MANILA – The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said Monday the initiative on standardization of Filipino dishes is meant for international promotion.
The DTI made the clarification as it is developing a Philippine National Standards (PNS) for Filipino dishes such as adobo, sinigang, sisig, and lechon.
The Bureau of Product Standards (BPS) has created a technical committee on Filipino dishes (BPS/TC 92) that will do the standardization of Filipino dishes for promotion abroad.
“The attempt is to define what we will promote internationally and not redefining what adobo is to different people now,” the DTI said in a statement.
DTI’s move of standardization of Filipino dishes amid pandemic draws flak on social media.
“Our country, despite the pandemic, continues to do other jobs. This includes creative industry exports. We are strong in creative industry exports that now need government support,” DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez said in a press conference on Monday.
Lopez said the technical committee, upon consultations with culinary experts, would like to come up with a guide on basic traditional recipes for Filipino dishes for international promotion.
Earlier, BPS director Neil Catajay said standardizing the basic cooking technique of Filipino dishes like adobo will help in maintaining the authentic Filipino adobo taste amid various cooking methods of the dish published online by food writers, bloggers, and vloggers.
“This is just among the many groundwork to develop more creative industry exports.
There was a suggestion in the industry to have consultations among chefs and what will be in a traditional recipe especially for international promotions (example your adobo won't become paksiw or humba). Again, this is to promote Filipino cuisines abroad,” DTI added.
The department said it does not discourage Filipinos from being creative in cooking local dishes.
“To many Filipinos, the best adobo is the one cooked at home or cooked by their parents or lola (grandmother). There is a lot of creativity going on and it must be encouraged,” it added. (PNA)
