Cooking ng Ina Mo: A Cooking Fest to Honor Housewives and Preserve Traditional Recipe
In participation in this year’s Art+Feminism campaign, we also highlighted local cuisine and family traditions and hosted a cooking fest the entire month of February 2025, that brought together housewives and husbands who took charge of the house. This aims to promote gender equality and representation in cultural heritage. The cooking fest highlighted the importance of housewives in preserving traditional recipes and their vital importance in building the most basic structure of our society.
A Showcase of Local Cuisines
The cooking fest featured a diverse array of local cuisines, each dish carefully prepared using traditional recipes passed down through generations. From savory dishes to sweet treats, the participants’ creations were a testament to the rich culinary heritage of our community. These dishes are usually found in every household not only during special occasions but even in day-to-day family gatherings during lunchtime or dinner. Participants have prepared a variety of local cuisines, such as Ginataang Santol, Menudo, Kinunot, Chicken Curry, sweet pudding with Moringa leaves, and apple pies. Being situated in the Bicol region, most of these foods have coconut milk and chilis (siling haba, rimo-rimo) which added to its local identity.
Honoring Housewives and Preserving Recipes
The cooking fest honored the important role that housewives play in preserving traditional recipes, giving emphasis to their importance in passing on this knowledge to later generations. By showcasing their culinary skills and sharing their knowledge, the participants promoted the value of housework and the significance of documenting local traditions. We have conducted this activity to break the stereotype that housewives are merely viewed as housekeepers who routinely attend to the needs of their family, but on contrary, they play an essential role in conserving local cultures, such as recipes and traditional procedures for preparing foods. There were also two participant whos identified as men, and from here we see the diversity in feminism, that as long as it pushes gender equality and women’s empowerment, everyone is welcome to the movement.
Documenting Local Recipes on Wikibooks
The results of the cooking fest will be documented on Wikibooks, providing a valuable resource for those interested in learning about local cuisine. This documentation will include recipes, cooking techniques, and stories behind each dish, ensuring that these traditional recipes are preserved for future generations. There are different methods of cooking this local dish; thus, we have also conducted interviews with the participants to note every step and details of food preparation and ingredients needed.
Empowering Women through Cultural Heritage
By highlighting the contributions of housewives and promoting local recipes, we can work towards a more inclusive and equitable representation of women in the cultural sphere. During the interviews, participants have appreciated the activity, making them feel that what they ordinarily do in their everyday routine still matters a lot for the community and even for us, Wikimedia volunteers, who utilized WikiProjects to document their skills and knowledge. We look forward to continuing this initiative and sharing more local recipes with the world.
Credits:
Project Name: Cooking ng Ina Mo: Food Fest
Project Lead: Imelda Brazal
Event Design: Bianca Brazal
Implementers: Angelica Mirras, Lawrence Regidor, Trisha Mae Bigcas
Photo Documentations: Angelica Mirras, Lawrence Regidor, Trisha Mae Bigcas
Link to Photos: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Cooking_ng_Ina_Mo