DOT and Slow Food Community Launch Cookbook on Western Visayas Cuisine in Bacolod City

Bacolod City – The Department of Tourism (DOT), in collaboration with the Slow Food Community in Negros Island, unveiled a new cookbook titled ‘Sud-an: Rediscovering Western Visayas Cuisine through the Ark of Taste’ during the 1st Terra Madre Visayas. The event, focusing on the region’s culinary heritage, is being held from November 15 to 19 in Bacolod City.

According to Philippines News Agency, President of the Slow Food Community of Negros Island, the 172-page cookbook features a rich variety of Western Visayan dishes, surpassing other regions in diversity. The book includes recipes for appetizers (‘abregana’), salads (‘ensalada’), soups (‘sabaw’), ‘mga adobo’, main dishes (‘sud-an’), ‘mga kakanin’, and desserts (‘panyam-is’). These recipes utilize ingredients listed in the ‘Ark of Taste’, which catalogs endangered heritage foods native to Panay, Guimaras, and Negros islands.

Crisanta Marlene Rodriguez, DOT 6 (Western Visayas) Director, highlighted the concept of ‘slow food’ in a video shown at the launch. She described it as ‘good food’ prepared with love and effort, ‘clean’ due to its organic nature, and ‘fair’ because it ensures proper compensation for farmers producing the ingredients. Negrense chef April Lacson-Justiniani, part of the book’s creative team, expressed that ‘Sud-an’ is more than a cookbook; it’s a celebration of the region’s culinary art and the joy of cooking. Architect and food enthusiast Andrew Peñalosa, in a section of the book titled ‘What is Western Visayan Cuisine?’, described the cuisine as a fusion of tradition and modernism, evolving and improving over time.

The launch of ‘Sud-an’ aligns with the theme of the 1st Terra Madre Visayas, ‘Visayas: Food and Culture Biodiversity’. The event, hosted by the Slow Food Community in Negros Island, aims to promote small-scale, traditional, and sustainable food production in the region, showcasing Western Visayas as a hidden gem in the culinary world.