For a long time, the municipality of Villasis in Pangasinan prepared several renditions of "Pinakbet sa Kawa" as part of its annual "Talong Festival." The air was filled with the aroma of sautéed veggies in bagoong, a fish sauce or paste, and people's grins were a regular sight.
This year, instead of serving Pinakbet sa Kawa, a dish of many vegetables sautéed in fish sauce in a big flat pot, the municipal government decided to center the cookfest around eggplant, the town's primary crop.
Since its establishment in 2006, residents from the 21 barangays in Villasis have celebrated the Talong Festival with Pinakbet sa Kawa (vegetable dish in a wok) and the Talong (eggplant) Cookfest. The main focus of the festival has now shifted to the latter.
Talong Cookfest
Every village in the town dished out 25 eggplant varieties, which were cooked on the open streets for the free-style cookfest.
Barangay Unzad's Rice Cake Eggplant took first place, followed by Barangay Lipay's Fried Stuffed Eggplant Glazed with Yakiniku Sauce and Barangay Amanperez's Royale Bibingkang Talong.
This year's festival marks its 16th year, after starting in 2006 as a marketing tactic to position the town as Northern Luzon's primary producer of eggplant and other veggies.
Financial constraints
Due to financial restrictions, the celebration – part of Villasis' nine-day town fiesta – was scaled back this year. Still, its purpose of celebrating the farmers' successful harvest of the previous year remained the same.
The festival continued their Miss Villasis pageant, a popularity contest that allowed the municipality to invest in helpful units such as fire trucks and other vehicles.
The festival also had a street dance competition, which saw schools from the municipality parade their colorful, eggplant-themed costumes.
Ultimately, the Talong festival highlighted what was truly the essence of the celebration—their beloved eggplants.
Eggplant as agriculture booster
During the dry season, eggplant growers often plant twice a year. They also cultivate other vegetables, including corn, rice, okra, chiles, and tomatoes.
Although most vegetables are shipped to Metro Manila, growers also deliver their harvest to the adjacent Urdaneta City Bagsakan Market and the town's bagsakan market, which sells goods at wholesale prices.
In 2023, there were no significant problems in producing eggplants in Villasis, according to the municipal office.
