Mainstreaming Local and Regional CuisineA presentation by: Chef Tatung

Pagkaing Pinoy• How would you describe it?

• How is Filipino food stereotyped in the mainstream/ international markets?

• But, what is it really?

The Journey of our Palates:Linguistically and Gastronomically

Our Austronesian roots• The name Austronesia comes from the Latin austrālis “southern”

plus the Greek νήσος (nesos) “island”. However, in contemporary terminology, the word Austronesia pertains to the regions where Austronesian languages are spoken.

• Austronesia then covers almost half of the globe, although mostly ocean and oceanic islands, starting from Madagascar to the west until Easter Island, to the east.

• Austronesia as a region has three traditional divisions: Taiwan (Formosa), the Maritime Southeast Asia, and Austronesian Oceania (Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia)

• We share a mother tongue and a common taste for coconut, yam, sour food, sea food, fermented food and pork.

Food we share

“Kinilaw” in Visayas “Kilawen” in Luzon, “keleguen” in Guam and the Marianas:

Raw fish with souring agent

• Raw seafoods can also be savored in Fiji, Tahiti, Samoa, Hawaii – though not necessarily with a souring agent

It is highly probable that Kinilaw inspired Ceviche because citrus fruits were originally not endemic to the Americas.

•  982 AD - At the time, merchants from "Ma-i" (now in Mindoro) brought their wares to Guangzhou.

• 10th – 11th century CE, Kingdom of Butuan was doing trade with the Kingdom of Champa and the Srivijaya Empire

• 1405 – Sulatanate of Sulu was one of the powerful maritime fleet in Asia

• Basic cooking methods• Boiling• Grilling and roasting• Eating food raw• Steaming• Ingredients used

– Coconut– Taro– Fish– Pork– Citrus Fruits

• Spanish Invation 1591-21– Galleon Trade

• Manila in the 18th century: “Like Jerusalem during the first Pentecost” wrote Pedro Murillo Velarde SJ. “Languages from all over the world can be heard in its streets”.

• Today: Filipinos stand out in Asia for having family names that are: Indigenous Filipino, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, German, French, Danish, Italian, British, Greek, Arabic.

• Introduction of new cooking methods– Stewing/ braising– Baking– Gisa

• Introduction of new ingredients– Corn– Potatoes– Tomatoes– Beef (Meat & Dairy)– Wheat

Our tongues have been transformed not only by the food we ate but by the

languages we spoke.

A quick quide on how foods are namedA dish was named via

– Main Ingredient• Bulalo (Beef bones)

– Cooking method• Nilaga (Boiled)

– What it was cooked in• Puchero (Stew pot) literally cooked in a pot

• Our schools do not emphasize heritage• A strange obsession with “pure” culture• Poor international image of the Philippines

•People resort to an easy and popular reference with the Balut

•Majority of Local Chefs don’t recognize Indegenous cooking as a cornerstone of Filipino cuisine

•We apologize when serving simple honest to goodness Filipino fare.

Many Filipinos focus on ‘Pinoy Pride’. Thinking Pinoy is distinct and pure and is above other cultures.

#yabang pinoy

We sometimes have an over-obsession with pure culture.

Henri II married Catherine de Medici, an Italian. As Queen (1547-1559) showed the importance of eating on separate plates, glass cups, and pastries.

Only since the 1800s when Alexander Kurakin, Russian ambassador to France, popularized table service à la russe where each course is served sequentially, instead of simultaneously.

Bifteck from Beefsteak Choucroute from Sauerkraut Mayonnaise from the Catalan

aioli (brought in by Marchal Mahon in the 18th century)

Couscous

• But such is French originality that all of these were indigenized and re-invented with a new style!

How do we mainstream

• Make it easy for people to understand what it is.

• Tell a story-make it relevant• Make it available always• Keep pushing