A tandem of Barangay Nutrition Scholar and Municipal Nutrition Committee member in Rizal Cagayan bested 20 other municipalities in the recently conducted “Cagayano Nutri – Pinakbet Mix with a TWIST” last June 27, 2012 in the Tuguegarao City Mamba Gym. The contest is anchored along the theme, “Pagkain ng Gulay Ugaliin, Araw araw itong Ihain”.

The competition was attended by 20 municipalities, all from Cagayan, each with two participants to cook their own version of “Bagoong-Free” pinakbet. Out of 20 dishes, the pinakbet with “gata” from the municipality of Rizal earned first place. As pinakbet was a common vegetable dish Northern Luzon, the organizers had the concept of making pinakbet a healthier dish by removing one of it’s main ingredients; the sodium-packed “bagoong.”

The introduction of the idea to the crowd drew mixed reactions, as many believed bagoong to be an indispensable ingredient in cooking pinakbet. They realized soon after, however, that preparing bagoong-free versions of this dish is not only possible, but also delicious and as tasty as the original, thanks to the addition of ingredients (including tinapa, iodized salt, dried shrimps, coconut, and some local vegetables) not before considered as possible additives to pinakbet.

“Pinakbet (also called as pakbet) is a Filipino dish that originally served as a key part of the cuisine of Ilocanos from the northern Luzon regions of the Philippines. The spectacular taste of pinakbet, being mainly a vegetable-based food, will be a venue to appreciate the nutritional value of vegetables, its acceptability to families with a very minimal cost.” Nutrition Porgram Coordinator Rhodora G. Maestre stated.

Ms. Alicia Pazziuagan of Cagayan Valley Medical Center Dietary section, Ms. Zenaida Baltazar from DepEd and NPC Rhodora Maestre served as the board of Judges.