The Filipino food experience is inextricably entwined with China's. Ever
since we started trading with Chinese merchants in the 11th century,
we've taken Chinese favorites and made them completely our own.
In her book Palayok: Philippine Food through Time, on Site, in the Pot, the late food journalist Doreen Fernandez surmises that Chinese food in the Philippines may have risen out of necessity. Chinese traders (who were largely Hokkien—more on that later) settled in the Philippines and naturally developed a hankering for their native noodle favorites.
"Since they had to use the ingredients locally available, a sea change occurred in their dishes," Fernandez explains. "If they took Filipino wives, and these learned or ventured to cook the noodles for them, then their Filipino taste buds came into play as well, transforming the local ingredients into a variant dish."
These adaptations of Hokkien food made the first inroads into our kitchens. Thus, says Fernandez, "it is Hokkien food that is most widespread in influence." Cantonese food—more popular in Chinese restaurants—come in a close second.
The Chinese legacy in our culture shines brightest in the following dishes:
Siopao
The Hokkien baozi (steamed buns) were a favorite convenience food that became popular throughout Southeast Asia. The baozi filled with barbecued pork, or char siu bao, eventually evolved into our asado siopao.
We've also followed the Chinese in inventive treatments of the humble baozi, with variegated fillings such as bola-bola (minced meat, often with hardboiled egg); cuapao (meat and vegetables), and sweet siopao with monggo and lotus seed fillings. No self-respecting teahouse will ever miss out on serving siopao.
In her book Palayok: Philippine Food through Time, on Site, in the Pot, the late food journalist Doreen Fernandez surmises that Chinese food in the Philippines may have risen out of necessity. Chinese traders (who were largely Hokkien—more on that later) settled in the Philippines and naturally developed a hankering for their native noodle favorites.
"Since they had to use the ingredients locally available, a sea change occurred in their dishes," Fernandez explains. "If they took Filipino wives, and these learned or ventured to cook the noodles for them, then their Filipino taste buds came into play as well, transforming the local ingredients into a variant dish."
These adaptations of Hokkien food made the first inroads into our kitchens. Thus, says Fernandez, "it is Hokkien food that is most widespread in influence." Cantonese food—more popular in Chinese restaurants—come in a close second.
The Chinese legacy in our culture shines brightest in the following dishes:
Siopao
The Hokkien baozi (steamed buns) were a favorite convenience food that became popular throughout Southeast Asia. The baozi filled with barbecued pork, or char siu bao, eventually evolved into our asado siopao.
We've also followed the Chinese in inventive treatments of the humble baozi, with variegated fillings such as bola-bola (minced meat, often with hardboiled egg); cuapao (meat and vegetables), and sweet siopao with monggo and lotus seed fillings. No self-respecting teahouse will ever miss out on serving siopao.
Sweet and sour pork
Sweet and sour pork is a Cantonese invention: the natural evolution of a dish first prepared in Foshan, Guangdong in the 18th century. Well-prepared sweet-and-sour taps our Filipino hankering for sour, savory meals: deep-fried pork nuggets are stir-fried in sugar, vinegar, and soy sauce, then garnished with onion, pineapple, tomatoes, and peppers.
In China, the preferred meat depends on where you find the dish: Hong Kong diners prefer to use spare ribs in their sweet-and-sour, as opposed to Guangdong's preference for pork loin. In the Philippines, because of Filipino inventiveness, a popular variant of this dish was eventually born: sweet and sour pork meatballs, just like something you'd get at Goldilocks.
Sweet and sour pork is a Cantonese invention: the natural evolution of a dish first prepared in Foshan, Guangdong in the 18th century. Well-prepared sweet-and-sour taps our Filipino hankering for sour, savory meals: deep-fried pork nuggets are stir-fried in sugar, vinegar, and soy sauce, then garnished with onion, pineapple, tomatoes, and peppers.
In China, the preferred meat depends on where you find the dish: Hong Kong diners prefer to use spare ribs in their sweet-and-sour, as opposed to Guangdong's preference for pork loin. In the Philippines, because of Filipino inventiveness, a popular variant of this dish was eventually born: sweet and sour pork meatballs, just like something you'd get at Goldilocks.
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