What makes Philippine Cuisine Philippine? The question perhaps is a mild variant of that other, by now overwhelming question; what makes a Filipino? The understanding of Philippine Cuisine, in fact, cannot be dissociated from the country's cultural history and geography. Drawing origin from various cultures but displaying regional characteristics, Filipino food was prepared by the Malay settlers, spiced by commercial relations with Chinese trader, stewed in 300 years of Spanish rules and hamburgered by American influence on the Philippine way of life.
Spanish cookery is the main influence in the Philippine dishes. Informally some cooking experts say about 80 percent of Philippine dishes are derived from Spanish cuisine. Indeed, every other Filipino dish has Spanish name and even Chinese dishes are usually called by Spanish names. To this day, price-y Chinese restaurants all over the Philippines insist on printing a Spanish menu, sometimes with hilarious liberties on the terms.
Philippine cuisine consists of the food, preparation methods, and eating customs found in the Philippines. The style of cooking and the food associated with it have evolved over many centuries from their Austronesian origins to a mixed cuisine of Malay-Indonesian, Indian, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, and American, in line with the major waves of influence that had enriched the cultures of the archipelago, as well as others adapted to indigenous ingredients and
the local palate.
Dishes range from the very simple, like a meal of fried salted fish and rice, to the complex paellas and cocidos created for fiestas of Spanish origin. Popular dishes include: lechon (whole roasted pig), longganisa (Philippine sausage), tapa (cured beef), nilaga (pork stew), sinigang (meat or seafood in sour broth), kare-kare (oxtail and vegetables cooked in peanut sauce) and many more.
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