Asia is a vast and culturally diverse continent, making it a hotbed for so many different, delicious cuisines. Many of these cuisines, like Chinese food and Thai food are well-known and easily found in America while other Asian cuisines are less mainstream. The food of the Philippines, a Southeast Asian archipelago nation, makes for a unique and flavorful cuisine that deserves more attention. Just as Asia is culturally diverse, the Philippines itself is culturally diverse. With over 7,000 islands and over 100 native languages, common dishes made in the Philippines vary by region, each with its own unique culture. Still, there are some flavors and ingredients that remain present across the board.
Rice is usually a staple in every meal, and is even used as the main ingredient in some desserts. One such dessert is biko, a sticky rice cake with a sweet syrup made from brown sugar and coconut milk. Garlic, pepper, onions, tomatoes and ginger are commonly used as spices to add flavor to a variety of dishes. In fact, the preparation of many Filipino dishes begins with sauteing garlic, onions and tomatoes. Soy sauce and vinegar also serve as a flavoring in dipping sauces that typically accompany grilled, broiled, roasted and fried dishes.
Generally, Filipino dishes vary from salty to sour or sweet rather than spicy flavors. However, hot sauce has become a popular condiment in the Philippines, with many Filipinos enjoying drizzles of it over their pizza. While the Philippines has many native dishes to offer, Filipinos have also enjoyed putting their own spin on international cuisines. Filipino spaghetti, for example, is notably sweet compared to the traditional Italian dish.
Before the spread of American fast food chains around the world, the Philippines blended its homegrown flavors with the dishes of its Spanish colonizers. Filipino chicken adobo, for example, is one of the most well-known dishes in Filipino cuisine. Adobo is a type of dish that can be seen in many different cultures around the world that have been touched by Spanish colonization. The original Spanish use of the term “adobo” simply referred to marinated meat. The marinade of Filipino chicken adobo is a mix of vinegar and soy sauce. This blend creates a vibrant flavor that is simultaneously sweet, salty and tangy. After being thoroughly marinated, the meat is then pan-fried, stewed and served with a side of rice.
The exact birthdate of Filipino adobo is disputed. While some assume Filipinos must have been influenced by Spanish practices when devising the dish, others claim that chicken adobo was already part of Filipino cuisine long before the arrival of the Spanish in 1521. It is possible that the practice of meat-marinating was present in the Philippines from its early history and was just given a new name by the Spanish upon their arrival. Nonetheless, the adobo of the Philippines is indisputably rich with Filipino flavors, setting it apart from the adobo of Spain and the Latin American countries that have their own versions of the dish.
The fruit of the Philippines are another category of ingredients that add flavor to many of the country’s unique desserts. The tropical climate of the Philippines leaves a multitude of tropical fruits at their disposal. Mango float, for instance, is a juicy, refreshing dessert that makes the most of one of the Philippines’ most popular fruits. The dessert is made by layered graham cracker crumbs, condensed milk and slices of mangos, giving the dish its sweet and refreshing flavor. Once stacked, the soft, layered dessert is chilled in an ice box or a refrigerator to solidify before eating. It’s the perfect dish to provide a cool relief from hot Philippine weather.
But fruit isn’t only useful in Philippine desserts. Kalamansi (sometimes spelled “calamansi”) is a tiny, green citrus fruit that is native to the Philippines and many other Asian countries. Savory dishes served in Filipino restaurants are often accompanied by a halved kalamansi fruit for customers to squeeze onto their food for extra flavor. Depending on the ripeness of the fruit, kalamansi can be bitter or sour. Coconut is another fruit that is utilized to its fullest potential in the Philippines. While coconut shavings can be sprinkled atop desserts such as halo-halo, coconut oil is the main type of oil used for frying in the Philippines.
Just as fruit can be used in savory dishes, vegetables are also used in Filipino desserts. An overview of Filipino cuisine would be incomplete without mentioning the famous Filipino ube. Ube is a type of yam famous for its bright purple color. The vegetable is notably used for coloring ube ice cream but can also be seen in other sweet treats like ube-swirl bread. The previously mentioned halo-halo is a classic Filipino dessert that involves a mix of condensed milk, ube ice cream and a wide variety of fruit and vegetable toppings.
Lumpia is a beloved Filipino dish that is often served fried but can also be steamed. Compared to an egg roll or spring roll, lumpia is a mix of ground meat and vegetables, wrapped in a thin wrapper that crisps up nicely when fried. Any type of ground meat can be used in lumpia, but pork is the most common. While fish and shrimp are popular in the islands of the Philippines, pork and chicken are the most widely consumed meats. The dish is seasoned with soy sauce, creating an addictive flavor combination between the tasty filling and the salty, fried wrapper that surrounds it.
Soy sauce is also used to flavor rice noodles in dishes such as pancit and bihon. Pancit mixes vegetables, noodles and meat or seafood, such as shrimp. Fried in large quantities, pancit is the perfect party food and is often served during Philippine fiestas, or large festivals. Afterall, sharing is one of the most important ingredients in Filipino cuisine.
To begin to understand Filipino cuisine is to understand how it’s served. During mealtimes in the Philippines, there is never just one dish on the table. Instead, Filipino dinner tables are topped with a spread of different dishes for everyone to share. Sharing is such an important part of Filipino culture that it is considered rude to eat in front of others without offering them any food. As Filipino restaurants slowly become more prevalent in American cities, you may be able to share the delicious flavors of Filipino cuisine as well.
