Food of our ancestors (Sabong News)
Author
MB Lifestyle
Date
MARCH 11 2022
In partnership with the Universidad de Dagupan’s School of International Hospitality Management, the Mama Sita Foundation has completed its three-day webinar series. With the focus of the series on the indigenous origins of Filipino food, participants were able to partake of the first recorded exchanges of food with the Europeans, as well as learn about how our neighbor’s tastes and ingredients influenced the dishes we know today.
Hosted by Grid lifestyle and culture writer Patricia Villoria, the session’s first day was highlighted by the different accounts of European travelers and their interactions with indigenous Filipinos. Food historian Felice Sta. Maria’s Pigafetta’s Picnic video described how native Filipinos offered food and drinks to the famished sailors. Dr. Pia Arboleda, director at the Center of Philippine Studies at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, shared that adobo, despite having a name of Spanish origin, is inherently Filipino. With our use of vinegars as a method to preserve meats, indigenous Filipinos were able to extend the life of their food, long before the adobo we now know in its current form.
Day 2 introduced the many influences of our neighbors on staple Filipino food. Paolo Paculan, a consultant at the Mama Sita Foundation, introduced the Vietnamese, Malaysian, and Korean counterparts of different Filipino dishes, like bibingka, puto, and palitaw. Meranäw Culture advocate Sittie Pasandalan also talked about how these neighbors influenced Meranaw food that we eat today. Chinese-Filipino culture advocate Meah Ang See talked about how intertwined Chinese culture is with Filipino’s, especially when it came to food. Chef Giney Villar shared her knowledge on how the Spanish introduced different words, concepts, and even eating habits to Filipinos.
The last day saw different cooking demonstrations, including Chef Vicky Pacheco’s seafood sinigang and Nina Puyat’s pancit palabok cooked two ways. The Universidad de Dagupan also showcased the process of smoked bangus, and live demonstrated making gourmet smoked bangus and balonglong gourmet shells. The participants themselves talked about their takeaways from the event, and what they planned on sharing with their friends and family.
Ending on a high note, the participants of the seminar chanted, “Ipagdiriwang ko ang mga pagkaing Pilipino,” assuring everyone that to be able to share the pleasures and treasures of Filipino food with the rest of the world, we must first show appreciation for it ourselves.
