This story complements the Culinary Journeys TV series, airing monthly on CNN International. See more of the show here: www.cnn.com/journeys. Share photos of your own Culinary Journeys on Instagram with the hashtag #CNNFood for a chance to be featured on CNN.
Manila (CNN)The renaissance of Filipino food on the global stage has been a long time coming but last weekend the pace was substantially picked up with the Madrid Fusion Manila event taking place across the country's capital.
Madrid Fusion Manila has been one of the biggest food events in the world since its establishment in 2003. It's the largest culinary event ever to hit the Philippines.
It brought together the most influential and avant-garde chefs from Spain, the Philippines and Asia in a series of events on progressive gastronomy, technological innovation and the latest culinary trends and techniques.
Spanish Michelin-starred luminaries such as Elena Arzak, Luis Aduriz and Quique Dacosta joined Philippine-based chefs including Chele Gonzalez, Margarita Forés and Bruce Ricketts with others from across Asia including Andre Chiang from Singapore.
Philippines President, Benigno Aquino III, told CNN that the event is perfectly timed as the country's palate is getting more adventurous.
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"Food is a value shared by our more than 100 million people," he said.
"We're also getting to be more and more cosmopolitan because of the ten million members of our population who live outside the country. As a result, every type of food you want is here -- and not just in metro Manila."
A trade exhibition and the International Gastronomy Congress, where top chefs present on foods, were two events of Madrid Fusion Manila that took place over the weekend.
Running alongside them is the Flavors of the Philippines, a month-long, country-wide cultural and gastronomic celebration.