BUTUAN CITY (MindaNews / 01 September) – This city is known as the home of the ancient balangays, the oldest wooden boats excavated in Southeast Asia, which showcases the early Filipinos’ seafaring and boatbuilding skills.
But for the 47th anniversary of the National Museum of the Philippines–Butuan (NMP Butuan) last Saturday, August 30, the spotlight turned to another legacy of the city – Butuanon delicacies, highlighting the city’s culinary heritage and the flavors borne from kitchens past and passed on to future generations.
Dubbed “Saūg: Flavors of Heritage – Celebrating Butuanon Culinary Traditions,” Saturday’s event, hosted by NMP Butuan, emphasized cultural appreciation and community pride. Saūg is the Butuanon word for “celebration.”
According to the NMP Butuan, the event explored the deep connections between culinary heritage, local identity, and history, affirming the concept of food beyond sustenance and food as a powerful expression of cultural memory and community life.
Around 40 participants, mostly students, teachers, and heritage advocates, took part in the event.
The one-day event featured talks such as Butuanon Foodways, which highlighted the raw materials and objects used to produce Butuanon delicacies.
Examples included unaw, flour made from the lumbia trunk (Metroxylon sagu) used in various delicacies, and laksoy, an alcoholic beverage made from fermented nipa (Nypa fruticans) sap.
Officer-in-Charge-Director of the Mindanao National Museums, Marianathe Kay F. Misa, said the event highlighted food as a cultural archive, with recipes acting as historical records and everyday practices reflecting identity.
“Heritage is not only what we inherit, it is also what we choose to cook, serve, and lovingly pass on across generations,” Misa said.
She added that programs like this ground museums in the lived realities of communities, making them “active spaces of learning, listening, and co-creation” rather than silent rooms.
Another talk explored Butuanon culinary traditions with 67-year-old Marlyn Ruiz, owner of Natad ni Olympia, a local restaurant serving traditional Butuanon dishes.
She said such events are crucial for passing culinary knowledge to younger generations and, as a culture bearer, emphasized the importance of continuity.
“These Butuanon delicacies must continue. We, the older generation, are passing them on to you, and I want someone to inherit this knowledge. Otherwise, these dishes could be lost when they should be preserved,” Ruiz said.
She stressed that preserving culinary traditions is a shared responsibility that also supports local livelihoods.
“We really need to work together to preserve Butuanon delicacies, because in doing so, we help sustain the community by providing livelihoods,” Ruiz said.
She also encouraged young people to learn and innovate in traditional cooking while supporting local farmers, saying that when they acquire these skills and encourage their parents to plant, there will always be ingredients to keep Butuanon delicacies alive.
Aside from the talks, the event also featured a lecture and cooking demonstration by Erlinda Montilla, a culture bearer of Butuanon culinary traditions who also works at Natad ni Olympia.
Montilla showcased Bunta’a, a traditional Butuan dish made with fresh crabs simmered in coconut milk and aromatic spices.
Butuanon delicacies were also served, including palagsing made with brown sugar, coconut, and unaw, and kayam, or Polynesian chestnuts (Inocarpus fagifer), a traditional superfood treasured by Butuanons, whether roasted or boiled.
For 25-year-old participant John Michael Piencenaves, the program was a rare opportunity to experience authentic Butuanon cuisine.
“While many residents are aware of the city’s heritage, few have the chance to truly experience our traditional food. As a Butuanon, I believe this event is a meaningful celebration of our culture through food, something everyone can enjoy regardless of background. It allows us to embrace our cuisine as a source of pride and a vital part of our wider heritage,” Piencenaves told MindaNews.
