Visitors going to Burnham Park will have another place to go to aside from the usual go-to places, as the Ibaloy Heritage Garden launches its Ibaloy fusion cuisines, which is being planned to be a staple part of the park.
Organized by the Onjon ni Ivadoy, the activity was launched on Jan. 25 where young and old Ibaloys from the different clans showed their mettle in cooking local delicacies with a twist.
Hilson Busoy of the Onjon ni Ivadoy said the food presented were modern innovations incorporating native cuisine such as kinuday (smoked meat), laing or taro leaves cooked in coconut milk, and diket (delicacies made with glutinuous rice).
“We hope that when people eat our food, they will say that Ibaloys are good cooks and that the Ibaloy cuisine tastes good, because that is our main goal, to promote who we are and our heritage,” Busoy said.
Onjon members and visitors took part of the various cuisines including kinuday takoyaki, kinuday suman, ham and chicken, kinuday pizza, kamote doughnuts, laing on crackers, charcuterie board of kinuday, cheese, crackers, and duting (strawberry), diket langka, and fresh vegetable salad to cleanse the palate. Drinks such as Arabica coffee, rice wine, and juice were served.
Baguio Midland Courier Publisher Gloria Antoinette Hamada, also an Onjon ni Ivadoy official, said the event is also a way to promote the different booths manned by the Ibaloy clans.
“It’s our way of uplifting our ka-onjon so they will also make a living out of their skills in cooking, baking, and making various products which are being displayed on the different booths,” Hamada said.
She said promoting the Ibaloy Heritage Park as a recreational food park would hopefully bring in visitors to appreciate the rich culture of the Ibaloys through the food and local products.
Bringing in visitors and tourists who will buy the various products and food at the park would also help in the maintenance of the site. The booths will be up year-round where visitors could dine in and drink from their choice with a minimal fee.
Onjon President Maximo Edwin Bugnay, Jr. said the group is also waiting for the fund from the city government to finally start the upgrade of the heritage park.
Bugnay said they are coordinating with Mayor Benjamin Magalong for the upgrade of the facility, which is usually the gathering place of Ibaloys not only from Baguio City but also from neighboring areas and even abroad. – Ofelia C. Empian
