Celebrating Filipino cuisine at ‘My City, My SM, My Cuisine’ book launch

MANILA, Philippines - One of the highlights of the “My City, My SM, My Cuisine” book launch was the spread of regional specialties from all over the country. This included heirloom recipes from prominent families in the cities where SM has malls that were featured in the book; as well as four exciting food showcases: the Suman Bar from Antipolo, the Baraka showcase from Laguna, Food of Our Heroes from Bulacan, and of course, Claude Tayag’s Bale Dutung station from Pampanga.

The Suman Bar was a modern take on the Philippine delicacy, which is made from glutinous rice cooked in coconut milk, steamed and wrapped in buli or buri palm leaves. The bar featured four innovative ways of serving suman: suman adobo, manga con caramelo, tsokolate, and Sushi ni Susie.

The Baraka Station was a celebration of the culture of Santa Rosa, Laguna, with a strong focus on authentic food items and heirloom dishes. It features delicacies like sinukmani, puto maya, atole, lumpiang hubad, Pancit Grade 1, and the famous Bok’s ice cream.

The specialties in the Food of Our Heroes showcase featured a unique tableau that gave us a glimpse of the lifestyles of our heroes, as well as the times they lived in. These are based on Bulakeño food historian Mila Enriquez’s Kasaysayan ng Kaluto ng Bayan where she researched, conceptualized, and prepared famous food of our heroes.

Bale Dutung, in English, means house of wood. It is the residence of chef Claude Tayag and wife Mary Ann where they serve innovative Kapampangan cuisine. Presented like a canvas painted with food, Bale Dutung has hosted many well-known foodies, including Anthony Bourdain. The Bale Dutung’s showcase featured Claude’s Mini Pan de Bagnet and Mini Bringhe.

The “My City, My SM, My Cuisine” book is available at Kultura Filipino stores at SM Aura Premier, SM Makati, the SM Mall of Asia, and SM Megamall.