NAGA CITY, Philippines—Bicol’s well-loved pili nut is about to get an upgrade from food experts with the  Department of Trade and Industries regional office setting the stage for a culinary event that will transform the nut into another ingredient fit for main course dishes.

The “Pili Kulinarya”  is set to launch recipes created by different chefs and cooks using the pili nut as a main ingredient in the event to be held on November 29  at the Villa Cacees Hotel, Magsaysay, Naga City.

The event, spearheaded jointly by DTI-5 and Via Mare Restaurants, aims to promote the local nut in the medium to high-end market in the Philippines by introducing pili nut recipes to local patrons, food service industry players and institutions, DTI Camarines Sur spokesman Jay Ablan said.

Ablan added that the introduction of the pili nut as a main ingredient also aims to add to local tourism promotion as it would draw more tourists whose objective is to sample new local dishes here.

This effort, he said, could provide more business opportunities and options for local entrepreneurs looking to focus on local raw materials that would, in turn, add more market potentials for the pili nut.

He explained that pili, being Bicol’s homegrown nut, has to undergo continuous innovation from being just a snack alternative to a main dish ingredient that would allow it to become the centerpiece of the culinary experience in the region.

He said that the event is a part of DTI’s continuing nationwide Business Development (BizDev) Program.

Currently, the pili nut is processed by food processing businesses in Bicol, particularly in Camarines Sur and Albay, into various snacks or finger foods.  These products are the “pasalubong” (homecoming presents) items that tourists and visitors buy as souvenirs of their visit to the region.