|
Emerald green rice
terraces are part of the spectacular scenery in the cordillera of Northern
Philippines
|
The official e-Zine
of AsianRecipesOnline. Subscribe
here
to get the popular Asian Melting Pot series for the next 24
weeks |
send e-Cards...
more...
unique to the
Filipino eating tradition is the
sawsawan
- the mixing & matching of cooked foods with salty, sour or savory dipping
sauces
Pilipinas |
Philippines
IN THIS LAND OF OVER 7,000
ISLANDS, REGIONAL DIVERSITY CAN, NOT ONLY BE SEEN, BUT TASTED
COMPARED
TO HER NEIGHBOR'S FIERY FARE, PHILIPPINE CUISINE IS MORE RESERVED; NEVER
THE LESS A GENTLE CUISINE ACCENTED BY STRONG FLAVORED CONDIMENTS
BACKGROUND
The Philippines were ceded by Spain to the US in 1898 following the Spanish-American War. They attained their independence in 1946 after Japanese occupation in World War II. The 21-year rule of Ferdinand MARCOS ended in 1986 when a widespread popular rebellion forced him into exile. In 1992, the US closed its last military bases on the islands. The Philippines has had two electoral presidential transitions since Marcos' removal by "people power." In January 2001, the Supreme Court declared Joseph ESTRADA unable to rule in view of mass resignations from his government and administered the oath of office to Vice President Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO as his constitutional successor. The government continues to struggle with ongoing Muslim insurgencies in the south.
ECONOMY
In 1998 the Philippine economy - a mixture of agriculture, light industry, and supporting services - deteriorated as a result of spillover from the Asian financial crisis and poor weather conditions. Growth fell to 0.6% in 1998 from 5% in 1997, but recovered to about 3% in 1999 and 4% in 2000. The government has promised to continue its economic reforms to help the Philippines match the pace of development in the newly industrialized countries of East Asia. The strategy includes improving infrastructure, overhauling the tax system to bolster government revenues, furthering deregulation and privatization of the economy, and increasing trade integration with the region. Prospects for 2002 depend heavily on the economic performance of two major trading partners, the US and Japan.
THE FILIPINO TABLE
The land and the waters gave the Filipinos
their food. Over 7000 islands are surrounded by seas, threaded by rivers
and brooks, edged by swamps, and dotted with lakes, canals, ponds and
lagoons, providing a multitude of aquatic life that make up the basic food
of the Filipinos.
Whether at home or out in a restaurant,
Filipinos love to eat communal-style, all together in an informal social
gathering called salu-salo. The components of a typical Filipino
meal are fresh fish or other seafood; chicken, pork or beef; vegetables;
hearty soup mixed coconut and noodles. The dishes are arranged around a
large container of steamed white rice. One unique habit that a new
traveler to Philippines can easily observed is that Filipinos eat
frequently. On an ordinary day there are generally five small but tasty
meals to go through - breakfast, morning merienda (10 am snack),
lunch, afternoon merienda (4 pm snack) and dinner. Filipinos eat
rice from morning till night, supported by rice cake, nuts and sugary
snacks in between meals. There is a happy hour and the traditional
pulutan or finger-foods, the sometimes exotic 'appetite-ticklers' that
accompany the pre-dinner beer.
What is most unique to the Filipino eating
tradition is the sawsawan - the mixing and matching of cooked foods with
salty, sour or savory dipping sauces sawsawan. This myriad table
sauces in small plates turn the bland white rice together with the
accompanying dishes into delightful eating experience. The sauces can be
sour, salty, sweet-salty or even bitter-sour. The most common condiments
are: patis (fish sauce), toyo (dark soy sauce), suka
(native vinegar) and bagoong (fermented shrimp paste). These
combine tastily with garlic, ginger, red chilies, peppercorns, onions,
tomatoes, wansoy (cilantro) , belimbi (a sour fruit) and
kalamansi (the small, sweet native lime).
More recipes, cooking tips and humor is
available through the FREE subscription of our weekly recipe e-zine,
The Asian
Cafe.
|
ESSENTIAL
FLAVORS OF FILIPINO COOKING
The flavorings essential to Filipino
cooking would include bagoong (salty,
fermented fish paste), patis (fish
sauce), toyo (soy sauce) and
suka (native vinegar). Other common
ingredients include fresh red chilies, birds's-eye
chilies, coconut milk, kamias (belimbi;
substitute with citrus fruits or tamarind), fresh
cilantro (coriander), kalamansi
limes, Spanish chorizo
sausage and
tamarind pulp.
|
| VISIT OUR
WEBLOG