Filipino Food throughout the years
Historically, the Philippines already had a thriving culinary industry. In those
early days, Filipinos enjoyed simply boiled, steamed, or roasted meat dishes such as
beef from carabaos or cows, plus pork and chicken. And, of course, the bounties of
the sea— all kinds of fish and seafood. Since waters surround us, our land became
more prone for foreign voyagers to stop by, and because of this, we are introduced
to new cuisines, mixes, and spices that create a fusion with the traditional Filipino
cuisine.
The Spanish colonial period of the
Philippines began when explorer Ferdinand
Magellan came to the islands in 1521 and claimed
it as a colony for the Spanish Empire (Blancaflor,
2018). The period lasted until the Philippine
Revolution in 1898. Spain brought the Catholic
religion to the Philippine islands. It also brought
with it its culture and cuisine. Moreover, the
Spanish influence on local cuisine is evident
during religious feasts, especially at Christmas.
Thus, like our culture, we now have a blend of Hispanic-Filipino influences in
our cuisine. And so we have the all-time fiesta and Noche Buena favorites such as
paella, relleno, callos, morcon, caldereta, lengua, the merienda staple, ensaymadas,
and of course the famous dessert, leche flan. Until now, it became part of daily
Filipino recipes. We can see it in every carinderias menu and household.
Meanwhile, our neighbor China has been doing exchanges or barter, even in
the old days. We already created a relationship with them. One influence we got
from is evident in noodle dishes (bihon, miki, sotanghon, mami, lomi, miswa) which
go by the general name of pancit. Interestingly, Binondo, which is located in Manila,
is the oldest Chinatown in the world. It was established in 1594 by Governor and
Captain-General of the Philippines Luis Pérez Dasmariñas. Binondo was intended as
a permanent settlement for Chinese immigrants, particularly those who had
converted to Catholicism and intermarried with indigenous Filipinos (Khor, n.d.).
Noodle restaurants are called panciterias (another Spanish derivation), which
usually refers to a Chinese eatery. Pancit Canton is a favorite of Filipinos when
ordering Chinese food, along with lumpia shanghai (small spring rolls filled with
minced meat and dipped in sweet sauce). Siopao is a steamed bun filled with meat
usually ordered with pancit mami in soup to fill snacks or meals. Chinese sweets
popular among Filipinos include hopia--- a flaky pastry with fillings of mashed red or
green beans. In Chinatown, small shops sell boxes of piping-hot hopia in the
afternoons.
The Americans who started to come after Spain surrendered the Philippines
to the United States in 1898 brought along hot dogs, burgers, fried chicken, steaks,
and salads. They also taught us pressure cooking and freezing food for the rainy
days. Before Japanese colonization, Japanese migrants had already been
introduced to some Filipinos before such ingredients as miso, vetsin, udon, and bean
pastes.
Filipino Cuisine in the modern era
In modern times, American influence on our cuisine is a much more recent
one, which has everything to do with their occupation of our islands. Along with
canned goods, a necessity during times of war. They introduced us to the food of
convenience, which was important during that era: pressure cooking, freezing, pre-
cooking, canning. It was cultural imperialism and soft power at work; soon, we were
hooked on the ideal ways of the West. We fell in love with Mickey Mouse, with
Hollywood, and burger and fries.
We can see different convenience stores and fast-
food chains everywhere we go. There are famous places
like Mcdonalds, Jollibee KFC, Burger King, Greenwich,
Yellowcab, and more, inspired by western-inspired menus;
This is a massive manifestation of how Americans affect
the way we think and lived. We tend to become more
westernized.
American junk food was a novelty; the high fat and
salt content made it a special treat that kids looked forward to. Our palates are used
to a lot of salty, sour, sweet, all intense flavors that allowed us to embrace whatever
sodium or sugar-laden food was famous then. We loved it so much that we even
started adopting and adapting beloved dishes into the Filipino culinary repertoire,
turning them into staples: for example, American spaghetti turned into a Filipino one,
with a sweeter sauce and chopped-up hotdogs, fried chicken and hamburgers are so
ubiquitous that they have even become common, and traditional street food, and
corned beef with rice is almost as beloved as our cured tapa (Why is American Junk
Food so Popular in the Philippines, n.d.).
Furthermore, online delivery applications are flourishing like food panda, grab,
and lalafood. With just one click on our phone, the rider will deliver the orders in an
instant. Especially right now that we are in a pandemic, most of us engaged in
deliveries with less contact and exposure from outside. From these delivery
applications, there are many choices on what food we like to order. Mcdonald
cravings? Pizza cravings? We can have it all. That is the primary purpose of these
applications, to makes our lives easier. We are also influenced by our neighboring
countries like Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, for example, Milktea, Samgyupsal, Ramen,
Sushi, and more.
Perhaps, in retrospect, the Philippines are diverse in terms of culture and
tradition. We have amazing various indigenous and classic recipes. Through the
years, we have seen changes in our food. There is a fusion of classic Filipino recipes
with Hispanic touch; American food changed into Filipino style or Chinese-Filipino
style noodles. It is also evident that we have a tremendous and unique palate. We
are creative; We keep on experimenting and trying new food. There may be
influences in our cuisine from other countries, but let us not forget to preserve and
remember it because it is our roots and identities as Filipino.
References:
Blancaflor, S. (2018, October 1). 20 years after Philippine independence from Spain,
Hispanic influence remains. Https://Www.Nbcnews.Com/.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/120-years-after-philippine-
independence-spain-hispanic-influence-remains-n912916
Viray, M. S. (2018). Filipino cuisine through the years.
Https://Www.Manilatimes.Net/.
https://www.manilatimes.net/2018/07/29/supplements/filipino-cuisine-
through-the-years/424442/
Spanish Influence on Filipino Food. (2021, April 15). Https://Asian-Recipe.Com/.
https://asian-recipe.com/spanish-influence-on-filipino-food-2624#:~:text=The
%20strongest%20culinary%20influence%20is,Filipinos%20were%20also
%20Spanish%2Dinspired.
Why is American Junk Food so Popular in the Philippines? (n.d.). Https://Pepper.Ph/.
https://pepper.ph/american-food-popular-philippines/
Veneracion, C. (2019, August 8). The Spanish Influence on Filipino Cuisine.
Https://Www.Thespruceeats.Com/. https://www.thespruceeats.com/the-
spanish-influence-on-filipino-cuisine-3030287
