Category: Philippines

FOOD AND CULTURE IN PHILIPPINES

A partially submerged mountain range in the south-eastern Pacific Ocean forms a grouping of 7,100 islands and islets called the Philippines. Tropically hot and humid and frequently struck by torrential rains and earthquake tremors, more than 90 percent of these islands are an uninhabited tropical wilderness. In fact, more than 50 percent of them remain unnamed. Luzon and Mindanao are the two largest islands upon which more than 75 percent of the population of the Philippines lives and works.

The natives of the Philippines call themselves Filipinos. Originally this term denoted a person of Spanish descent born in the Philippines, similar to the Creole of the Spanish-American colonies, but the name has been applied to the 80 percent of the population of Malays Christianized since the 1800s.

Arriving from the many Malay Islands and tracing their origins to approximately 3000 B.C.E., the aboriginal inhabitants arrived in successive waves and formed their own unique customs, lore, and dialects. Today these aboriginal dialects number more than 80 percent; as well, most people are fluent in English and Spanish. Since 1946, when the Philippines gained its independence from Spain, Tagalog, a Malayan dialect, has been declared the official language.

Although the Filipinos have long had trade contacts with the Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese and East Indians, the strongest influence came from the Spanish and the Americans. In the 1300s Arab missionaries brought the faith of Islam to some of the smaller southern islands and those who adopted the faith are called Moros. Perhaps the first Christian influence was the Portuguese navigator and explorer Ferdinand Magellan’s landing in 1521, but the strongest was the Spanish rule and colonization which began in 1565 and lasted 333 years until the Treaty of Paris in 1898, when Spain sold the Philippines to the United States for $20 million.

So powerful was the influence of the Spanish rulers and the Roman Catholic missionaries that the small feudal units called barangays were not only quickly and easily conquered, they also rapidly embraced Spanish names, customs, and foods. Enraptured by the colorful Roman Catholic ceremonials, the Filipinos readily converted to the religion of Spain as well. Many vestiges of this protracted influence are still very much a part of daily life in the Philippines. Women stress modesty in dress and primness in behavior, and girls from fine families make public appearances usually only when discreetly chaperoned.

The Spanish custom of the late afternoon break called the merienda is much enjoyed by the Filipinos and frequently includes a variety of small or light savory snacks or dishes. The merienda is never considered to be a meal because it does not include rice. The Asian heritage insists that only when rice is present, at least in one of its many forms, is a meal a proper meal. Late evening meals followed by city-strolling is an older custom replaced recently by earlier dinner hours as the newer American influence presses in.

The 25 percent of the land under cultivation yields vital subsistence crops of corn, sweet potatoes or yams, and from ancient hillside terraces comes rice. Many tropical fruits including coconuts, bananas, mangoes, oranges, papayas, and calamansi (similar to lemons and limes) are grown. Each crop takes a place in an interesting cuisine that blends influences from China, Malaysia, Spain, and most recently, the United States.

China’s staples of rice and noodles are also staples in the Philippines but in a form not used in China: served together in a dish called pancit. Many of Spain’s dishes that mix ingredients in one casserole for a hearty main dish have found a place on Filipino tables: puchidas and pucheros are hearty variations on Spanish stews called cocidas, which are mixtures of slow-simmered legumes and vegetables with meats included whenever possible; the Spanish caldereta is a fish stew which becomes the Filipino kaldereta, a stew made with goat meat.

The Spanish conquistadores brought chocolate from their Mexican conquests to Spain, and the Spaniards brought it to the Philippines. Filipinos often enjoy a frothy hot chocolate for breakfast and a bitter-chocolate richness in the sauces of many chicken or duck dishes (similar to the Mexican mole). One of these is called pato ng may tsokolate.

The marriage of Chinese and Spanish cuisines together with the native tropical fruits and vegetables produces other interesting dishes. Chinese spring roll skins, those delicate, tissue-like pastry leaves, are used to produce lumpia. These are similar to spring rolls but are filled with a mix of ingredients that leave no doubt as to their Philippine origin: garlic, pork, chicken, bean sprouts, shredded cabbage, and finely shredded coconut palm hearts – a tropical touch with a nod to Chinese origins!

From 1898 to 1946, when the Philippines gained independence, American influences added yet another dimension to culture and customs. Freedom of speech, free elections, and free enterprise found a place in everyday Philippine life together with some incursions of American slang, hurry-up living, and convenience snack foods such as hamburgers and hot dogs and the slabs of meat Americans call “steak.” In fact, in deference to American tastes, many native dishes tempered their garlic flavoring and removed the Filipino condiments made from fermented fish – patis and bagoong – pungently strong in taste and odor for American palates.

But the intricacies of a fine cuisine are not part of every Filipino’s table. Though the tropical climate is a benign environment, many poor people subsist on little more than rice, sometimes stretched with the addition of corn. Others manage with rice lightly flavored with patis or bagoong sauce. Every grain of rice is treasured, as it is in all rice countries, and appetites are appeased by many types of dishes from gruels to puddings and treats made of glutinous rice as well as the more familiar fluffy rice.

FILIPINO FOODS

DAIRY PRODUCTS

The gentle carabao, similar to the water buffalo, is the farmer’s workhorse and also provides milk from which a delicate white cheese is made. This cheese is widely used, especially at the end of meals. Fresh dairy products are increasingly available, using cow’s milk, as well as canned evaporated milk and condensed milk.

FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

Fruits are abundant. Coconut is used in many ways: coconut oil, shredded fresh and dried coconut (copra) – even the gelatinous pulp of green coconuts called buko all find a place in the cuisine. Bananas too are used in many ways: wrapped in bacon, broiled, fried in slices, and even hawked by vendors as skewered barbecued treats. Calamansi and mangoes are also widely used.

Generally fruits find their way into a variety of dishes whether or not they are ripe. With their penchant for cool sour flavors, Filipinos make use of many green or unripe fruits, while overripe fruits are happily mashed together to make ice cream or cool fruit mixtures for refreshing desserts.

In fact, fruits are so widely used it is difficult to say which is most important: mango, banana, or coconut. Other native fruits include breadfruit, dayap, atis, anonas, jackfruit, guava, star apples, many varieties of bananas, and tamarind. Also to be added to the long list of popular fruits are: chicos (similar to dates), Mindanao grapefruits, pomelo, avocado pears, magosteens, and pineapples. These latter are believed to have been introduced by the Spanish and are mostly grown for export.

Most of the vegetables used today, such as leafy greens and some root vegetables, were introduced by the Chinese from the Asian mainland, brought by the Spanish either from Mexico or the Mediterranean, or grown for American tastes. Eggplant, taro root, ampalaya, and patola are examples of vegetables probably indigenous to the islands. Tomatoes and squash and some varieties of beans were almost certainly introduced by the Spanish, while mung beans (and sprouts) are of Chinese origin together with some types of cucumbers and melons, and perhaps some varieties of edible bamboo and bulbs. Like the fruits, many vegetables are used when still green, some when just sprouting, others when ripe. Fruits and vegetables are often used interchangeably It is typical to find both fruits and vegetables combined in meat or fish dishes.

MEATS AND ALTERNATES

Pork is the most widely used meat: most farms have pigs, a few chickens, and several cows. It was the Spanish who added beef to the Philippines’ traditional cuisine of rice-fish-pork-chicken, and the later influence of the Americans accentuated the taste for beef, as well as dairy products. Very insignificant amounts of duck, goose, pheasant, pigeon, and turkey are part of the Filipino diet.

Fish consumption usually exceeds available local supplies and a substantial amount of fish is imported to meet the demand. One of the favored special dishes is inehow: a whole baked fish (bangus) stuffed with patis and tomato-flavored rice and onion and garlic sautéed in oil. The whole stuffed fish is then wrapped in banana leaves and oven or pit baked.

Lumbag nuts, pill nuts, and betel nuts, as well as the more familiar cashew nuts, form very small crops on the islands and are not a large part of the cuisine. Also of minor importance to the cuisine are the bean crops: soybean, mung beans, garbanzos, and other varieties used mainly in some mixed dishes such as soups and stews, sometimes mashed with fruits as in halo-halo. This is a popular dessert of alternate layers of mashed fruit pulp (sometimes with mashed beans) and shaved ice, topped with cream.

BREADS AND GRAINS

Without rice, it is not a meal. So say the Filipinos. But rice is more than a mound of perfectly cooked fluffy granules. Rice may be found in fillings and stuffing, in soups and stews. Glutinous rice will often be the base of many confections and sweet desserts such as suman, a sweetened glutinous rice steamed in rolls or squares of banana leaves and eaten anytime as snack or dessert, or malagkit, a sweet pudding made with glutinous rice and coconut milk. Rice flour is used to make cakes, puddings, and delicious noodles. The delicate thin lumpia skins are made from a mixture of rice flour and water then filled and fried to golden crispness.

Rice is the chief food crop followed closely by corn and sweet potatoes. But while corn and sweet potatoes are found in many of the combination dishes that the Filipinos are noted for, there is no question that rice is the prime staple food.

FATS

Coconut oil and oil made from many local seed crops are widely used in cookery. Use of lard and olive oil became more prevalent under the Spaniards, while the use of butter together with other dairy products increased under American influence.

Filipino techniques for frying foods are artfully distinctive. Aside from the usual frying of stuffed foods, some preparations are coated with a meringue-like topping that forms a puffy brown crust (rellenong alimango). The delicious ukoy is a fritter carefully composed of a large shrimp and bean sprouts held in a light batter and deep-fried. Sometimes foods are quickly fried in slender strips (fish, meat, or vegetables) to create crispy garnishes.

SWEETS AND SNACKS

The Filipinos’ eclectic mix of foods and cookery techniques also creates unusual combinations in the taste for sweets.

The late afternoon break called the merienda follows a Spanish tradition of consuming sweets in the form of a small afternoon meal. This was practical when the other Spanish tradition of a very late evening supper was also popular. Many Filipinos now follow American patterns of working hours and three meals a day. Yet for many others, the merienda is a custom too pleasant to break. Sweet cakes, tarts, and fritters are part of this tradition, but Filipinos also add small savory foods like ukoy.

Many sweet treats are made from a base of glutinous rice, richly sugared and often flavored with coconut. Ice creams and fruit mixtures also form snacks or desserts. Confections include those made of rice bases with added nuts and fruits and sometimes chocolate. The very sweet Spanish flan (baked custard) is almost a daily dessert, often with the tang of fresh limes or the sweetness of coconut.

SEASONINGS

Despite the triple influence of China, Spain, and the United States, Filipinos have developed a distinctive cuisine redolent of the tastes they enjoy. Salty, cool, and sour tastes, tropical fruits and vegetables, served with their many fried dishes, accompanied by rice and the surprise of very sweet snacks and dessert characterize Filipino cuisine.

Salty flavors are enhanced by using bagoong (salty fermented shrimp paste) and patis and toyo (salty light versions of soy sauce), and hipon (a salty sauce prepared from shrimp or anchovy). These may be used in food preparation as well as for dipping sauces. Other varieties of dipping sauces include vinegar, minced garlic, and seasoned salt with or without chilies.

Cool flavors are achieved using tart or unripe fruits, vinegar, or the juice of tangy citrus fruits such as limes or calamansi. The ultimate perfection of sour flavors is sinigang, a sour soup made with a meat broth and combined green tart fruits such as tamarind, guavas, green mangoes, calamansi or kamias (a sour fruit resembling a cucumber). Recipes for sinigang are family treasures.

Coconut milk, lime juice, ginger, turmeric, garlic, and brown sugar must also be included in the seasonings that distinguish Filipino food. For example, very sweet dipping sauce for lumpia (crispy appetizer rolls) is simply made from brown sugar and water gently thickened with cornstarch.

BEVERAGES

The most traditional beverages of the Philippines are those from the indigenous coconut tree. Both the milk from green to ripe coconuts and the sap that comes from the cut growing-tip of the tree can be consumed as sweet fresh drinks or fermented into an alcoholic drink called tuba. Tuba can also be made from the sap of the bun or nipa palm trees and likely is one of the oldest national drinks.

Cacao and coffee plants were introduced by the Spanish and have continued to be cultivated as the popularity of coffee as a beverage and the use of chocolate both as a drink and as a flavoring increase.

A great variety of cool fresh fruit drinks are popular any time of the day. Milk is increasingly used by children. Adults enjoy fruit drinks and also coffee with meals or as a refreshment break, while hot chocolate is often taken as a breakfast beverage. Tea or coffee may accompany the afternoon merienda.

FILIPINO DOMESTIC LIFE

The influence of American and Spanish occupations is apparent in both public and private life. The Spanish occupation brought with it increased religious participation especially by women. But the newer patterns did not replace ancient Asian kinship ties: the importance of family relationships and responsibilities are of prime concern. The new religion remained family-centered, not church-centered as in Spain. Family shrines became the worship centers, and on special occasions the entire family would join a procession carrying its own personal statues rather than those belonging to the community church. It was largely through the women’s interest and devotion to Roman Catholicism that European ideas of dress, customs, and music made inroads in Philippine family life.

Though Philippine women enjoy equal status with men, and frequently are the “family treasurers,” nonetheless like Spanish women, they manage in a very feminine way to make their husbands and sons feel dominant. The father makes all family decisions concerned with the outside world: schools, voting, business and community affairs.

The Filipino’s family is of great importance for it represents the only source of love, sustenance, and security. There is almost nothing the Filipino will not do for the sake of family. Lamangan is a Filipino expression meaning more or less “by hook or by crook to get on top …” It is also an expression that suggests some of the difficulty of accepting loss or defeat and the intense importance of self-esteem, pride, and dignity. In fact, the Filipino’s super sensitivity is often considered to be a Malay trait called hiya and may be the underlying reason for the difficulty in giving or receiving criticisms.

As mentioned above, it was mainly through the women that European ideas were introduced, including ideas about food and its methods of preparation. Filipinos have always been alert not only to new food ideas but also to methods of sanitation and food preservation. In the larger cities, modern kitchens and appliances abound but contrast sharply with low-income homes where the barest minimum of food and equipment are available.

FILIPINO FOODS THAT ARE COMMONLY USED

Filipinos enjoy salty, cool, and sour tastes. They love to combine many different ingredients in one dish, favor onions and garlic as a base to most preparations, and consider frying one of their favorite methods of cookery. Tropical fruits and vegetables blend happily with pork, chicken, and seafood in an ingenious variety of dishes that borrow from China and Spain but end up definitely Philippine.

Sourness is added with the frequent use of unripe fruits, the juice of the tart calamansi, or vinegars plain or spiced with chilies. Saltiness is most frequently added with the generous addition of either patis, the amber liquid prepared from fermented and salted fish, or bagoong, a popular shrimp paste also fermented and salted. These two condiments are on every meal table, much as salt and pepper shakers are always on the western table. Rice heads the staples list, closely followed by fish and pork, as can be afforded.

FILIPINO SPECIAL OCCASIONS

The population of the Philippines is 80 percent Roman Catholic. About 4 percent of the population follow the Muslim faith and are called (much to their resentment) Moros. The latter group live in independent groups faithfully following Islamic ceremonies and customs and are ruled by their own chieftain or sultan called the datu.

Mestizos is the name given to those of mixed native and Spanish heritage, but more recently this term is used to denote any mixed racial background. Mestizos are also sometimes called Cacique.

The predominantly Christian population of the Philippines is unusual in that it represents the largest body of Asiatic peoples converted to Christianity. Both the Spanish and American periods of influence have also left the islands with a more western culture than any other Asian country. Thus it is natural to expect that the Christian festivals of Easter and Christmas will have a special significance. Religion is more family-centered than church-centered and this makes for a special festive spirit on any occasion. Families gather and share special foods and their preparation brings a spirit of happy anticipation.

Sunday is a time of family relaxation, and is often celebrated with a special dinner of puchero. This special dish is a loving combination of several meats and many vegetables cut in large chunks glowing with a rich golden sauce of well-simmered tomatoes and yellow yams all bathed in a rich blend of sautéed onions and garlic. Served with mounds of rice, it is a Sunday meal for leisurely eating conducive to rest afterwards. With a puchero, other courses are hardly necessary!

Pork usually holds the center of attention for Christmas and Easter. Despite an ample array of many classical dishes arranged in bountiful buffet, the jamon de Navidad, a baked Christmas ham glazed with fruits and crusted with brown sugar, or the lechon de leche, charcoal-roasted suckling pig, will probably steal the scene. Inehow, the whole stuffed banana-wrapped baked fish, and lumpia will likely be other specialties on the menu. A full array of fresh fruits, cheese, and special sweet custards, puddings, and cakes as well as the leche flan will complete any festive meal.

FILIPINO MEALS AND CUSTOMS

As in all other areas of Philippine life, the origins of eating customs can be traced to the history of the islands themselves.

As in most Asian regions, rice is the most respected staple, for hunger is always a reality. Although many Filipinos enjoy a prosperous life and happily mingle foods, meal patterns, and eating customs that blend Malay, Chinese, Spanish, and American patterns, there are still many who cook and eat their meals traditionally, savoring every grain of rice and the slight taste of fishy condiment. Native fruits and vegetables in season fill many plates.

Traditional Filipinos begin their day with a meal of fish and rice, others enjoy fresh fruits and ensaimada, sugary yellow buns that are the Filipino coffeecake. For others, frothy cups of hot chocolate accompanied by crusty white sourdough bread (pan de sal) mean breakfast.

Diversity of tastes is less apparent in the other meals of the day, depending, of course, on economic circumstances. Lunch and dinner tend to consist of several dishes served buffet style, followed by fruits in season and then a variety of sweet desserts of which the flan is always one. The dishes presented often span several cultures, but somehow end up being unquestionably Filipino.

The merienda, the small, sweet meal served in the late afternoon with tea or coffee, is suffering competition from the many street vendors, cafes, and restaurants, as well as quick-snack bars in the American style. One can snack in almost any language, or at least with enough diversity to satisfy any taste, whether the hunger pangs arrive in the morning, afternoon, or late evening.

Despite its penchant for rice, the Philippines do not use chopsticks; western or European eating customs prevail. Hospitality is always gracious and the best dishes proudly presented to guests. Many Filipinos will even temper their own tastes for fermented fish condiments and heavy garlic to please what they believe to be an American palate, saving their traditional seasonings for when they are dining with family.

FILIPINO FOOD GLOSSARY AND FOOD TERMS

Achara: generic name for a variety of sweet/sour pickles and relishes served with meat or fish.

Adobo: classic Philippine dish of slow-simmered chicken and pork (other meats may be used) cooked until the liquid evaporates. Oil is added to brown the meats, then the whole is served with rice. The rich sour taste and thick brown sauce is the result of first marinating the meats in mild palm vinegar liberally spiced with garlic and peppercorns, while the final browning in lard is accelerated with a dash of soy sauce. Adobo can also refer to foods cooked with vinegar, garlic, and soy sauce.

Apa: deep-fried filled Lumpia wrappers. Apa may be filled with many combinations of meat, fish, seafood, and vegetables, almost always distinguished from Chinese egg rolls by the addition of shredded tropical vegetables or fruits, sometimes even garbanzos. Another form of Apa is similar to Mexican tacos: crisp-fried open Lumpia are layered with fresh shredded vegetables, diced bean curd, and several varieties of beans then topped with spicy condiments.

A Pay Ng Naka: small chunks of liver simmered in a garlic-chili-lime-juice sauce with ginger and brown sugar and finished with a splash of coconut milk.

Bagoong: a thick paste made from fermented salted fish or shrimps, sometimes called the “Philippine caviar.” It is used in cooking and as a condiment and often as an appetizer commonly served together with sliced green mangoes.

Buko: the gelatinous pulp of young green coconuts used in many fruit desserts. Sometimes this name is given to ice cream that is served right from the green coconut shell.

Calamansi: a local type of lemon with a taste between lemon and lime. It is used as a flavorful sprinkle on almost anything, frequently in cooking and in desserts.

Champorodi: small bowls of pudding made from glutinous rice (Malagkit), evaporated milk, coconut milk, and sometimes chocolate. Taken as a snack, and sometimes for breakfast.

Chinese Shrimp Toast: triangles of bread spread with a seasoned shrimp mixture and then deep-fried. Served hot as an appetizer.

Chorizos: garlic-flavored pork sausages used in many dishes. Brought to the islands by the Spanish.

Dilis: small cured and salted fish (similar to anchovies or sardines) dipped in batter, deep-fried then served as appetizers.

Empanadas: meat-filled pastry turnovers, served for snacks or as appetizers. The Spanish name reveals their origin.

Ensaimada: yellow saffron buns coated with a sugar glaze. A favorite with breakfast coffee.

Ensalada Itlog: Philippine version of potato salad with the addition of cooked rice, all tossed with French dressing.

Escabeche: sautéed fish, again with the cool sour taste imparted by the marinade, which is then poured over the cooked fish and allowed to chill to blend the flavors.

Estofado: any foods prepared with a brown sugar sauce, vinegar, and spices – usually meats.

Gazpacho: cool, tangy blend of fresh pureed summer vegetables forming a light soup. Served with small bowls of garnishes: croutons, chopped hard egg, minced scallions, etc. A Spanish import.

Ginesa: a dish of browned pork dice, shrimp, onions, and garlic seasoned with shrimp paste and Patis. Wedged tomatoes and any prepared vegetables at hand are steamed on top. The whole mixture is tossed before serving with rice.

Guisado: sauteed.

Halo-Halo: beloved Philippine dessert served in tall glasses and sometimes sold in cans. Layers of mashed mixed ripe fruits and sometimes beans, shaved ice and topped with cream.

Inehow: classic baked stuffed fish. A large whole fish is stuffed with a rice mixture including well-sautéed onions and garlic, tomatoes and flavored with Paris. The whole stuffed fish is then wrapped in banana leaves (or foil) and oven-baked or baked in a charcoal pit.

Kaldereta: similar to the Spanish fish dish Caldereta, a stew of goat meat, sometimes lamb, rather than fish.

Luglug: thick rice noodles also called Bijon, named for the noise they make both when being stirred and eaten.

Lumpia: the thin pastry wrappers or skins used for Apa or Lumpiang, prepared like crepes, but made with rice flour and water.

Lumpiang Ubod: Ubod is finely shredded coconut palm hearts, added to minced shrimp and chicken and wrapped in Lumpia before deep-frying.

Merienda: late afternoon break of sweets and tea. The Philippine version often includes savory dishes made from fish or seafood. Rice is not included in a merienda, as it is not considered a meal. Of Spanish origin.

Pancit Lulug Palabok: a dish of boiled rice noodles layered with a red sauce made from achiote seeds and shrimp juice, then a layer of browned diced pork and shrimp topped with a garnish of crushed garlic cracklings, flaked dried smoked fish, some shredded greens and wedges of eggs or salted eggs. The long noodles symbolize long life, making this a popular dish for special occasions.

Pancit Molo: a Philippine elaboration of Chinese won ton soup. Molos are similar to won ton: triangle shapes of noodle dough filled with finely minced chicken and pork, liberal with garlic. Some of the filling is browned, then chicken stock is added and finally the Molos. A sprinkling of chopped scallions is the garnish.

Pan de Sal: crusty white sourdough bread, taken with hot chocolate for a light breakfast.

Patis: the amber fluid prepared from salted fermented fish and used widely as a flavoring and condiment.

Pato Ng May Tsokolate: duck roasted with a dark tart sauce made with sherry, lime juice, and bitter chocolate.

Salabat: a refreshing tea steeped from fresh ginger and brown sugar.

Sinigang: classic sour soup made from mix of tart vegetables and a stock of chicken or pork hocks, finished with Patis and flavored with tamarind or calamansi.

Suman: sweetened glutinous rice steamed in rolls or squares of banana leaves. A popular snack at any time of day and often taken at merienda.

Ube: purple yams.

Ukoy: shrimp and bean sprouts held in a light batter and deep-fried into lacy rounds. Served as snacks, appetizers, or one of the courses of a merienda.