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Introduction to Filipino Cuisine

Food Habits

1. Eats more than three times a day

Aside from usual breakfast, lunch, and dinner, we have morning snacks or Segundo
Almuerzo (second breakfast) which is normally done around 10 to 10:30 in the morning
and merienda (mid-afternoon snack time) between 3 to 4pm.

2. Loves rice

Filipino food is not complete without this ingredient. It does not matter if the dish is full of
carbs already, has noodles (like pancit and sometimes spaghetti) or soup on it, this
staple is almost a requirement in all major meals.

3. Likes condiments.

Filipinos are fond of dipping on or pairing anything with Filipino dishes. Soy sauce (with
lemon or calamansi juice), fish sauce (patis), catsup and bagoong or alamang(shrimp
paste).

4. Eating with hands

It has already been part of Filipino culture and stems back to the early times when we
could not afford to buy spoon and fork. Now, it comes out of tradition especially if local
cuisine is served or if the meal is presented in banana leaves.

5. Great advocates of fiestas

Each city or barrio has at least one fiesta to celebrate. Pinoys usually stack as much as
they can on one plate–Menudo, Embutido, Fruit Salad and Leche Flan. Filipino loves
meat during these times.

History of Filipino Food

The Chinese who came to trade sometimes stayed on. Perhaps they cooked the
noodles at home; certainly they used local condiments; surely they taught their Filipino
wives their dishes, and thus Filipino-Chinese food came to be. The names identify them:
pansit are noodles; lumpia are vegetables rolled in edible wrappers; siopao are
steamed, filled buns; siomai are dumplings.
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When the Spaniards came, the food influences they brought were from both Spain and
Mexico, as it was through the vice-royalty of Mexico that the Philippines were governed.
This meant the production of food for an elite, non food-producing class, and a food for
which many ingredients were not locally available.

Paella, the dish cooked in the fields by Spanish workers, came to be a festive dish
combining pork, chicken, seafood, ham, sausages and vegetables, a luxurious mix of
the local and the foreign. Relleno, the process of stuffing festive turkeys for Christmas,
was applied to chickens, and even to bangus, the silvery milkfish.

The Americans introduced to the Philippine cuisine the ways of convenience: pressure-
cooking, freezing, pre-cooking, sandwiches and salads; hamburgers, fried chicken and
steaks.

Add to the above other cuisines found in the country along with other global influences:
French, Italian, Middle Eastern, Japanese, Thai, and Vietnamese. They grow familiar,
but remain “imported” and not yet indigenized.

Filipino Staple Foods

Rice

known as palay in the Philippines, is the main staple food of the Filipinos, and has been
for quite some time.

Corn

Also known as mais is the second most important crop in the Philippines.

Other Important Foods:

·         Fish
·         Coconuts
·         Sweet Potato
·         Bananas
·         Mangoes
·         Pineapples
·         Sugar Canes
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National capital region

Metro Manila, otherwise known as National Capital Region, is the centre of Luzon and
the capital of the Philippines.

Culture

Filipinos love big festivities with family, friends, and neighbours, so children's birthdays
are always a good opportunity to throw a party.

When a person dies, relatives and friends hold a wake to mourn and remember the
deceased. This period typically lasts three to seven days.

Catholic Filipinos are buried in the coffin, cremation is very uncommon. The
bereaved offers nine days of prayer after the funeral.

Pasalubongs

Pasalubong is the Philippine term for souvenirs, usually edible and sweet, and it is
common courtesy to get some whenever you leave the Megacity.

There’s a number of Christmas traditions in the Philippines that foreigners would notice
if they are in the country during this festive season.

• Carols

While carolling is done in other parts of the world, Filipino children often go around the
neighbourhood to sing Christmas and non-Christmas songs to spread the holiday cheer
and of course, to get a prize such as candies, chocolates or coins.

• Misa de Gallo

Misa de Gallo (Evening Mass or Simbang Gabi) starts on the 16th of December and
ends on the first Sunday of the succeeding year. According to folk belief, those who
complete all nine of these masses will be granted one wish.

• Christmas Eve Dinner (Noche Buena)

This is the often extravagant Christmas dinners that every Christian family in the
archipelago spends for every 25 th of December. As mentioned above, this usually
entails serving of cheese and holiday ham.
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Religion

 Roman Catholics comprises 83.5%

 Philippine Independent Church (2.4%)
 Iglesia ni Cristo (1.9%)
 Protestant churches (1.8%)
 Buddhists (1.1%).
 Members of Islam and other religions comprises the remaining 10.4%

History and Influences

• During the 1500s a Kingdom of Maynila was established in the Manila area,

which flourished thanks to trade relations with China. Its name probably derives
from the Yamstick Mangrove, whose local name was nila or nilad.

• In 1571, Spanish conquistador Manuel López de Legazpi founded Manila and it

became the capital of the Philippines. Today, this old Manila forms the district
of Intramuros. The Spaniards would control the city and the islands for the next
300 years, only interrupted by a short occupation of the city by the British from
1762-64.

• In the late 1800s, the Filipinos fought Spanish colonization and declared
independence in 1898. That did not last long though, as the Americans – in the
aftermath of the Spanish-American war – annexed the Philippines shortly after.

Festivals

• Feast of the Black Nazarene- one of the major religious festivals in January
centres on a life-sized wooden statue of Jesus with dark skin. This unique
portrayal of Christ was brought to Manila from Mexico centuries ago and is now
enshrined in Quiapo. On the day of the feast, devotees go to the basilica in this
district and parade the image around town.

• Araw ng Maynila (Manila Day)- this city pride day is observed all over Manila.
A four-day food festival runs along the seawall of Roxas Boulevard, where cafés
from around the city put up booths selling food. There is also a national talent
contest, music concerts and other fun events.

• Kalesa Festival- this festival has been established to help promote the
traditional horse carriages that still ply the streets of some neighbourhoods in
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Manila. Traditional dancing and singing, as well as musical performances are

highlights of this event.

• Filipino Heritage Festival- Manila celebrates its cultural diversity with this fun
and comprehensive festival. Food, handicrafts, music and dance are all on
display at venues such as Rizal Park and other main sites. This is the perfect
time to learn more about the local culture in a festive atmosphere.

• La Naval Festival- one of the more important religious festivals in the city
happens each year in Quezon. St Domingo Church holds a nine-day novena to
honor Our Lady of the Rosary with a long and impressive procession through the
city. This is one of the most attended events in Manila, making it a real spectacle
worth seeing.

Eating Customs

Filipinos eat with a cup or rice , any kinds of dishes and a soup and after eating , they
also like to eat some fruits like banana, mango ,apple, pineapple & etc.

Popular dishes

The main popular dishes for NCR region in the Philippines:

• Lumpia

• Chicken or Pork Adobo

• Filipino rice cakes & puddings (with "Latik" or coconut/brown sugar toppping),
and bibingka are some.

Food specialties

• arroz caldo
• Letchon

• adobo

• pakbit

• crispy pata
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Ilocos Region

Culture

City of Laoag is a third-class city and capital of the province of Ilocos Norte in
the Philippines. 

Cultural heritage

• Laoag Sinking Bell Tower - The 45-meter bell tower was built by the
Augustinians in 1612 and believed to be the tallest bell tower in the Philippines.

• Museo Ilocos Norte - It houses a large collection of Ilocano, Igorot and ethnic
traditional clothing, household utensils, ceremonial objects and more.

• Laoag Cathedral - Famously known as Saint William Cathedral, this church was
built by Augustinian friars. Inside has a vast space with two-storey floor as well
as statues of saints that rest in front where the altar is. 

• Pamulinawen Fountain- Located in downtown Laoag City inside Aurora Park,

this fountain is named after a young woman in an Ilocano folk song.

Festivals

• Pamulinawen Festival - Named after a legendary bird the Pamulinawen. It’s a

religious Laoag festival to commemorate St. William, the province’s patron saint.

• Dulang Food Festival - Among the dishes prepared during the this festival are
Dinuguan (pork stew cooked in its own blood), Dinakdakan (a delicacy the
primary ingredient of which is pig’s brain) and Pinakbet (mixed vegetables stir
fried in shrimp paste).

Popular fruits and vegetables

Fruits

• Dragon Fruit
• Corn
• Green Mango
• Singkamas
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Popular dishes

• bagnet

• pinakbet

• longganisa

• abrao

• insarabrab

• ensaymada

Food Specialties

• biscotcho - crackers
• cornicks - crispy corn kernels
• linga  - sesame seed  
• tupig - sticky rice
• dinakdakan which is grilled pig ear mixed with pig brain and mayonnaise, with
onion and pepper to taste
•  igado which is pork meat and liver sautéed in vinegar and soy sauce
•  bagnet which is deep fried pork belly best served with tomatoes
•  bagoong which is salted paste made from anchovies or shrimp and spring onion.

Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR)

Baguio City

Culture

Canao is still performed in Baguio City. They do Canao on weddings and even on
funerals.

- Canao is an event where the host or hostess slaughter cows and pigs

to offer to their Gods. There is also dancing involved and drinking of wine.

History and Influences

Baguio was “Little America,” a mining and recreation town built by the Americans in the
early 20th century. It was only after the 1990 earthquake and US Bases turnover in
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1991 that Baguio has turned very Filipino; It has turned more Ilocano, not only in dialect
but more in terms of attitude.

Plus, was originally inhabited by different ethnic groups that contributed to its rich
culture, which has also been influenced by Spanish, Japanese and American
colonization.

Religion and Ethnicity

 Majority of Baguio's population are Roman Catholics.

 Other religious groups:

-Pentecostal Missionary Church of Christ (4th Watch)

-Episcopal Church

-Iglesia ni Cristo

-Jehovah's Witnesses

-Baptist

-Presbyterian

-Lutheran

-Muslim

Festivals

 Panagbenga Festival (February)

- The Baguio Flower Festival started in 1994, is one of the largest and most
successful festivals in the Philippines' Fiesta Calendar.

Eating Customs

 Most of them eat formally with the proper etiquette and fine dining because of the
Americans' influence.
 Eating with hands is popular in Baguio too especially in tribal areas.
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Basic Ingredients

 Strawberry

 Salt

 Pepper

 Cooking Oil

 Vinegar

 Soy Sauce

 Baguio Beans

Food Specialties

 Pinikpikan - a chicken dish that is rooted in the native ritual of reading signals
from the gods to determine one's course of action.
 Etag or Itag - is salted meat, cured and aged underground in an earthen jar.
The flavor is comparable to blue cheese but is much oilier and flavorful after
it's cooked.
 Pinuneg - is a native blood sausage composed of minced pork and innards
mixed with cooked rice (usually the red variety known as kintoman), salt,
vinegar, garlic and other flavors and then stuffed into clean animal intestines.
 The Cordillera version of the longganisa (native sausage) - is then either sun
dried, smoked, packed or simply boiled and served as a main course or
appetizer with a vinegar and chili dip.
 Sabusab - is mixed dish using fermented rice, sliced meat, green onions,
ginger and moistened with Tapuey.
 Tapuey - a native wine made by fermenting rice with a special yeast in a clay
or wooden jar using mountain spring water, resulting in a strong brew popular
at cañaos or mountain feasts.
 Benguet Coffee - introduced by the Spaniards, Benguet coffee, of the Arabica
variety is the favorite beverage of the Cordilleras.
 Mountain Rice - organic mountain rice, reddish in color, referred to by locals
as kintoman, is commonly served in Baguio restaurants and in homes. It is
considered a healthy, flavorful alternative to white rice.
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Bontoc Mountain Province

Bontoc Culture

Bontoc Tribe

• Is the collective name of several Filipino ethnics groups in Philippines who inhabit
the mountains of Luzon.

Popular dish

 Sweet & Sour Pork

Food Specialties

TSU-OM (Pinipig)

• PINIPIG to the Tagalogs, but the Igorots have a better pinipig. If you have eaten
Pinipig, you have not yet tasted the real TSU-OM.

Kinidlo'y-Makan

• Normally, this would simply be termed as "kinidlo" by the Bontocs. It is termed as

"Kinal-oy", or "Kinaley" by the Kankana-eys. This is Rice with a Sweet Potato
touch.