Spanish Influence on Filipino Food

Last Updated on: September 9, 2020 by Ara

Spanish Influence on Filipino Food

Filipino Food
Philippine cuisine has numerous indigenous and foreign influences. Throughout
the centuries, the islands have incorporated the cuisine of the early Malay
settlers, Arab and Chinese traders, and Spanish and American colonizers, along
with other Oriental and Occidental accents and flavors. The strongest culinary
influence is from Spain which ruled the Philippines for almost 400 years. Food
historians claim that 80 per cent of Philippine dishes are of Spanish origin.
Because the Spaniards formed the elite, dishes adapted by upper-class Filipinos
were also Spanish-inspired. Thus many of the party and fiesta dishes and those
served for special occasions bear names like relleno, morcon, paella, callos,
embutido, caldereta, etc.

Chinese influence is evident in noodle dishes (bihon, miki, sotanghon, mami,

lomi, miswa) which go by the general name of pancit. Noodle restaurants are
called panciterias (another Spanish derivation), a term that 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). Even Chinese dishes have Hispanicized names –
morisqueta tostada is Yangzhou fried rice, torta de cangrejo is crab omelet,
camaron rebozado is shrimp fried in batter. Pancit Molo, an adaptation of wonton
soup, is a specialty of the town of Molo in Iloilo. Pancit luglog, pancit malabon,
pancit palabok are all variations upon the noodle theme. The difference lies in the
type of noodle used and the garnishing and flavorings. Arroz caldo – rice
porridge with slices of chicken meat garnished with chopped spring onions, or
goto – rice porridge with tripe – are the local version of Chinese congee. A less
glamorous name for it is lugaw. This is a dish which can be ordered in fast-food
shops or carinderias and is popular with people on a budget. Siopao is a
steamed bun filled with meat which is usually ordered with pancit mami-noodles
in soup-to make a filling snack or meal. Chinese sweets popular among Filipinos
include hopia- flaky pastry with fillings of mashed red or green beans. lotus seed
and the like. In Chinatown, small shops sell boxes of piping-hot hopia in the
afternoons.

Unlike their Southeast Asian neighbors, most Filipinos do not eat chili-hot dishes,
although dishes from the Bicol region are distinguished by their use of chili and
coconut milk, similar to Indonesian, Malay and Thai food. �Bicol Express� is a
fiery dish of pork strips saut�ed in garlic, onions, ginger and turmeric, mixed with
bagoong alamang (salted and fermented shrimp sauce), coconut cream,
chopped chilies and hot green and red peppers. Muslim food retains the flavor of
its Malaysian origin. It is spicy and uses coconut milk, chilies, cassava and rice.
Many Philippine desserts, particularly those made of rice and coconut are similar
to those of Indonesia and Malaysia. Among these are biko and suman, sticky rice
cooked with coconut milk and sugar and wrapped in banana or pandan leaves,
bibinka, puto and kutsinta which are different types of rice cakes, and bukayo, a
crunchy sweet made of grated coconut cooked in molasses and pressed into
bars. Filipino cooking like other Oriental preparations, involves a lot of chopping
and labor-intensive preparation. Rice is the main staple, corn is a substitute in
other places. Filipinos prefer to have the entire meal laid out on the table when
they eat, rather than have the dishes served one by one. This results in some
food being served long after it is piping hot. Filipinos eat with forks and spoons,
but in rural areas some people prefer to eat with their hands. Patis and bagoong,
fermented fish or shrimp sauce, similar to those produced by Vietnamese and
Thais, are used to flavor food when cooking and are served as sauces for a
variety of dishes such as kare-kare or appetizers such as chopped green
mangoes.

The name of a dish often suggest how it�s prepared. Prito means fried; gisa,
ginisa or gisado means saut�ed. Ihaw or inihaw means grilled or broiled. Adobo
is to saut� in vinegar and garlic. Paksiw means to stew in sour fruit or vinegar,
ginataan is anything cooked in coconut milk (gata). Sinigang is like bouillabaisse,
but thinner in consistency, and used either fish, prawns or meat with vegetable. It
is usually made sour by adding some acidic fruit like tamarind or small green
kamias.

Much of the fun of visiting another country is trying out its cuisine and sampling
regional specialties. Be bold! Worth trying is adobo, a dish showing Spanish and
Mexican influences but with regional variations. Pork, or a combination of pork
and chicken, is stewed in a mixture of vinegar, bay leaf, peppercorn and garlic
over a slow fire. Some vegetables and seafood are also cooked adobo-style.
Lechon, pig roasted on a spit, is a fiesta favorite The crisp and succulent skin is
eaten with a sweetish sauce of liver paste. Kare-kare, mainly oxtail and
eggplants with other vegetables stewed in rich sauce or ground peanut and
toasted ground rice is also found in many Filipino restaurant menus. Bistek
Pilipino is thin slices of beef marinated in soy sauce and lemon juice and cooked
with plenty of onions. Tinola is chicken stew. With all the water around the
Philippines, fish and seafood are plentiful and fresh. Bangus (milkfish), lapu-lapu
(garoupa or grouper), tanguingue and blue marlin are excellent fish. Try the latter
grilled with a squeeze of lemon or calamansi. Maliputo is a tiny freshwater fish
with a delicate taste. Seafood is a specialty in many Filipino restaurants. Hipon
(shrimps), sugpo (prawns), lobsters, crayfish and crabs are served in a variety of
ways, Sinigang na sugpo or sinigang na hipon are Filipino favorites. The coconut
crab called tatus has a rich, nutty flavor and the meat is succulent. The provinces
of Pampanga, Iloilo and Negros are also well-known for their cuisine. Lumpia
ubod (heart of palm) is an Ilonggo spring roll in a soft, crepe-like wrapper stuffed
with fresh ubod as its main ingredient. Another regional dish is laing (pronounced
lah-ing), a southern specialty of taro leaves simmered in coconut milk and
chopped shrimp.

Filipinos flavor their food with dipping sauces (sawsawan) according to individual
taste. Bagoong, patis, vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup and chili sauce are usual
sawsawan. With a squeeze of calamansi in the soy sauce or patis, a touch of
mustard, chili, or mince garlic in the vinegar, new flavor are created. Filipinos
also like sour accompaniments to their food, such as chopped green mangoes
mixed with shrimp bagoong, or pickled shredded papaya (achara).

The merienda is an important Filipino culinary institution. the traditional merienda

or mid-afternoon snack include bibingka and ginataan, halo-halo, pancit luglog
and puto. The bibingka is a cake made of flour, eggs and coconut milk baked in a
pan lined with wilted banana leaves that impart a faint fragrance. Some bibingkas
have a square of white cheese placed inside during the last minutes of baking
and are topped with freshly grated coconut. Ginataan taken at merienda is a
mixture of diced tubers such as gabi, ube and camote, sliced plantain, strips of
breadfruit and some sago or tapioca all cooked together in thick coconut milk
with sugar to taste.

Bakeries are found all over the country. Some turn out excellent breads.
European-style cakes and pastries. Hard rolls (pan de sal) are traditionally eaten
for breakfast. Ensaymadas, buttered sweet rolls with cheese topping, can be
taken at breakfast or tea.

Halo-halo (mix-mix) is a layered concoction of various ingredients – caramel

custard, diced gelatin, candied or preserved jackfruit, makapuno or kaong –
topped with shaved ice and milk. Sometimes a scoop of ice cream is added.

Visitors can try Philippine food in a variety of settings from smart restaurants and
hotel dining rooms to street stalls, fast-food shops and carinderias. Eating places
that advertise ihaw-ihaw serve grilled or barbecued foods, principally meat or
seafood. The turo-turo (you point to what you want to order) system prevails in
carinderias or small eateries serving precooked foods. If you happen to be in
Metro Manila or the provinces when they hold their food festivals, this is a good
opportunity to try the Philippines� regional dishes.

Reference: http://www.dock.net/rogers/filfood.html

Chabacano or Creole Spanish Cuisine

Zamboanga cuisine is like its exotic Chabacano: basically Spanish with an
admixture of local tongues, thus endowing it with a delectable gastronomical
flavor that provides a rich cultural experience as well. This was especially true in
the old days when Castilian influence rubbed off quite thickly on the people of
that little Spanish town, now revered in prose as “un glorioso pedaza del corazon
de Castilla” (a glorious pice of the heart of Spain).

Most Zamboanga dishes are Spanish in origin. Others, like bagon de gata,
tamales, and those with heavy dependence on gata (coconut cream/milk) are
distinctly indigenous. Yet, even the most native of local foods, namely the
sinigang, Spanish influence is evident in the use of herbal spices, such as
tanglad (lemon grass), and bambawing (a “weed” which seems to be peculiar to
Zamboanga, and looks and smells like a “wild” member of the basil family). Olive
oil is often used for some fish preparations.

Following are some popular old Zamboanga recipes contributed by Mrs. Anacleta
Garcia-Orendain who, by consanguinity and affinity, comes from two old families
well known in the culinary art. Like most traditional cooks, Mrs. Orendain has not
methodically documented her recipes into precise or standard kitchen directions.
Thus her descriptions of how to cook the following dishes may have what has
been called a “stream of consciousness” quality about it.

We therefore advise the adventurous cook to proceed with caution in trying to

follow these loving recipes, understanding what every good cook knows: that feel
and intuition, rather than scientific precision, play the more important role in great
cuisine. (Zamboanga Hermosa, 1984)

MENU UNO – VIANDA

CALLOS DE ANDALUCIA PESCAO EN BLANCO COCIDO OR POCHERO

ROPA VIEJA CHICKEN PESA NANGKA SALAD

BACALAO A LA VIZCAYNA COCRETA DE PATATAS GALANTINA

GATA DE NANGKA OR CAMANSE PICKLED CAMIAS FISH SINIGANG

BOPES BAGON DE GATA

MENU DOS – POSTRE

AMBROSIA SALAD TAMALES ZAMBOANGA MAJA BLANCA (DURUL)

SAGUING REBOSAO FLAN CON MERENGUE SARIALA

SOPA BORRACHO

Source: “Chabacano Cuisine” by ANACLETA GARCIA-ORENDAIN,

ZAMBOANGA HERMOSA, 1984.

REF:http://www.jetlink.com.ph/~zambo/cuisine.htm