MADRID Fusión Manila (MFM) is usually the chance for cooking aficionados, professional chefs, budding culinary workhorses and gourmands to get a preview of the latest food trends all over the world, through the presentations of Michelin-starred chefs and our local talents during the three-day International Gastronomy Congress.
Aside from all the eating and the interviewing of visiting chefs, my favorite activity at the MFM is going around the International Gastronomy Expo, which features local agricultural produce; Spanish deli favorites, like meats, wines and cheeses; imported and local food ingredients; kitchen utensils; and chef uniforms,as well as kitchen appliances and gadgets.
Here are my favorite finds at the third serving of the MFM, held from April 6 to 8 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City:
Vegetables from El Dorado Farms and organic produce from ELMTNM
At the Department of Agriculture’s booth during the expo, I found El Dorado Farms and ELMNTM (Elements of Tomorrow) run by—gasp!—millennials. But I calmed down enough to realize they were serious in their efforts to bring to our homes the best food ingredients they could grow. They offered a variety of produce, such as herbs, cherry tomatoes, yellow bell peppers, wild raspberry jam and liquor, among other green goodies.
Third-generation entrepreneur Ana Ojeda, from the Araneta-Roxas clan, personally oversees the growing of vegetables at the family’s expansive farm in Rizal. After working in the government for the past five years, Ojeda joined the family business. “While working full time in our family farm, I have grown to realize the important role a farmer has in society—to foster the land one is given and to provide healthful food to sustain the lives of those in the community,” she stresses.
Meanwhile, farmer Gio Espital and Louenelle Godinez of ELMNTM say their raspberries, locally called sampinit, grow in the wild in Quezon. Their booth also showcased other organic produce grown by partner-farms nationwide, such as ampalaya, papaya, ginger and lemon, among others.
Best of all, both El Dorado and ELMNTM deliver their goods straight to our homes. Check out their Facebook pages to order.
Tigre y Oliva chocolates
Simone Mastrota brings his Italian passion for food to the handcrafting of single-origin dark-chocolate bars from cacao beans harvested from farms in Davao. Under the brand Tigre y Oliva, named after his two daughters, Mastrota, who lives in La Union, says he makes these chocolates the “traditional way” by gently roasting the cacao beans, putting them through a grinder, and mixing the chocolate only with sugar. “I believe in Philippine cacao,” he says. “I want to conquer the world with it!”
Because he uses only premier ingredients, these single origin chocolate bars produced in small batches don’t come cheap. But they are worth every nibble. Tigre y Oliva chocolate bars are available at specialty coffee shops, like Yardstick, Tenant Manila and Hillside Café, among others. (More on Mastrota and his dreams for Philippine cacao in a future column.)
‘Pangus’
It’s not a fish but a way of processing it by sun baking, and salting. Sold under the brand Lake Buluan Gourmet, the organically grown fish is pangus, then cooked in a special blend of spices and herbs and packed in olive oil. It makes for a tasty spread on crackers or melba toast, but can be used in any recipe for fried rice, pasta and as toppings for a healthy salad.
According to the company’s literature, Lake Buluan “is the adjoining marshy basins of the Pulangi, Maanoy, Buluan and Allah Rivers, which are all tributaries of the Mindanao River.” To order, check out the Facebook page of Lake Buluan Gourmet Co.
Coffee from Cocotos Connections
I’ve written about Cocotos Estate before, a brand of single-origin coffee grown in Mount Apo, Davao del Sur, and produced by the husband-and-wife team of Macel and Karlo Estavillo. Since they’re able to harvest only limited quantities of beans, they’ve started buying also from neighboring farms in support of local coffee growers, which they sell under the brand Cocotos Connections. “Cocotos Connects is an extension program of our farm, wherein we bring other Mount Apo single-origin coffee from our neighboring farms’ hard-earned produce to the attention of aficionados, so that small coffee farmers could better enjoy the fruits of their labor.”
What’s great about this brand is that each bag is labeled with the farmer’s name, the exact location of his farm and at what altitude, and the bean variety. The bag of beans I got was from farmer Gilberto, who harvested his Catimor beans from his farm in Dansalan, located at an altitude of 1,490 meters above sea level. After grinding the beans, I thought I smelled chocolates; but after French pressing them, the coffee tasted quite fruity. Inquire via their Facebook page for the best way to purchase their beans.
Adlai rice from the Hineleban Foundation
I first came across the Hineleban Foundation after purchasing its coffee at Healthy Options, upon the recommendation of a media colleague. Dedicated to the preservation and restoration of mountain rainforests and critical watersheds, with initial projects in Bukidnon and Lanao del Sur, the foundation also provides sustainable livelihood opportunities for indigenous communities in Bukidnon.
At this year’s MFM, I discovered the foundation also sells Adlai Rice (Job’s Tears), as well as honey and turmeric tablets, the latter two under the Tuminugan brand. I’ve long wanted to try cooking adlai rice, an heirloom grain that grows mainly in Bukidnon, after tasting a dish served up in the first MFM. So with huge portobello mushrooms I also purchased at the expo, I cooked a mushroom risotto using adlai rice, which despite the large amounts of parmesan cheese I incorporated, is probably still quite healthy. I’m told that adlai rice has been certified to be gluten-free and with low glycemic index. Order it from www.hinelebanstore.com
Through MFM, I’ve been exposed to an even greater array of fantastic food ingredients and products that are proudly made in the Philippines. And I’ve met the most interesting and passionate people behind them, who not only spoke with pride about what they do, but also of how they are helping communities around them. It was truly an exhilarating experience to be a part of this year’s MFM.
Image credits: Stella Arnaldo