Solsona’s Gameng Festival presents exotic food fair

By Leilanie G. Adriano

Staff reporter

Solsona, Ilocos Norte—If your exquisite tongue longs for exotic food delicacies cooked the Ilocano traditional way, you should visit Solsona’s exotic food fair as local residents celebrated Gameng festival.

Now on its 8^th year, the Gameng Festival showcasing the town’s best treasures ranging from gastronomic food delights, authentic culture and pride continue to draw attention particularly among visiting balikbayans and tourists as well.

Local residents, guests and visitors feasted on a buffet of exotic food delights such as wild deer, boar, native kuhol (snail), abuos (ants eggs), paltat (catfish), dalag (mudfish), agurong, birabid, ballaiba and a whole lot more.

Dubbed as “Naisangsangayan a taraon,” people lined up at the eat-all-you-can buffet tables as a way of thanksgiving this year.   

Solsona Mayor Jonathan De Lara said the food fair is one way of showcasing Solsona town’s best products which has kept local residents here take pride of their natural resources.

Aside from the food fair, the festivity also highlights the opening of the Gameng Village, a showcase of the Ilocano culture tested by time, a street pageantry and cultural parade, and other various social gatherings including a balikbayan night mostly attended by Ilocano immigrants from Hawaii and mainland USA.

Every year, residents here look forward to the celebration of Gameng Festival is meant to promote gastro-tourism and agro-tourism in this municipality’s emerging tourist destination with its best kept natural treasures and rich cultural traditions.