Talk:Cuisine of the Philippines

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To-do list for Cuisine of the Philippines: edit · history · watch · refresh

Here are some tasks you can do:
  • Requests: Adding pictures
  • Cleanup: Spelling [consistency between all words for example longanisa], grammar [the Filipino language allows the subject to be decoupled from the predicate ... this is _not_ okay with English... it is considered very bad.]
  • NPOV: Adding mainstream dishes, fast food dishes like Jolibee or something similar (spaghetti with Vienna sausages), modern day influential dishes modified to the Filipino people (chichacorn), more indigenous examples. Not just conservative traditional food.

The photo "Pinoy Sweets" was returned since the user who had previously removed it failed to notice that it did have a source cited.

Contents

[edit] Minor Changes

I will make some minor changes to the article...

  • Torta is not an egg wrap but rather an omelette.
  • Kare-kare is not always ox tail. Sometimes it has beef chunks or "tuwalya"(tripe) in it.
  • Sinigang is not a sour soup but rather a bouillabaisse-like dish.
  • Longganisa is not "longanisa".
  • The syrup in taho is not particularly molasses, as many misinterpreted, as that syrup is made up of white sugar, brown sugar and water.
  • San Miguel Beer and Ginebra San Miguel are somewhat part of the Filipino cuisine but there are other local brands, and besides, it is somewhat an advertisement. I will just add the cocktails Filipinos made from them.

Thanks! - Obin 3391 11:37, 19 February 2006 (UTC)

Isn't it kind of mean to be saying that some of there dishes are Unusual.... It is like if someone called some of our foods unusual... They should rename that section and maybe call it Different foods or Other Foods or something nicer...thanks! Toodles!

[edit] Two national foods?

Both the Adobo and Lechon articles claim themselves to be the national food of the Philippines. That can't be right. Which one is the true national food? --'Ivan 12:29, 10 April 2006 (UTC)

Actually, there is no consensus as to which. The way Adobo is cooked and presented is also notoriously different depending on what region of the country. Gryphon Hall 03:13, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Adobo and Lechon are favorites in the Philippines but I've never encountered official documentation by any history book of a certain "national food". Adobo is the easiest to cook so its very common to be seen inside Philippine households while Lechon is rarely absent during Fiestas and other huge celebrations. Ventada de Manila 11:00, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Patis

Can someone please mention fish sauce (or patis as it is known in the Phillipines)? I'm a Filipino American and it's pretty prominent around my family at home and my other family members around

[edit] Other Regional Cuisine

The province of Negros is famous for its Chicken Inasal (marinated grilled chicken), Puto Manapla (anise-flavored rice muffin), dried squid, kinilaw (seafood ceviche), and different sweets like barquillos, piaya, barqueron, pinasugbo, pañolitos, pastellas de manga, empanaditas, polvoron, black sambo, señoritas, guapple pie, napoleones, lumpiang sariwa, dulce gatas (dulce de leche variation), KBL soup (kadios-baboy-langka) which means (black-eyed peas, pork, & jackfruit soup), laswa, and butterscotch.

The province of Iloilo is famous for its Pancit Molo, La Paz Batchoy, and pastries from Panaderia de Molo like biscochos, galletas, bañadas and barquillos.

[edit] Sans Cutlery

I strongly object to the following paragraph found in the Cuisine of the Philippines page, as of October 7 2006:

"In addition, *though no longer a popular norm but is nevertheless practiced by some, food is eaten with the hands-- sans cutlery. The diner could use his soup (sabaw) or sauce to moisten his rice, scoop it from the plate together with a piece of vegetable or meat and slide it into his mouth. In normal circumstances, Filipinos use the spoon and fork to scoop the rice and dish."

Eating with the hands has always been and still is a part of Filipino tradition. I strongly object to identifying it or otherwise as a "popular norm". If anything, more Filipinos actually eat with their own hands as compared to the number of those who eat with cutlery. I challenge the author of this article to provide an accurate statistic of every social group in the country that would prove this* posted statement.

Also, the usage of the phrase "In normal circumstances," in context with Filipino choice, or absence, of cutlery, is totally insensitive and completely derogatory of Filipino culture and tradition.

The above quoted paragraph was very poorly written and completely demeans an otherwise helpful attempt in identifying what is real Filipino cuisine.

Sandra5482 12:18, 7 October 2006 (UTC)

Probably ten or twenty years ago, it might be true that more people ate with their hands. But when dealing with soupy rice especially, it no longer is the case. It is part of Filipino tradition, naturally, but the variety of dishes that are eaten with hands is rapidly diminishing. As to demands for statistics, I think that this is an honest case of a person's word against another. A lot of Pinoys own a set of cheap cutlery and, even if they are not skillful in its use and prefer eating with hands, it is no longer seen as a sign of polish. Furthermore, the "normal circumstances" described here is about the way Pinoys eat with spoon and fork as opposed to eating with knife and fork in most places of the world, which is not shameful since the Italians and the Spanish also eat with spoon and fork.
So chill out. There was nothing demeaning or unhelpful in that snippet, but if you can rewrite it better, Wikipedia allows you to do so and we'll all be thankful. Gryphon Hall 03:58, 16 October 2006 (UTC)
I think the phrase "normal circumstances" is dangerous because there becomes an assumption that eating with spoon and fork is "not normal". And I also think that it is politically incorrect to argue that it is not shameful simply because the Spanish and the Italians do it as well. There is a sense of colonial mentality in that train of thought. Lastly, we are not sure if most of the places in the world actually do eat with knife and fork. The orient uses chopsticks and I'm pretty sure that there are other countries eating with spoon and fork as well.

Etherealcamzy 11:46, 14 November 2006 (UTC)


This article is so focused on Northern Philippines. Much of the world and even folks from Northern Philippines are not very educated about the complex and deep cultures of Southern Philippines. As a former Cagayanon I can hardly identify my heritage on these entries. It seemed written by an author who visited Luzon and then wrote an article as if it represents the entire Filipino cuisine. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 132.178.202.217 (talk) 21:11, 10 January 2007 (UTC).

Kamayan has long been the accepted traditional way of eating until it was realized that Filipinos eat more often with the spoon and fork. Quite a number of Philippine dishes cannot be eaten with fingers including sinigang, kare-kare, mechado, aftritada, kaldereta, and adobo (to name a few) due to the heavy content of broth or sauce.

It is not true that this practice is passe. Until now, even the upper classes eat with their hands during special out of town occassions such as fiesta, beach outings, out of town trips, and more.

I have lived in the Philippines since birth and I am puzzled as to how some practices here came about? I have never met a Filipino using his vegetable to scoop his rice nor one moistening his rice with broth as this makes it harder for the diner to use his hands. The traditional way, including the ones I have encountered since birth, is forming rice into a ball and shooting it into his mouth simultaneously taking a bite at dry dishes usually "inihaw" ... or vice-versa. Ventada de Manila 11:07, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Where Is The TUYO

Nevermind the first reaction I posted, because to summarize: this article was very poorly written. For the author, I would be very careful in using the term "popular" so loosely with limited sources. The dishes mentioned are all "restaurant examples" or "coffee-table book examples" and hardly truly portray or identify Filipino cuisine. Either that or some information are actually false. To quote some examples:

"Sinigang (tom yam-like dish)" --I suggest extra care in comparing one international dish to the next.

"Halo-halo (a cold mixed fruit dessert)"; "deep-fried ("pinirito")" --Extra care also in translation.

"When cooked rice is fried with garlic, it creates Sinangag." --And also in sentence construction.

"Kesong puti - is a firm white cheese made from Carabao's milk." --Kesong Puti is anything but "firm".

"empanada/empanaditas, which are meat pies bursting with minced pork, peas and sweet raisins" --Other regions/provinces may have variations of certain dishes.

"Further south, dishes are filled with the scents of Southeast Asia..." --This is purely a lame description of cuisine in the Southern Region. It is entirely inappropriate to simply summarize cuisine from the region while trying to represent Filipino cuisine as a whole by identifying dishes from smaller-by-comparison areas.

This article also fails to mention the nuances of traditional cuisine among regions and/or provinces. The fact that the Philippines is composed of thousands of islands should be taken into serious consideration, with each island/region/province having its own history of various foreign influences. On this note, I would also like to point out that there have been no mention of various dialects and languages of different regions/provinces which may result in various names for a single dish.

Rewrite the whole thing.

Sandra5482 12:45, 7 October 2006 (UTC)

You first. The article definitely needs polishing, but it's no use just criticizing. If you find something wrong, fix it. Gryphon Hall 04:01, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Added some information

Added some information, though I know a lot can still be done to clean it up.

[edit] Balut, Cordillera dog meat, Pinikpikan chicken

Should not these items be mentioned? -- Boracay Bill 02:20, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

Dog meat is mentioned in "unusual foods"

Cordillera dog meat? Dog meat is only a recent phenomenon in the Philippines. It's not just only in the Cordilleras nor more common in the Cordilleras, it is in the entire Philippines. It's bigoted and unfair to equate dog meat eating to the Cordilleran culture. In contrary to some articles on the net(especially those circulated by the animal rights activists), dog meat is NOT legal in Baguio. There are people who it dog meat in Baguio just as much as there are people who eat dog meat in other parts of the Philippines other than the Cordillera Region. Be careful in writing articles.
I believe that what this article says on this subject is accurate, but oversimplified. The level of detail provided is, IMHO, appropriate to the wider focus of this article. More detail regarding the eating of dog meat in the Philipines is available in the at the provided wikilink to dog meat. If you can provide cites backing up your assertion that the eating of dog meat is only a recent phenomenon in the Philippines and that unfair to equate dog meat eating to the Cordilleran culture, that should probably be added over there.
I don't really think that the process of Pinikpikan is actually a violation of animal rights. If it were, then it would have been banned. Plus, the footnote link provided did not direct to the animal rights code of the Philippines. It may look brutal to non-Igorots but I'm sure the Igorots have explanation to this process. It's like saying that some people who cook lechon baboy violate animal rights too when they put a live pig on a boiling pot of water! People should be extremely careful in writing articles. It may create false notions toward other ethnic groups, particularly the Indigenous peoples. Gryphon Hall, Are you the author? If you are, please don't be sensitive if you get criticisms. Just try to improve it, okay? There's always room for improvement. Constructive criticism may actually help. (this unsigned comment was entered 10:38, 8 January 2007 by 61.9.55.131)
As I read RA8485, the practice is banned. The References section provides a link to RA8485, and quotes it as saying "In all the above mentioned cases, including those of cattle, pigs, goats, sheep, poultry, rabbits, carabaos, horses, deer and crocodiles the killing of the animals shall be done through humane procedures at all times." I would not characterize the process of preparing Pinikpikan chicken as killing the chicken through a humane procedure. In a section not quoted, RA8485 goes on to say, "Sec. 8. Any person who violates any of the provisions of this Act shall, upon conviction by final judgment, be punished by imprisonment of not less than six (6) months nor more than two (2) years or a fine of not less than One thousand pesos (P1,000.00) nor more than Five thousand pesos (P5,000.00) or both at the discretion of the Court. If the violation is committed by a juridical person, the officer responsible therefor shall serve the imprisonment when imposed. If the violation is committed by an alien, he or she shall be immediately deported after service of sentence without any further proceedings." The prohibition seems clear, but enforcement is missing. -- Boracay Bill 04:00, 8 January 2007 (UTC)
(further comment) 61.9.55.131, you complained above that the References section link did not direct to the animal rights code of the Philippines. AFAICT, no document entitled "Animal Rights Code of the Philippines" exists. The link did direct to Republic Act No. 8485, the short title of which is "The Animal Welfare Act of 1998." Also, regarding the statement, "It's like saying that some people who cook lechon baboy violate animal rights too when they put a live pig on a boiling pot of water! ", I can't comment regarding as animal rights, but putting a live pig into boiling water certainly does sound to me like a violation of the Animal Welfare Act of 1998. -- Boracay Bill 04:29, 8 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Other food section seems to be unfitting and lacking focus

Well to me the "Other food" section of this article is not really surprising because every country does this. Chinese hosts their cuisines in the U.S. So called Chinese restaurants are found in the U.S. Same goes with Mexican Food, Italian Food... you guys get the point. Also, the Americans export McDonald to foreign countries. I think this section needs to either focus on indigenous cuisines from other tribes or foods not in the mainstream or of traditional style or it needs to be removed. Getonyourfeet 09:13, 23 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] 3 popular sentences

Problem #1 The following sentences claim bias but do not attribute it.

Cebu is popular for Lechon, sweets (like dried mangoes), mango, and caramel tarts.[citation needed]

Iloilo is popular for La Paz batchoy, pancit molo, dinuguan, puto, and biscocho. [citation needed]

Bulacan is popular for chicharon (pork rinds) and pastries like puto, kutsinta, and many more...[citation needed]

Wikipedia's WP:NPOV policy states:

Attributing and substantiating biased statements

Sometimes, a potentially biased statement can be reframed into an NPOV statement by attributing or substantiating it.

For instance, "John Doe is the best baseball player" is, by itself, merely an expression of opinion. One way to make it suitable for Wikipedia is to change it into a statement about someone whose opinion it is: "John Doe's baseball skills have been praised by baseball insiders such as Al Kaline and Joe Torre," as long as those statements are correct and can be verified. The goal here is to attribute the opinion to some subject-matter expert, rather than to merely state it as true.

The article is passing this off as fact and needs to justify claims with some verifiability in order to make it acceptable for Wikipedia.

Problem #2 Also, using the same example sentences with focus on this proposition "P is popular for Q" form of this statement is not surprising. Did you mean popular flavor? Or popular style? Or popular appearance? What exactly? Getonyourfeet 18:49, 23 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Keeping Context

I feel that some of the words should remain Filipino not so far as to water it down to English or another language like Spanish with similar spelling. Remember if someone is interested in buying Filipino food, they are likely going to encounter Filipino dish names. They are likely to encounter Kare-kare rather than oxtail soup.Getonyourfeet 03:43, 11 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Sorbetes vs. "Dirty Ice Cream"

A recent edit to Sorbetes in the the Desserts and Snacks subsection caused me to look at this, and I think it needs some work.

  • This subsection describes a sorbet as "similar to ice cream but made primarily with coconut milk instead of a dairy products".
  • The Sorbet article says that a sorbet is a frozen dessert made from sweetened water flavored with iced fruit (typically juice or puree), chocolate, wine, and/or liqueur.
  • this source describes Filipino Dirty Ice Cream of various types, one of which is vanilla ice cream with chunks of cheese in it.
  • this article on the DOST website describes three formulations for Dirty Ice Cream.
    • butterfat, skim milk powder and Cremodan, a commercial brand of emulsifier-stabilizer - described as "the ideal commercial combination".
    • coconut cream, skim milk, and cassava starch - said to be the composition of the ubiquitous "dirty ice cream."
    • coconut cream, skim milk, cassava starch and Cremodan formulation - called "Pinoy ice cream" and said to cut cost and have the advantages of both ingredients

I note in passing that, according to my Tagalog-English dictionary, sorbetes is ice-cream and a sorbetero is an ice-cream vendor. -- Boracay Bill 02:57, 2 December 2007 (UTC)