Visit Pampanga's 'Big Bite! The Northern Food Festival' this October

Sisig is the name of the game in this year's "Big Bite! The Northern Food Festival" which will be held on Oct. 17 to 19 at the MarQuee Mall in Angeles City, Pampanga.
Over 100 food exhibitors and vendors from all over northern Philippines -- Ilocos and the Cordilleras, Kalinga, Baguio and Tuguegarao, to Nueva Ecija and Nueva Viscaya, Pangasinan, Tarlac, Bulacan and Pampanga -- will again gather at the food festival aimed at showcasing the best dishes and delicacies of the region.

To name a few, there will be Vigan empanada and bagnet, longanisa from Tuguegarao, kare-kare and binulo rice (wrapped in banana leaf), pako salad, swam na mais from Pampanga and, of course, sisig.

Considered as Pampanga’s famous contribution to the country’s cuisine, sisig has been recognized by the New York Times as “arguably the greatest pork dish on earth.”

The popular sisig is made of boiled pig’s face (cheeks, ears, etc.) which is chopped and mixed with spices before being served on sizzling plates. Sisig now comes in other variants: including a version made from tuna, and tofu for vegetarians.


What to expect

Cooking demonstrations are scheduled during the food festival featuring Lifestyle Network’s celebrity chefs: on the evening of Oct. 18 is chef Sharwin Tee, the first winner of Clash of the Toque-en Ones and star of Curiosity Got the Chef; on Oct. 19,  recognized restaurateur and food writer, chef Sandy Daza of Foodprints, together with Atching Lilian Borromeo, famous food historian and expert on traditional Kapampangan cuisine.

There will also be a culinary cook-off between top culinary schools in Pampanga and Bulacan, where you get the chance for food sampling activities.

There are two new events to catch when you attend the event:

• The Street Food Aisle, where you can find both unique and familiar street foods such as Baguio strawberry taho, ice scramble, sorbetes (local ice cream), and binatog (boiled corn with grated coconut and salt) and;
• The Food Art installations at the MarQuee Mall park by award-winning visual artist Leeroy New and the Pampanga Arts Guild. Installations measuring 3x3 meters depicts the different northern regions through food art forms.

For a minimum P1,000 purchase, mall shoppers can also enjoy free food samples from food vendors participating in the Big Buffet promo.

Ayala Land operates MarQuee Mall, which is located adjacent to the Angeles Exit of the North Luzon Expressway, just an hour’s drive north of Metro Manila.

For more information, contact (045) 304-0110 to 11 or follow MarQuee Mall on Facebook (facebook.com/MarQueeMall), Twitter (@MarQueetweets) and Instagram (@iloveMarQueemall).



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