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Slow Food Negros:
Heritage Food Stays Afloat

Without sounding biblical, the Ark of Taste of Slow Food International is a repository of heritage food ingredients created to preserve them against extinction. According to a press release from Slow Food Negros, there are several Negrense ingredients registered in the ark, among them, the Darag Chicken (our native chicken), Adlai, Batwan, Marang, Kadios, Warty Pig, and Criolla Cacao.

Slow Food Negros takes inspiration from Slow Food International, an organization founded by Italian Carlos Petrini in the late 1980s. Its website shares, “Slow Food is a global, grassroots organization, founded in 1989 to prevent the disappearance of local food cultures and traditions, counteract the rise of fast life and combat people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from and how our food choices affect the world around us.” (www.slowfood.com)



From Oct. 30, 2020, to April 2021, the slow food movement will celebrate the Terra Salone del Gusto in Turin, Italy. The press release said, advocates from 160 countries come together in this biennial event to learn from talks as well as exhibits. Times have changed but the commitment remains. Notwithstanding the pandemic, many topics reminiscent of long-held traditions will be revisited in virtual talks, including preserving food sources, seeds endemic to particular places, and traditional farming practices. Reena Gamboa, Slow Food Negros president, says, “I am a farmer myself, and I do realize the importance of taking care of earth’s blessings and going back to the basics. Food production is taken for granted and farmers always get the least attention in this world of digitalization and information technology.”



 

That’s about to change. This time Terra Madre will be on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram running talks and events, exploring traditional food possibilities under the theme, “Our Food, Our Planet, Our Future”.

In step with the times the press release said, “…preservation of local food cultures and traditions is important not only for historical and sociological purposes but also for a balanced local biodiversity and food security in our nation. This COVID pandemic is an opportunity to open the eyes of our fellow Filipinos in nurturing plants and animals that are indigenous to our country.”

 A kitchen serves up Negrense heritage



The new normal has started. It is a world where people step out with caution and awareness and responsibility. A world quite unlike our get-up-and-go carefree ways just lived months ago. Come to think of it, the wisdom to embrace challenges and innovate has been a hallmark of Negrense resilience through crises over centuries. And while this pandemic might be a heavier burden to pull, trust Negrenses to find their emotional tug, inhale, and heave-ho.

In Negros, a house teeming with heritage, from the front door to the kitchen, is making a unique mark in this countryside restaurant landscape. The historic Casa A. Gamboa in Silay City, Negros Occidental, has opened its doors to intimate group dining reservations for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and all meals in-between. Its veteran kitchen, repository of cooking secrets admired through the years, is again abuzz.



 

Once visited by Gen. Douglas MacArthur, the house and its sprawling garden, Jardin de Alicia, were built in 1939 by Aguinaldo Severino Gamboa and his wife, Dr. Alicia Lucero Gamboa. Its Old World charm lends to soulful, hearty, even nostalgic dishes, many coming out of heritage recipes. For years too, Jardin de Alicia has played host to the annual Adobo Festival. While the event has been temporarily put on hold due to the pandemic, a menu of delectable, insightful adobo dishes is to be expected in the offering.





 

The food experience begins with a painstakingly designed table setting that, by itself, is a feast for the eyes. Reservations are requested three days in advance so guests can plan their meals using farm-fresh, market-fresh ingredients in season. The menu is specially put together by the family matriarch who holds nothing but the highest standards in quality and taste. It is then meticulously executed by a seasoned kitchen staff.

For everyone’s health and peace of mind, Casa A. Gamboa accepts reservations from four to 15 guests only. Masks and shields are required, and guests may choose to dine at the open balcony, the airy dining room, or al fresco out in the garden, should the weather permit. Those who wish to experience dining on heritage cuisine straight out of a heritage home may visit its Facebook Page, Casa A. Gamboa.

Text by Alan S. Gensoli. Photos courtesy Reena Gamboa.