Cuisine

Filipino

An Austronesian rice cuisine layered with Chinese, Spanish and American influences, defined by sourness (vinegar, tamarind, calamansi) and the salty-sour-savoury braise adobo.

Flavour character: Sour and salty first: vinegar, tamarind and calamansi with soy sauce, fish sauce (patis) and fermented shrimp (bagoong); garlic-heavy; sweetness in desserts and some savoury dishes; heat is usually optional at the table.

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A plate of Filipino pork adobo with boiled eggs served alongside rice and fresh vegetables.

History

Pre-colonial cooking already used vinegar, salt and souring fruits to cook and preserve food. Chinese traders and settlers contributed noodles (pancit), spring rolls (lumpia) and soy sauce. Spanish rule (1565–1898) and the Manila–Acapulco galleon trade brought tomatoes, chillies, corn, chocolate and Spanish dishes such as leche flan and caldereta; the Spanish also gave adobo its name. American rule in the 20th century added canned goods and fast-food habits.

Well documented

Geography and influences

An archipelago of over 7,000 islands: rice, coconut, seafood, pork and tropical fruit, with strong regional differences between Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao.

Austronesian and Malay roots
Chinese traders
Spanish colonial rule and the galleon trade with Mexico
American period

Regional variations

Pampanga: Often called the culinary capital: sisig, tocino and elaborate dishes.
Ilocos: Northern Luzon: bagnet, pinakbet with bagoong, vinegar-based cooking.
Bicol: Coconut milk and chillies, as in Bicol express and laing.
Visayas and Mindanao: Kinilaw and seafood; Muslim Mindanao uses more spices, turmeric and burnt-coconut (tiyula itum).