Travel & Hospitality Awards | Asia 2019 | www.thawards.com

Philippines – A Culinary Hub
Sometimes standing in the shadow of better-known culinary neighbours such as
Thailand and Vietnam, Filipino food has just as much of a right to be celebrated and
devoured in equal measure. With so much to choose from it can be hard to know where
to start. With such a fine tradition of culinary delights, the Philippines also offer some
modern day trends that add a new twist to the traditional meals. Filipino recipes exemplify
chefs’ most common advice — balance a dish by incorporating a range of complementary
flavors (bright, funky, salty and sweet).
Allow us to pick out 3 highlights from Filipino cuisine that
you absolutely have to try while over there. The first is
a nice drink to enjoy, one that you might not think was
readily available in the Philippines, Rum! The generous,
hand-poured measures are the traditional culture and
abundant sugar means you can buy a bottle of local rum
for less than a bottle of water! However, insiders seek
smooth, sipping premium rums, like local Don Papa, with
its vanilla, warm honey and candied fruit notes.
For those of you with a sweet tooth, this is the
dish for you. This dish truly epitomizes the
vibrancy of the Philippines. It is essentially
shaved ice drenched in evaporated milk
with colourful ice creams and adornments,
such as boiled sweet beans, leche flan (like
crème caramel), fruit jelly, ube (purple yam
paste redolent of vanilla and pistachio),
coconut gel and exotic fruits like lychee. In
Tagalog, halo-halo means ‘mix-mix’, as each
spoonful offers a new blend of flavours and
textures. It’s like a rainbow in a bowl, is as
tasty as it is pleasing on the eye.
Philippine cuisine is a fusion. The
archipelago, named for King Philip II of
Spain, was under Spanish control for more
than three centuries. The country was also
ruled briefly by Japan and the United
States before it gained independence
after World War II. One result of this
tumultuous and bloody history is a rich
cuisine with diverse influences. And
because the country is made up of more
than 7,000 islands, it’s a diversity amplified
by regional variation.
In the same vein as temporary
collaboration dinners, pop-up dinners
have been prominent in this year’s food
scene. From up-and-coming chefs looking
to stretch their muscles to promising
concepts that are looking for the right
venue and timing to generous chefs
doing some savvy social contribution.
The Spanish colonial influences
can be traced to the food here.
Filipino cooks prize puchero (old
Spanish for a large, clay pot) for
its nourishment and thrift. Puchero
recipes contain mixed meats,
tomatoes, garlic, garden veg and
carbs like potato and plantain. A
light stew served on successive
days, soup and meat components
are served separately; with the
soup sometimes drunk as a
consommé or even chilled to
gazpacho, until all is used.
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