Mukha-sim ADD TANG TO YOUR FOOD Tamarind fruit contains a sour pulp that becomes sweet as it ripens Contrary to city folk’s belief, sinampalukan does not mean sinigang using sampalok fruit. The original recipe calls only for young tamarind leaves, which are minced and mashed with sea salt before...
Mother and two children cooking and preparing a meal in the kitchen together. My generation, born at the end of and after World War II, did not have to take any cooking lessons, formal or informal. As children, we were all expected to help in the kitchen and perform tasks assigned by grandma, mom,...
Meal enders and hors d'oeuvres , respectively Himagas and pamutat are words hardly used by today’s youth, who have little or no idea what they mean. Loosely translated as dessert, himagas and pamutat were always present on my grandparents’ dining table in the form of fruits—fresh and...
Food-related figures of speech in Filipino Food plays a big role in Filipino life. Not surprising, since we normally have five meals a day and consider the dining table the most ideal gathering place for the family and friends. It is but natural, therefore, that food figures in our speech in the...
The rains have started all over the country, ruining crops, especially vegetables. The result? Sky-high prices and scarcity of food items. Housewives are at a loss about how to provide nutritious meals for the family. All is not lost. There are some vegetables whose supply and price are not...
Filipino foodies all over the planet are rejoicing over the proclamation by TasteAtlas that sinigang is the best vegetable soup in the world. The ranking was made after experts compared sinigang with dozens of vegetable soups from all continents. The pronouncement by TasteAtlas is bold and...
Chicken daily? Yes! CANTONESE TREAT Chicken feet or ‘adidas’ as it is called in the Philippines, in dim sum dish The most affordable meat these days is chicken, currently selling for less than half the price of pork or beef. This entices cooks and homemakers to serve chicken many times a week...
INK NOODLES Pancit Negra from Ligao City, Albay similar to Pansit Pusit Arguably the most popular dish all over the country, adobo is the go-to dish of almost every family several times a week for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even snacks. While majority automatically think of chicken or pork as...
NATIONAL DISH CONTENDER Sinigang na baboy and its essential ingredients Sinigang, a top candidate for national dish, is served at least once a week in many households all over the country. It is popular because one can make sinigang with almost anything—beef, pork, chicken, fish, and prawns....
A rare offering that’s almost impossible to find FILLED TO THE BRIM Pinaputok (Knorr) The historic town of Kawit was a popular lunch destination for Manila foodies in the 1970s, when the 25-kilometer trip was pleasantly traffic-free and inexpensive even for motorists driving six-cylinder cars....
An introduction to duck by way of a labor-intensive process  GOOD DUCK Slices of crispy fried itik Every household in our barrio had pet ducks freely roaming around eating whatever they found edible but without damaging vegetable gardens. They were raised not for meat but for their eggs, which...
Why social media is abuzz with comments about the latest offering of the national roast chicken chain Andok’s HYPE BEEF Andok's trending meat dish litson baka Whole roasted chicken is called litson manok; whole roasted pig is litson baboy or simply lechon. What is roasted cow? Social media is...
