How Do You Define Filipino Cuisine?

In a country where people love to eat, how do we define our very own, Filipino cusine?

Every region and provinces in the Philippines has its own local offerings. Iloilo, for instance, is known for authentic la paz batchoy. In Cebu, on the other hand, visitors would not want to leave without trying its lechon. Whether their schedules are tight, Zubuchon is there at the airport, giving them the opportunity to have a taste of lechon Cebu.

Since the Philippines has more than 7,000 islands, how do we describe Filipino cuisine to foreigners, knowing that we’ve got so many to offer?

”I used to think that Filipino food is Thai, Malay, etc. rolled into one,” admitted Chef Sau del Rosario, culinary director of Cravings Group, in a forum.

The chef continued that time came when he realized that the way for him to define Filipino cuisine is to do food.

”Filipino cuisine has an identity crisis. For example, pancit is a Chinese food, but we keep on denying it,” he stressed.

JJ Yulo, owner of Just Jonesing blog site, noted that as consumers, he thinks Filipinos need to be more open-minded. Filipino food, for him, goes beyond adobo and pancit.

Citing her thoughts, Amy Besa, co-owner of Purple Yam restaurant in Brooklyn, USA and in Malate, Manila, said that the country has a very rich cuisine. However, Filipinos need to have a strategy to promote it, according to her.

How do we promote Filipino cuisine?

Besa shared that in their restaurant, they had some famous personalities as customers. These customers have ordered adobo, and they learned about it from their Filipino nannies.

She shared her strategy – having a banner product.

”I used adobo as my banner product,” she said. Besa added that in every cuisine, one should highlight its distinct character. She said that in adobo, for example, people know its distinct sourness.

Other Filipino dishes with distinct sourness are sinigang and kinilaw. “Adobo, sinigang and kinilaw can be seen in every region. All kinds of people, whether rich or poor, eat these three,” she remarked.

Besa, meanwhile, highlighted that the Philippines is gifted with so much resources, reason why she thinks Filipinos should not starve because they can grow foods 12 months in a year.

Furthermore, Besa also noted that our local ingredients are great. “If we want Filipino food to continue, make it accessible to all Filipinos. We need to patronize our own artisanal products, too,” she emphasized.

Another chef, Myke “Tatung” Sarthou, owner of ALAB Modern Filipino restaurant, said that if people would like to promote Filipino cuisine, the country needs to have a business plan, one that should help the economy.

For its part, the government currently has two programs.

First is the Filipino Brand of Service, wherein the government conducts consultation workshops to find out the commonality of what’s being offered per region.

The government recognized that if we want to promote our distinct personality, there must be a common item to be offered in every region (e.g. welcome drinks in hotels should be the same).

Second is the Kulinarya program. Here, the government provides trainings to carinderia and street food vendors.

We have our own preferences and favorites in terms of dishes, but we all know that ours is very rich and vast.

Next time someone would ask you to describe Filipino cuisine, how would you answer? (PNA) CTB/MCCA