A feast from the past

A good way of popularizing culture is through cuisine. Feasts are always something to look forward to. They entertain us and at the same time allow us to observe religious and social rituals. They also mark significant celebrations in history like the proclamation of the first Philippine Constitutional Republic in Malolos, Bulacan.

To commemorate this historic event, Mandarin Oriental is holding a Filipino food festival dubbed "Piging: A Heritage of Cuisine" at the Captain’s Bar until tomorrow. Since May is Filipino Heritage Month, the hotel showcased ilustrado banquets that were held in the bahay na bato in the 18th century. Luz Ocampo demonstrated the vanishing art of making pastillas wrappers. On the opening of Piging, a Bulacan choir performed kundiman songs and schoolchildren presented a balagtasan.

Dez Bautista, author, director, and production designer, says, "The barrio fiesta theme is already passé, so I thought of recreating different feasts based on Philippine history, which will be featured in Piging."

Bautista designed the concept of Mandarin Oriental’s festival with food historian and author Mila Enriquez.

"The campaign for culture has to be done on many fronts. Cuisine is one of the easiest and surest ways to attract attention, so we thought of contextualizing food within culture, and at the same time, show our historical relationship with neighboring countries," explains Bautista.

In the 1746 Filipino dictionary, piging meant an invitation to dine together. Bautista adds, "During the Malolos Republic, a feast was held to analyze the apex of Aguinaldo’s triumphs since he fought for the constitution." The Bulaqueño menu then was written in French to complement the civility of the European world. Chicken giblets, adobo, crabmeat on shells, oysters and shrimps were christened with French names.

David Thomas, Mandarin’s executive assistant manager for food and beverage, says, "Our research on Philippine history reveals a wealth of culinary information, such as the sumptuous feasts that marked many momentous celebrations. So what better way to remember great moments in the country’s history than via the culinary path?"

Mandarin Oriental Manila’s five-day lunch buffet showcased a daily culinary theme.

"Banquete de la Republika" featured food during the inauguration of the first Philippine Constitutional Republic in Malolos. Pedro Paterno and friends wrote the menu, which included buttered radish, Holland salmon, chicken giblet adobo, fillet of fish a la Chateaubriand with French beans, mutton chops a la papillote with potatoes and strawberry jelly.

"Mesa de Hacienda" was the theme for the second day, which dates back to the time when the port of Manila opened to foreign trade after the closing of the Galleon Trade with Mexico. The Captain’s Bar veered away from paksiw and sinigang and served turkey, truffles, ensaladang Tagalog, kinilaw na talaba, burong mangga, sizzling usa, itik bukid, tinanglad na manok, and bibingka.

"First Banquet" featured the Spaniards’ first taste of native cuisine, chronicled by Italian Antonio Pigafetta. Historians say that Rajah Humabon gave a feast for Magellan and his men, which consisted of seafood served on a dulang or low table. Items on the menu include kilawin tangingue sa gata, prawns kinilaw, oysters kinilaw, tangingue sinigang sa mangga, apahap, and daing na lapu-lapu.

For "Filipino Table in Paris," dishes included adaptations of "Filipino palate bred on Hispanic cooking." Such food was a comfort to homesick Indios Bravos in Paris. The feast included atchara de Manila, calabacines with ham and chicharon, arroz a la valenciana, paksiw de Bulacan, carne mechado con jamon, and merengue.

For the last day, "Mesa de Lipa" will showcase cuisine from Lipa, Batangas. In the 19th century, European coffee lovers were addicted to coffee from Lipa. Grand dinners in stone mansions gave birth to the banquet theme "Pasasalamat sa Kape." The culinary fare for the day includes prawns cooked with champagne, sopa de la reina, pastel de pichon, lengua sevillana, morcon, favo trufado stuffed with ground pork, raw ham, egg yolks, pate, and truffles and yema for dessert.

"The Philippines, an island that used to be run by savages, had now declared itself as the first nation that was documented to achieve freedom in all of Asia, and championed before the world the region’s first democracy with its own government, its own flag, and its own national anthem. That was more than enough reason for feasting," concludes Bautista.

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For inquiries, call Mandarin Oriental at 750-8888 local 2417 and 2418.