MANILA — Pope Francis will have a chance to taste Filipino cuisine, as organizers are thinking of serving him local delicacies during his lunch with the survivors of natural calamity in Leyte next month.
Fr. Rex Ramirez, a priest from Palo Archdiocese said that although there will be Italian dishes, majority of the food that will be serve during the lunch meeting will be local delicacies.
“Siguro may pansit, adobo, paksiw na isda, pritong isda, karne at marami pang iba (Maybe there will be pancit [noodles], adobo, paksiw na isda [fish stew in vinegar], fried fish, meat, and lots of other things),” he said in an interview.However, the Catholic priest noted that the preparation of the food will have to be consulted with the Vatican, since the pontiff might be allergy to seafood. .
Aside from Filipino food, they are also preparing Italian cuisine for the entourage of the Holy Father.
“Ang safe siguro ay isda at baboy pero ang pagka luto wala akong idea (The safest choice would probably be fish and pork but I have no idea what the dish will be exactly),” he said.
On Jan. 17, the pontiff will be in Tacloban and Palo in Leyte, to have lunch with the survivors of super typhoon Yolanda in Tacloban and the 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Bohol.
The priest noted that what the ordinary people will eat, is the same food that Pope Francis will eat, since they will be sitting on the same table.
“Alam naman ng nunciature sa Manila ay may instruction naman kung ano kakaninin ng mga tao (The nunciature in Manila has instructions on what the participants will eat),” he said.
Ramirez said that the organizers are also planning to serve him “lechon” or roasted pig, which is a popular food among Filipinos during special celebration.
However, he is not certain if they will serve a whole lechon or it will be chopped.
The four-day Apostolic and State Visit will begin on Jan. 15 up to Jan. 19, 2015.