COOK LIKE A LOCAL: THE PHILIPPINES

From fragrant chicken soup to roast suckling pig and pickled papaya, you won’t go hungry in this food-centric archipelago

Fragrant chicken soup, roast suckling pig and pickled papaya

With five official mealtimes and countless snacks in between, there are few places in the world where more time is devoted to food than the Philippines. Meet a local and there’s a good chance you’ll be asked: “Have you eaten?” It is both a greeting and an invitation to dine.

However, food is more than just a pleasure – it is the cultural language of the country. It’s how people say “thank you”, “I love you” or “I wish you were here”. Dining is also, commonly, a shared experience, a practice that stems from ancient subsistence lifestyles but which, today, underpins the Filipino custom of generosity, hospitality and community known as ‘bayanihan’.

Fertile tropical terrain, warm equatorial sun and heavy monsoon rain means traditional Filipino cooking is characterised by light, fresh and preserved fare, dishes such as fish kinilaw (a local take on ceviche), tamarind sinigang (sour soup), vinegarbraised adobo, atchara (pickled papaya) and coconut caramel kakanin (sticky rice cakes).

However, richer, more elaborate meals and adopted ingredients tell of the country’s colonial past and of other visitors who came to call it home, from Arab missionaries and Chinese seafarers to Spanish conquistadors, Mexican viceroys and American GIs. Lumpia Shanghai (spring rolls), beef kaldereta (stew with tomatoes and olives), roast lechón (suckling pig) and decadent sans rival (cashew torte) all fall under that mantle.

A celebration of bold flavours – salty, sour, sweet and funky, without a lot of heat – is common to all Filipino communities. Garlic is used abundantly and meals are designed for customising with dipping sauces of calamansi (local citrus), soy and native vinegar, known as sawsawan. Copious amounts of rice form the perfect foil to these tantalising combinations. »