Philippines tourism department seeks to promote tourism through cuisine

Asean News Published 11 months ago on 27 April 2023 | Author TIN Media
Philippines:

The Philippines Department of Tourism's Taiwan office on Wednesday held an event in Taipei to promote quintessential Philippine cuisine, inviting Taiwanese to visit the country for a "food adventure."

Hazel Javier, director of the Philippines Department of Tourism's Taiwan office, said she organized the event to promote Philippine cuisine as "one of the world's best" and to attract Taiwanese tourists to visit the Philippines to enjoy the local food.

"Food is part of the culture, and a lot of Taiwanese tourists go to certain destinations to appreciate culture and our gastronomy is part of it," Javier said.

Philippine food, Javier said, has received many accolades. For example, sinigang, a sour soup with a layered taste native to the Philippines, which she said is a "personal favorite," was named the best soup in the world by the international food database TasteAtlas in 2020 and 2021.

Another of her favorites, Bicol Express, native to the Bicol Region, is a piquant pork stew made of coconut milk cream, shrimp paste and chili peppers, Javier said.

The dish is believed to have received its name from the Bicol Express railway train (Philippine National Railways) that operated from Tutuban, Manila to Legazpi, Albay (regional center of the Bicol region).

In the past, passengers would order the dish on the platform to go with rice so they would have enough energy for the long train journey on which they were about to embark, according to the Philippines Department of Tourism.

The department has teamed up with Maya Bistro in Taipei's Zhongshan District to serve Philippine dishes every weekend starting from May 10 and invites people to visit the diner to taste the delectable cuisine.