The gastronomic trends are always changing, one day Mexican food is in, another day it’s Peruvian, and the next Hawaiian. It’s been observed that the number of internet searches for Filipino food from 2012 to 2017 doubled. A clear sign that the interest in their gastronomy has grown. That’s why we say that the food from the Philippines could take great importance from now on.
It’s not a well-known cuisine, but we believe that it will take on more and more importance in our country, and that we will be able to find it more easily. It’s a very pampered kitchen that’s based on the consumption of local produce, combined with spices and herbs from Southeast Asia. The base of their meals is rice, like many other Asian cultures. Rice is sacred to them; they consume it at least 3 times a day, in breakfasts, lunches and dinners, which makes us understand that it will have great presence in most of its dishes. In addition, they elaborate stews very similar to the Spaniards, because it’s a culture that has adopted the customs and traditions of the legacy that Spaniards left during their colonisation, which makes us suppose that the palates of our country would be prepared for the taste of Filipino food.
They use a lot of vegetables, fish and tropical fruits. Some typical dishes of its gastronomy are the sinigang, the most typical soup of the Philippines. Its base can be pork, chicken, fish or shellfish, as well as vegetables, lime and tamarind, which will bring that characteristic acid flavour. You can add chili to give it a hot touch, and of course it;s accompanied by rice. The Pancit Palabok, very similar to yakisoba (fried noodles). The Sísig, a dish made with the nose, ear and tongue of pork. And finally, the suman, a rice cake cooked in coconut milk wrapped in banana leaves, usually eaten with sprinkled sugar.
Text: Elena Olaran
Photos: Creative Commons
