Gloria Dizon, a neighbor of mine here on Beacon Hill and a native Filipina, is a terrific cook and generous. One cannot pass her doorstep without coming away with ripe tomatoes or a squash from her garden. Sometimes she appears at our door bearing Guisadong Kalabasa, a tasty stew of kabocha or acorn squash cubes and long beans with garlic, dried shrimp, maybe small bits of pork, black pepper and fish sauce.
Dizon was the right person to talk with while preparing a food story in anticipation of May's Asian-Pacific Islander Heritage celebrations honoring the peoples and cultures of the Pacific region. Bringing skills, energy and culture to the Pacific Northwest, these folks also bring cookery and family recipes: a culinary heritage worthy of praise.
The Philippine nation consists of 7,000 islands, each with unique languages, geography, culture and cuisine. Long a crossroads in the South Pacific, the Philippines have a rich history going back at least to the time of the Romans.
The Filipino people are originally related to those of Malaysia. Later, coastal traders from China established trade settlements and married into local families. Spain occupied the Philippines for 350 years, leaving an indelible mark upon life and culture. Spain lost these islands in the Spanish-American war resulting in an enduring American influence.
Both the hunt for spices and the associated taste for conquest and religious proselytizing greatly influenced the formation of Filipino cuisine. Long before the Portuguese explorer Vasco Da Gama arrived on India's Malabar Coast in 1498 searching for a route to Asia, and before 1521 when Fernando Magellan discovered the Philippines and claimed the islands for King Philip of Spain, spice hunters had already arrived.
King Solomon's Phoenician sailors reached the Malabar Coast by crossing the Arabian Sea in the 10th century B.C. The Chinese arrived from the east while Romans and Greeks came from the west. The Spice Islands were the source of pepper, ginger and cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg and included Java, Sumatra and today's Indonesia.
Europeans were desperate to obtain these tasty luxuries. Arab traders in the first millennium BC dominated the trade, buying for very little on the Malabar Coast and selling high in Rome and Athens. Eager to keep this lucrative trade for themselves, the Arabs told Europeans that not only did the spices come from Africa but ferocious beasts and birds awaited those who might dare venture into the wilds.
Since Arab traders dominated the overland and seagoing routes, they spread Islam throughout much of Southeast Asia. Islam took root in the large western Philippine island of Mindanao. Here pork is forbidden but fiery chilies and spices are used in cuisine quite similar to Malaysian cooking.
Coconut meats and milk, fermented fish pastes and sauces and tamarind are key ingredients. Kare-kare, a stew of oxtails, green beans and peanuts is arguably the most indigenous dish in the Philippine repertoire, yet its influence from Malaysian cookery is unmistakable.
Around 100 A.D. the Romans and Greeks learned the secret the Arabs had been holding for centuries: the monsoon winds reverse direction in the Indian Ocean twice yearly. Thus a ship could sail to India and back within a year. European prices fell and Rome took over the spice trade. But excess had its price, and once the Roman Empire collapsed upon itself the Arabs retook the spice trade.
Eager to find a water route to India and the spices beyond, Spain and Portugal set sail for Asia. Prices fell drastically in Europe when Da Gama returned from India in 1498 with spices and gems. Having discovered a sea route around Africa, the Portuguese were able to cut out the middlemen in Venice and their Arab suppliers.
Even though Magellan was killed and buried in the Philippines, his claim for Spain's King Philip began more than 350 years of Spanish rule. Filipinos and were forced to choose Spanish surnames and introduced to Roman Catholicism. But the Spanish also brought olive oil, pork and an array of rich desserts.
Techniques such as sautéing minced garlic and onions in olive oil, preserving meats in vinegar and the introduction of tomatoes, olives and stuffed meats all came from Spain. The merienda, a mid-to-late afternoon repast akin to an English afternoon tea, comes from the Spanish. Estimates of the influence of Spanish cookery upon Philippine dishes range from 30 to 80 percent.
Many dishes and cooking techniques bear Spanish names, such as adobo, meaning to preserve or to pickle, usually in vinegar, and referring to the days before refrigeration. Chicken and pork adobo is a classic Philippine dish. Since the Philippines were so far from Spain, the Spanish, already established in Mexico, administered their island possession from Acapulco for the first 200 years.
Thus dishes like adobo and menudo, a pork, liver and tripe stew appeared on the Filipino table. Bay leaf and garlic are also influences from Mexico, as is annatto, also called achiote, which imparts little taste but gives a dark, golden color to foods. Cocidos and pucheros are rich stews replete with many ingredients, descended from Spanish cookery.
Chinese cookery also has had a tremendous influence upon Philippine cuisine. The Chinese introduced an array of noodles and many ways to prepare them. Steamed buns with pork filling such as siopao. Siomai dumplings, the uniquely Philippine eggroll lumpia, and the ubiquitous noodle dishes called pancit, are part of the Chinese influence. Steamed and fried rice dishes and rice cakes add taste and texture.
Beacon Hill food writer Georgia Lord Watanabe may be reached via editor@sdistrictjournal.com.
PANCIT BIHON - Adapted from a recipe from Gloria Dizon
* 1 to 1 1/2 packages (1 pound each) rice stick noodles (bihon)* (see below)
* 1 1/2 pounds pork but, trimmed of fat and excess skin, cut into bite-sized pieces
* 3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
* 1-2 cloves garlic, crushed or bruised
* 1 large onion, cut into small chunks
* 4 celery ribs, finely diced
* 2 large carrots, scraped and cut into fine matchsticks
* 1-1 1/2 pounds medium-large shrimp, cleaned and butterflied
* 1/2 pound sweet or snow peas, strings peeled
* 1/2 pound Napa or green cabbage, finely shredded Black pepper and soy sauce to season
Put pork pieces into a deep, non-aluminum pot with water to cover (about 4 cups). Heat to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes or until pork is cooked.
Remove pork from pot, place onto a platter to cool and reserve stock in the pot. Stir stock to cool. When cool, remove and discard excess fat as desired; save stock.
Heat oil in a large wok or deep skillet; add garlic and onion; sauté until fragrant. Add pork pieces to the wok; sauté for about three minutes. Pour about 2 cups broth into wok and simmer (med-low heat) pork mixture for about 10 minutes.
Add celery, carrots, shrimp, snow peas and cabbage to wok; stir lightly and cook until shrimp turn pink (about 3 to 4 minutes). Add bihon noodles and cook, tossing in broth for another 3 to 4 minutes. Add more stock if noodles stick or become too dry.
Season with black pepper and soy sauce as desired. Makes 4 to 6 servings.
*Bihon noodles can be soaked in a large bowl of warm (not hot) water for about 15 minutes to soften; drain all water before cooking. "Excellent" brand rice sticks is one kind sold at Asian markets.[[In-content Ad]]
