Foodies who signed up for this year’s Madrid Fusion Manila (MFM) attended the first full day today at SMX Convention Center in Pasay.

The third edition of the country’s biggest culinary event brings together 21 chefs from 12 countries who will share their expertise with delegates from here and abroad.

This year’s theme, “Towards a Sustainable Gastronomy Planet,” will be tackled in a series of food-related talks held in between regional lunches in the even venue from April 6 to 8.

The Department of Tourism (DoT) yesterday announced that a total of 1,400 delegates from the Philippines, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Macau, Taiwan, Denmark, Kazakhstan, Switzerland, the UK and the US are attending the three-day affair.

At the gala reception last night, delegates were treated to a culinary sampling of food prepared by chefs Glenda Barretto and Robby Goco.

Barretto of the well-loved Via Mare restaurant chain did the bulk of the catering. This was followed by an aural and visual feast as members of the Bayanihan Philippine National Folk Dance Company performed on three stages, and designer Renee Salud presented his Filipiniana collection inspired by the country’s different regions.

Guests nibbled on Via Mare’s crispy fried tawilis tucked into paper cones, tender and perfectly seasoned chicken inasal, balut topped with pastry dough, freshly made tuna ceviche, and skewered dinuguan and puto.

Instead of serving the dinuguan as a stew, it was left to coagulate, cubed and skewered with cubed puto (rice cake).

Goco’s team prepared open-faced sandwiches topped with goat stew or goat cheese with arugula. He and chef Gene Gonzalez are two of the featured Filipino chefs in this year’s MFM.

In the hour-long performance that followed, images of the country’s rich attractions were flashed on screen to the soundtrack of festive Filipino songs, ending with “Bebot” by The Black Eyed Peas.

There were images of northern Luzon (Banaue Rice Terraces, Baguio’s Panagbenga festival), Bicol (Mayon Volcano, food topped with red chilies), Visayas (white sand beaches, freshly caught seafood), and Mindanao (Lake Sebu, a monkey-eating eagle).

“For the third edition of Madrid Fusion Manila, we will celebrate the best, and focus on the sustainability of different food sources of our planet,” said Jose Carlos Capel, president of Madrid Fusion. “I am fully convinced this event will highlight the position of Philippine cuisine at an international level.”

MFM is an offshoot of Madrid Fusion, the Spanish gastronomy event held annually in Madrid since 2003.
For details, visit madridfusionmanila.com