 2006, was a testament to the town’s status as a major producer of eggplants and other vegetables in Northern Luzon.

According to Philippines News Agency, the festival, which is a key part of Villasis’ nine-day town fiesta, was scaled down this year due to budget constraints. However, the essence of the festival, celebrating the successful harvest of the local farmers in the previous year, remained intact. The municipality decided to forgo the traditional Pinakbet sa Kawa, a dish featuring various vegetables, and instead focused the cooking competition on eggplant dishes. The competition saw 25 free-style entries from each of the town’s villages, with Barangay Unzad’s Rice Cake Eggplant taking the first prize, followed by Barangay Lipay’s Fried Stuffed Eggplant Glazed with Yakiniku Sauce, and Barangay Amanperez’s Royale Bibingkang Talong.

Mayor Abrenica expressed his satisfaction with the festival’s organization and attendance, despite the absence of certain elements like the Pinakbet sa Kawa and the evening concert. He promised a grander celebration next year and plans to start preparations earlier. He also expressed gratitude for the absence of agricultural issues such as pests last year, though he did not provide specific data on the total eggplant production and income, stating that the information was still being consolidated.

Councilor Crisanto Balila echoed the mayor’s sentiments regarding the market for the town’s eggplant production. He noted that farmers typically plant eggplant twice a year during the dry season and cultivate other vegetables like okra, chili, tomato, corn, and rice in between. While most of the produce is transported to Metro Manila, local farmers also sell their products at the town’s wholesale market and the nearby Urdaneta City Bagsakan Market.