SMOKED FISH PIZZA. Mayor Susan Casareno and SM City Rosales Mall Manager Herald Eleria (middle) led the ceremonial torching and slicing of the giant smoked fish pizza showcasing the town's local product tinapa (smoked fish) as its main toppings. The giant pizza, which was assembled by students of SKD Academy last Saturday at the SM City Rosales event center, had a diameter of 10 feet and thickness of 10 centimeters that was later served to guests and mall goers. (Photo by Liwayway Yparraguirre)
ROSALES, Pangasinan -- A 10-foot diameter giant smoked fish pizza prepared by culinary students of an academy in this town highlighted the celebration of the 5th Tinapa (smoked fish) Festival here.
Hundreds of mall goers and Tinapa Festival guests partook of the slices of pizza that are 10 centimeters thick, served by Rosales Mayor Susan Casareno and SM City Rosales Mall Manager Herald Eleria following a simple program and ceremonial slicing of the pizza on Saturday.
Senior chef Marvin Dalisay of SKD (culinary arts school) Academy said 27 of their students, majority of them are members of their Saturday class, participated in the preparation of the giant pizza.
"The idea of what kind of pizza we are to prepare came from them," he said in an interview Monday.
Dalisay said the ingredients used for the pizza are 15 kilos of flour, 250 pieces tinapa, 20 kilos mozzarella cheese, five kilos of parmesan cheese, home-made pizza sauce, and several kilos of moringa (malunggay).
He said they started preparing the dough at 6 a.m., and then formed and cooked it.
It took them about three hours to assemble or prepare the pizza before it was finally presented to the public.
"There were two steps in preparing the tinapa. First, it was fried and hinimay-himay (flakes). Second, the tinapa flakes were sautéed in olive oil to bring out its flavor,” he explained.
Dalisay said tinapa pizza is easy to prepare at home. There are only four ingredients for the dough -- these are flour, yeast, water, and salt. Ingredients for the homemade sauce can be bought at the supermarket.
"Tinapa is versatile, you can use it in any dish and in pasta," he said.
Meanwhile, Rosales Tourism Officer Aila Seradoy said there were 15 barangay nutrition scholar volunteers tapped by the local government to help first in preparing the several kilos of malunggay, which they themselves donated, by removing the leaves from the stalk.
During the event, they helped in serving slices of pizza to the people.
Marie Antonette Villar-Pescador, SKD Academy officer, said they are happy to be part of this “worthwhile endeavor”.
Last year, a giant tinapa fried rice was also prepared and served to the people as part of the town’s fiesta celebration.
Five years ago, Casareno thought of the introduction of the Tinapa Festival to highlight the town's tinapa industry, which she said was started by enterprising residents more than five decades ago.
The livelihood was handed down from one generation to another, and remains to be a good business to the families that inherited the industry from their parents. Tinapa producers are situated at Barangay Carmen West.
The local government was also able to source assistance from the Department of Science and Technology in the form of equipment. Beneficiaries are members of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program who were also given seminar and training on how to prepare tinapa. (PNA)
