Highlighting the largely untapped potential of gastronomical tourism in Catanduanes, the provincial government of Catanduanes, through the Provincial Tourism Office, staged the two-day Isla Kulinarya last week at the Capitol lobby to showcase the island’s culinary heritage.
All 11 municipalities participated in the effort to give the public a taste of their respective traditional dishes like latik, sinalpungan and tilmok to favorites such as kasili sa gata, kilawin na sisim and binutong.
Public interest in the event was such that some of the food offerings, such as kakanins and Baras longganisa sold out in just a short time.
Governor Patrick Alain T. Azanza expressed his support for the initiative, emphasizing that food is a reflection of who Catandunganons are as a people and a powerful way to preserve and promote culture. He also underscored the importance of making local food more accessible, ensuring that even the simplest families across the island can experience and take pride in Catanduanes’ rich culinary heritage.
In her words of welcome, Provincial Tourism Officer Carmel Bonifacio-Garcia said that food-based tourism in Catanduanes is rooted in the 3Ks: Kain, Kwento, at Kultura.
“Kain reflects local ingredients and flavors from farm to table and sea to plate. Kwento tells the stories of farmers, traditions, and everyday lives behind each dish. Kultura represents the identity, customs, and way of life of every Catandunganon,” she stressed.
Also lending support to the event was PBM Fred Benedict T. Gianan, who chairs the Sangguniang Panlalawigan Committee on Tourism.
Participants from seven towns showed how their signature dishes and food products are made: Virac’s sinalpungan; San Miguel’s tabog-tabog and adobong kabakab; Caramoran’s tilmok, ignatukan na puso nin abaca with inasinan na isda, turon suman and other varieties; Viga’s rice coffee, suman and rice burger; Bagamanoc’s kuping nachos, pinakro and kaluko; Gigmoto’s tabagwang with gambang (pako); and Panganiban’s nilubihang kinis na ikan karbasa.
The Happy Island Culinary Offerings, held in celebration of the Filipino Food Month 2026, came just days after the Department of Tourism Regional Office V conducted “Siram Catanduanes” Food Mapping Workshop at ARDCI Hotel last April 10-12.
The Catanduanes leg of the DOT’s SIRAM Pagkaon Bikolnon Flaborful Foods of Bicol focused on each town’s assessment of food and gastronomy assets with prominent Filipino food scholar Clang Garcia, who is the Philippine Ambassador for the World Food Travel Association (WFTA) and an advocate for culinary heritage tourism, as resource speaker.
During the workshop, Garcia underscored the importance of recognizing and honoring culinary custodians and heritage keepers — the elders, home cooks, farmers, fisherfolk, and culture bearers who safeguard traditional knowledge and practices. She emphasized that food mapping is not merely documentation, but an act of cultural respect and preservation.
Participants from the municipalities, including tourism officers and other stakeholders, were able to map their local food assets and assess their readiness, availability, integrity, and sustainability as a gastronomy tourism product.
They also listed their local delicacies, agricultural products, and culinary traditions and later presented their respective culinary offerings.
DOT-V is set to conduct the SIRAM Local Stakeholders’ Assessment and Validation Trip in Catanduanes tentatively set on May 25-29, 2026, based on the gastronomy circuit with tourism destinations crafted by the municipalities based on their consolidated inputs.