A Taste of Asia

The Philippines is not only known for its cultural and bio-diversity, but it is also famous for its cuisine. Philippine food is known for its deliciously unique and bold savour, characterized by the right blend of sweet, sour and salty flavours. Filipino taste buds have a strong preference for an abrupt change of flavours. Also, rise is a staple food that can never be absent in every meal. One prominent attribute of Philippine cuisine is the showcasing of all recipes in a solo presentation, that is, food are most of the time delivered all at once and not in courses.

Counterpoint or the combination of two different recipes together to form one perfect pairing, is another characteristic of Philippine cuisine which is usually seen in the matching of a sweet food with another salty one. One famous example is the dinuguan (pork blood stew) matched with puto (steamed rice cake). This kind of pairing gives rise to a surprisingly delightful taste.

The Philippine style of cooking and eating has been customarily a casual and collective event which revolves around the family dining area. Such styles are characterized by eating accompanied with small talks, making everybody feel easy and comfortable, plus, the concept of communalism gives everybody a sense of belongingness.

Also, Philippine food preparation is not only about making delicious food but also, making a cheeky recipe that could keep well without refrigerating it. This is made possible by the use of common ingredients such as vinegar, patis (fish sauce) or bagoong (fish/shrimp paste). Having a strong taste and odour, these ingredients, however, give a unique appetizing taste in the food.Let me give you two of the most popular regional recipes of the Philippine cuisine.

Pinakbet of Ilocos
Pinakbet (Filipino Vegetabel Stew) is a popular dish from the Ilocos Region. The word Pinakbet was derived from pinakebbet which means shrunk. This is because the vegetables are cooked with small amount of water and boiled with bagoong (fish/shrimp paste) until the vegetables shrivel giving an accentuated taste of the vegetable extracts with the fish paste or shrimp paste.

The vegetables used in making Pinakbet are bitter gourd, okra, eggplant, string beans, sweet potato, squash, patani (lima beans), and spices such as onions, garlic and ginger. Most of these veggies are easily reached and mostly raised in gardens and backyards of most Ilocano houses. This recipe is highly nutritious and most opportune for the callous and rough, but fruitful Ilocos region of the Philippines. The Pinakbet dish has also reached every part of the archipelago.

Pinikpikan of the Cordillera
Another distinct Philippine food is the Pinikpikan, a famous dish from the Cordillera Region. This dish has an exceptional flavour that comes from the clotted blood, and the burnt skin and feathers of chicken, added with a treated (salted) meat, preserved in clay jars known as the etag.

Normally, a native chicken, having a tastier and darker meat is used. The chicken is lightly and properly beaten up to keep its blood inside it, preventing being bloody when it is cut, and to avoid breaking its bones. The feathers are removed and the chicken is thrown in an open fire until the feathers are all burnt off. The chicken is cleaned and proceeds with the slicing. All parts of the body are separated and become part of the soup together with the etag by boiling. Sayote (vegetable pear) is usually added.

In reality, the preparation is a ritual of the natives of Cordillera to find out the right path of actions and their destiny.