Whether you’ve got something or nothing lined up for this weekend, hie off to SM Megamall to check out the National Food Fair!
Held every year by the Department of Trade and Industry, this food fair gathers purveyors from all over the country to showcase the best, the latest, and the tastiest from various regions. Considering the organizers have booked the entire breadth of Megatrade Halls 1 to 3, you know you’re in for a smorgasbord of Filipino treats.
Here’s a peek at what’s in store for you there:
Charles and Joy Gourmet’s Smoked Herring has certainly elevated the humble tinapa with their flavor offerings. The Lime Garlic Tinapa has a nice blend of citrusy and smoky flavors, while the Chili Garlic Tinapa is more familiar in taste, only with a slight heat to it. They also have the Kaffir Garlic Tinapa (not in photo), which is similar to the Lime Garlic Tinapa but with a fragrant, distinctly kaffir-scented punch as an aftertaste.
Over at the Palawan region area, you can find a stall selling Lamayo. It’s the less-crunchy cousin of the more well-known dried danggit (which the stall also has, in both salted and unsalted variants). What makes the Lamayo delicious is how it’s been marinated in a concoction of vinegar, chili, and black pepper before being vacuum-packed. (Note: If you buy five packs or more, you get a discount.)
Cesario’s is a Tuguegarao-based brand that is working on having a larger presence in the Metro Manila area. A good thing, too, because their products are awesome. The Crispy Garlic Bits in Oil, in particular, is a favorite. It makes a great addition to steamed fish fillet, fried rice, and seafood pasta. Even pairing it with chips works!
Aging’s Food Delight has got to be one of the most popular stalls at the Food Fair. After all, who can resist kakanin—pretty-looking and in eco-friendly packaging at that? In a span of two hours (while we were there), their goods were almost all sold out.
If you manage to traverse the entire food fair, you might think that turmeric is the new salted egg, especially with all the sellers of turmeric tea in that one event. Delfa’s Seven in One is one of the more well-known brands with a loyal following. Just a teaspoon of this potent-yet-sweet-tasting ginger-turmeric tea in a cup of hot water makes a delightful after-meal drink.
This stall that offers Hillsview Mangosteen Tea does Agusan del Sur proud. Always attracting a crowd (this photo was taken after the latest batch had stepped away), the sellers are effectively able to extol the health virtues of their products—even curious bystanders end up tasting and buying.
Produce in a variety of forms are also available at the food fair. You’ve got red/black rice from Oriental Mindoro, vegetables from Nueva Vizcaya, pomelos from Davao, and mangoes from Guimaras.
Over at DJMV Farm, the sellers explained the upside of buying organic black/red rice beyond its health benefits. Compared to rice exposed to pesticides, the organic variety is said to last longer before expiring. If you spot it, buy it as their stock disappears fast.
MSC Food Products specializes in health teas, from guyabano, to sambong, to tawa-tawa. Loose-leaf teas are also on sale. If you can’t be bothered with brewing your own tea but want the benefits, you can always try their guyabano or turmeric capsules.
Another must-try for health buffs is Golden Mushroom’s Mushroom Sisig. Produced by Nagano’s Farm in Nueva Ecija, it’s a delicious, vegetarian take on the traditional sisig. What’s fantastic about it is it’s ready-to-eat! No need to adjust flavors since everything’s spot-on. They also have Mushroom Tempura, which are basically crunchy mushroom chips that come in plain and sour cream flavors. (The latter is particularly addictive.)
If you want export-quality coconut products, you really have to check out this food fair. Coconut Sugar (which is touted to be diabetic-friendly), Virgin Coconut Oil, and Coconut Syrup are just among the many coco-based merchandise on sale.
According to the ladies at Cagayan de Oro-based Nanay Choleng’s, muron is actually a type of suman that originated in Leyte. What they’ve done is innovate with the flavors, going beyond the classic chocolate, by offering other fillings like Plain Ube, Ube Langka, and Red Bean Matcha. If the groups that come over to their stall are any indication, they’ve got a hit on their hands.
Even Ilocos Sur’s Marsha’s Delicacies has made its way here. On offer are their delectable Royal Bibingka (shown in photo), Supreme Bibingka (lots more cheese compared to the Royal one!), and Cassava Cake, among others.
ACF Bakeshop from Romblon brings its Jacobina, Aglipay, Ugoy Ugoy, and Tipin to the table. These crisp biscuits are just four out of the eight in their product line. The Jacobina and Aglipay are similar in taste but are different in shape and density. The Ugoy Ugoy is a thicker biscuit with a sprinkling of sugar. All three pair make wonderful coffee pairings. The thinner Tipin differs from the rest in that it is made with coconut milk.
Come hungry if you plan to visit since there’s so much taste-testing and actual eating to do. At the far end of the hall, you’ll find authentic Bicol Express, Pinangat, freshly made and fried Ilocos Empanada, etc. that you can enjoy on the spot.
Easy-to-eat siomai is popular among the snacking public. You’ve got sellers of the traditional siomai for the omnivores and mushroom siomai for the vegetarians. One stall even offers “Healthy Siomai” in three flavors: siomai malunggay, siomai carrots, and siomai kalabasa. At first you might think they’re all-veg—they aren’t. Each siomai is a mix of chicken and a bit of pork meat that’s been added with the indicated vegetable. Interestingly, there’s no telltale taste of veggie at all. According to the seller, that’s on purpose as their product is targeted towards kids who dislike the taste of vegetables.
Another favored snack at the event is Nueva Cabanatuan’s Longganisa On A Stick. They make it so hard to ignore as they’ve laid out trays of three different types of longganisa—all ready for the taking (well, buying and then taking). They’ve got Pork Hamonado (sweet pork), Pork Recado (pork garlic), and Beef Batutay (sweet beef). It has its fair share of patrons, with some people buying all three at once!
Although established brands like Gardenia, Purefoods, Mekeni, and Pampanga’s Best are present, a big part of the fun of going to the National Food Fair is discovering new food to try and products to buy from not-so-well-known-yet sellers. It’s like you become part of their journey to becoming the next big thing.
The National Food Fair will only run until March 19, Sunday. (No word yet on when the next one will be held.) So what are you waiting for? Off you go!
