List of Philippine snack food

Filipino cuisine ( fil, lutong Pilipino/pagkaing Pilipino) is composed of the cuisines of more than a hundred distinct ethnolinguistic groups found throughout the Philippine archipelago. A majority of mainstream Filipino dishes that compose Filipino cuisine are from the food traditions of various ethnolinguistic groups and tribes of the archipelago, including the Ilocano, Pangasinan, Kapampangan, Tagalog, Bicolano, Visayan, Chavacano and Maranao ethnolinguistic groups. The styles of preparation and dishes associated with them have evolved over many centuries from a largely indigenous (largely Austronesian) base shared with maritime Southeast Asia with varied influences from Chinese, Spanish and American cuisines, in line with the major waves of influence that had enriched the cultures of the archipelago, as well as others adapted to indigenous ingredients and the local palate.


"Philippine Cuisine."Balitapinoy.net
. Accessed July 2011.

Dishes range from the very simple, like a meal of fried salted fish and rice, to curries, to complex paellas and '' cozidos'' of Iberian origin made for ''fiestas''. Popular dishes include: '' lechón'' (whole roasted pig), ''longganisa'' (Philippine sausage), '' tapa'' (cured beef), ''torta'' (omelette), ''adobo'' (vinegar and soy sauce-based stew ), ''kaldereta'' (meat stewed in tomato sauce and liver paste), ''mechado'' (larded beef in soy and tomato sauce), ''pochero'' (beef and bananas in tomato sauce), ''afritada'' (chicken or beef and vegetables simmered in tomato sauce), ''kare-kare'' (oxtail and vegetables cooked in peanut sauce), ''pinakbet'' (kabocha squash, eggplant, beans, okra, and tomato stew flavored with shrimp paste), ''sinigang'' (meat or seafood in sour broth), ''pancit'' (noodles), and ''lumpia'' (fresh or fried spring rolls).

History and influences

Negritos, the first peoples of the Philippine archipelago, were nomadic hunter-gatherers whose diet consisted of foraged wild tubers, seafood, and game meat.

Around 6000 BP, subsequent migrations of seafaring Austronesians, whom the majority of contemporary Filipinos descend from, brought new techniques in aquaculture and agriculture, and various domesticated foodstuffs and animals.

The plains of central and southwestern Luzon, Bicol peninsula, and eastern Panay were major producers of rice, exporting surplus elsewhere to the rest of the archipelago. Rice was a symbol of wealth, with many rice-based delicacies used as offerings in important ceremonies.

Spanish colonial period

Spanish rule ushered several large changes to the cuisines of much of the archipelago, from the formation of the Manila galleon trade network to domestic agricultural reform.

The galleon trade brought two significant culinary influences to the islands: Chinese and Mexican.

The massive inflow of New World silver into the Philippine colony began to attract thousands of Chinese merchants, particularly Hoklo from Fujian, every year. Hokkien influence brought noodle dishes (''pancit'' and various noodle soupa), soybean-based products like soy sauce (''toyo'') and tofu (''tokwa''), and other well known dishes like eggrolls (''lumpia''), stir-fried rice (''sinangag''), dumplings (''siopao'' and ''siomai'') and congee (''arroz caldo'' and ''goto''). ''Panciterias'' serving noodle fare were formed and became public staples.

The galleon exchange was mainly between Manila and Acapulco, mainland New Spain (present-day Mexico), hence influence from Mexican cuisine brought a vast array of both New World and Spanish foodstuffs and techniques. Directly from the Americas were primarily crops: maize, chili peppers, bell peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, peanuts, chocolate, pineapples, ''jicama'', ''chayote'', annatto, and avocados, among others. Mexicans also brought various Spanish cooking techniques, including sofrito, sausage making (''longganisa'', despite more akin to ''chorizos''), and bread baking. Likewise, from the Philippines brought rice, sugarcane, coconuts, limes, mangoes, and tamarind to the Americas, and Filipino influence on Mexican cuisine, particularly in Guerrero, includes ''tuba'' winemaking, ''guinatan'' coconut milk dishes, and probably ceviche.

Contemporary period

Foreign influences on Filipino cuisine

Direct influence of India

Indian influences can also be noted in rice-based delicacies such as ''bibingka'' (analogous to the Indonesian '' bingka''), '' puto'', and ''puto bumbong'', where the latter two are plausibly derived from the south Indian ''puttu'', which also has variants throughout Maritime Southeast Asia (e.g. ''kue putu'', ''putu mangkok''). The ''kare-kare'', more popular in Luzon, on the other hand could trace its origins from the Seven Years' War when the British occupied Manila from 1762 to 1764 with a force that included Indian sepoys, who had to improvise Indian dishes given the lack of spices in the Philippines to make curry. This is said to explain the name and its supposed thick, yellow-to-orange annatto and peanut-based sauce, which alludes to a type of curry.

Atchara originated from the Indian '' achar'', which was transmitted via the acar of the Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei. Not to mention that nasing biringyi is similar to Biryani.

Direct influence of Japan

Halo-halo, also spelled ''haluhalo'', Filipino for "mixed", is a popular cold dessert in the Philippines made up of crushed ice, evaporated milk or condensed milk, and various ingredients including: ube, sweetened beans, coconut strips, sago, ''gulaman'' ( agar), pinipig rice, boiled taro or soft yams in cubes, slices or portions of fruit preserves and other root crop preserves, flan, and often topped with a scoop of ube ice cream. ''Halo-halo'' is considered to be the unofficial national dessert of the Philippines. The term "''halo-halo''" literally means "mix-mix" in English, it is the more common form of the dessert's name. By extension, this spelling has come to describe any object or situation that is composed of a similar, colorful mélange of ingredients.

The origin of ''halo-halo'' is traced to the pre-war Japanese Filipinos and the Japanese ''kakigōri'' class of desserts. One of the earliest versions of ''halo-halo'' was a dessert known locally as ''mongo-ya'' in Japanese which consisted of only mung beans ( Tagalog: ''monggo'' or ''munggo'', used in place of red azuki beans from Japan), boiled and cooked in syrup (''minatamis na monggo''), served on top of crushed ice with milk and sugar. Over time, more native ingredients were added, resulting in the creation and development of the modern ''halo-halo''. One difference between ''halo-halo'' and its Japanese ancestor is the placement of ingredients mostly under the ice instead of on top of it. The original ''monggo con hielo'' type can still be found today along with similar variations using sweet corn ('' maiz con hielo'') or ''saba'' bananas ('' saba con hielo'').

Some authors specifically attribute ''halo-halo'' to the 1920s or 1930s Japanese migrants in the Quinta Market of Quiapo, Manila, due to its proximity to the Insular Ice Plant, which was Quiapo's main ice supply.

The spelling of "''halo-halo''" is considered to be incorrect by the Commission on the Filipino Language, which prescribes "''haluhalo''". The word is an adjective meaning "mixed" in Tagalog, a reduplication of the Tagalog verb ''halo'' "to mix".

Odong, also called pancit odong, is a Visayan noodle soup made with noodles, canned smoked sardines ('' tinapa'') in tomato sauce, bottle gourd (), loofah (), chayote, ginger, garlic, red onions, and various other vegetables. It is garnished and spiced with black pepper, scallions, toasted garlic, calamansi, or labuyo chilis. The dish is usually prepared as a soup, but it can also be cooked with minimal water, in which case, it is known as odong guisado.

It is a common simple and cheap meal in Mindanao (particularly the Davao Region) and the Visayas Islands. It is almost always eaten with white rice, rarely on its own.

It is named after the round flour noodles called which are closest in texture and taste to the Okinawa soba. These noodles are characteristically sold dried into straight sticks around long. The name is derived from the Japanese ''udon'' noodles, although it does not use ''udon'' noodles or bear any resemblance to ''udon'' dishes. It originates from the Davao Region of Mindanao and the Visayas Islands which had a large Japanese migrant community in the early 1900s. The noodles were previously locally manufactured by Okinawans, but modern noodles (which are distinctly yellowish) are imported from China. Because noodles are difficult to find in other regions, they can be substituted with other types of noodles; including '' misua'', ''miki'' (egg noodles), ''udon'', and even instant noodles.

Arab influence via indirect trade

The Arab influence on Filipino cuisine is relatively minor. Historically, Arabs influence arrived via India to Indonesia and the Philippines. In the earlier days, Arabs traded with Indians, who in turn traded with Southeast Asia. In the later era, with advancement of sea navigation, Arabs also started to trade directly with the Philippines.

American colonial and American influence

After the Spanish–American War in 1899, the United States controlled the Philippines due to the Treaty of Paris. US soldiers introduced Filipinos to hot dogs, hamburgers, fried chicken, and ice cream. They also introduced convenient foods such as spam, corned beef, instant coffee, and evaporated milk.

Today, Filipino cuisine continues to evolve as new techniques and styles of cooking, and ingredients find their way into the country. Traditional dishes both simple and elaborate, indigenous and foreign-influenced, are seen as are more current popular international dishes and fast food fare. However, the Filipino diet is higher in total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol than other Asian diets.

Characteristics

Contrasting combination of base tastes

Filipino cuisine centres around the combination of sweet (''tamis''), sour (''asim''), and salty (''alat''), although in Bicol, the Cordilleras and among Muslim Filipinos, spicy (''anghang'') is a base of cooking flavor.

Counterpoint is a feature in Filipino cuisine which normally comes in a pairing of something sweet with something salty. Examples include: ''champorado'' (a sweet cocoa rice porridge), being paired with ''tuyo'' (salted, sun-dried fish); ''dinuguan'' (a savory stew made of pig's blood and innards), paired with '' puto'' (sweet, steamed rice cakes); unripe fruits such as green mangoes (which are only slightly sweet but very sour), are eaten dipped in salt or ''bagoong''; the use of cheese (which is salty-sweet) in sweetcakes (such as ''bibingka'' and ''puto''), as well as an ice cream flavoring.

Cooking and serving

Cooking and eating in the Philippines has traditionally been an informal and communal affair centered around the family kitchen. Food tends to be served all at once and not in courses.

Eating methods

Like many of their Southeast Asian counterparts Filipinos do not eat with chopsticks. The traditional way of eating is with the hands, especially dry dishes such as ''inihaw'' or ''prito''. The diner will take a bite of the main dish, then eat rice pressed together with their fingers. This practice, known as ''kamayan'' (using the washed left hand for picking the centralized food and the right hand for bringing food to the mouth), is rarely seen in urbanized areas. However, Filipinos tend to feel the spirit of ''kamayan'' when eating amidst nature during out-of-town trips, beach vacations, and town fiestas.

''Kamayan'' is also used in the " boodle fight" concept, a style of dining popularized by the Philippine Army which utilizes banana leaves spread out on the table as the main serving platter, upon which is laid out portions of rice and a variety of Filipino dishes for friendly, filial or communal feasting. The use of spoons and forks, however, is still the norm.

Changes in eating method

During the Spanish occupation, which yielded Western influences, Filipinos ate with the paired utensils of spoon and fork. The knife was not used as in other countries, because Spain prohibited them to have knives. Filipinos use the side of the spoon, to "cut" the food.

Due to Western influence, food is often eaten using flatware—forks, knives, spoons—but the primary pairing of utensils used at a Filipino dining table is that of spoon and fork, not knife and fork.

Native ingredients

Filipino cuisine has a variety of native ingredients used. The biota that developed yielded a particular landscape and in turn gave the place local ingredients that enhanced flavors to the dishes. Kalamansi is the more known of those ingredients, it is a fruit that belongs to the genus citrus. It is mostly used due to the sourness it gives to a dish. Another is the tabon-tabon, a tropical fruit which were used by pre-colonial Filipinos as anti-bacterial ingredient especially in Kinilaw dishes.

The country also cultivates different type of nuts and one of them is the pili nut, of which the Philippines is the only known exporter of edible varieties. It is usually made as a merienda or is incorporated in other desserts to enhance the flavor due to the milky texture it gives off as it melts in the mouth.

Vinegar is a common ingredient. ''Adobo'' is popular not solely for its simplicity and ease of preparation, but also for its ability to be stored for days without spoiling, and even improve in flavor with a day or two of storage. '' Tinapa'' is a smoke-cured fish while ''tuyo'', ''daing'', and ''dangit'' are corned, sun-dried fish popular because they can last for weeks without spoiling, even without refrigeration.

Food for the specific occasions

Meals of the day

Filipinos traditionally eat three main meals a day: '' almusal'' or '' agahan'' (breakfast), '' tanghalían'' (lunch), and '' hapunan'' (dinner) plus morning and an afternoon snack called '' meryenda'' (also called ''minandál'' or ''minindál'').

''Almusal'' (breakfast)

A traditional Filipino breakfast might include ''pandesal'' (small bread rolls), '' kesong puti'' (fresh, unripened, white Filipino cheese, traditionally made from carabao's milk) ''champorado'' (chocolate rice porridge), '' silog'' which is ''sinangag'' ( garlic fried rice) or sinaing, with fried egg and meat—such as '' tapa'', ''longganisa'', ''tocino'', '' karne norte'' (corned beef), or fish such as ''daing na bangus'' (salted and dried milkfish)—or ''itlog na pula'' (salted duck eggs). Coffee is also commonly served particularly ''kapeng barako'', a variety of coffee produced in the mountains of Batangas noted for having a strong flavor.

Certain portmanteau

HOME


Content is Copyleft
Website design, code, and AI is Copyrighted (c) 2014-2017 by Stephen Payne


Consider donating to Wikimedia



As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases