french recipes

History

When restaurants were established in the 19th century, Chinese food became a staple of the pansiterias, with the food given Spanish names. The "comida China" (Chinese food) includes arroz caldo (rice and chicken gruel), and morisqueta tostada (fried rice). When the Spaniards came, the food influences they brought were from both Spain and Mexico, as it was through the vice-royalty of Mexico that the Philippines were governed.

Filipino foods also find their influence/origins in French, Italian, Middle Eastern, Japanese, Thai and Vietnamese cuisines. Culinary procedures from China, Spain, Mexico and United States integrated into cuisine practices as well. ^[1]

Influences

Spanish

Spain ruled the Philippines for almost 400 years, and thus food historians claim that 80% of Philippine dishes are of Spanish origin. Because the Spaniards consisted of the elite, dishes acquired by upper-class Filipinos were also Spanish-inspired. Many of the party and fiesta dishes and those served for special occasions bear names like relleno, morcon, paella, callos, embutido, and caldereta. ^[2]

Chinese

The first set of foreign influences on Filipino cuisine came from Chinese traders who ultimately settled there. They introduced stir-frying and deep frying. Noodle dishes (bihon, miki, sotanghon, mami, lomi, miswa) which go by the general name of pancit and soy products became "indispensable to the food vocabulary'. ^[3] Noodle restaurants are called panciterias a term that usually refers to a Chinese eatery, and is an example of a blending of influences from two cultures.

Western

Before outside influences, Filipinos used their hands to eat, but with western influences and the introduction of eating utensils such as knives, forks and spoons, they have adapted their ways. The fork and spoon are the two main utensils of choice, with the spoon used as a knife to tear food into smaller bits. ^[4]

French

French dishes and cooking styles came into the country through Filipinos living and traveling abroad, Filipinas studying in European cooking schools, Frenchmen/women marrying and/or living in the Philippines, and more recently French restaurants, menus and chefs, books on cooking and wine. ^[5]

Living and traveling

Filipinos traveled to Europe in 1890, to attend the Paris Exposition, and in 1899 there lived "a group of respectable Filipinos composed in the majority of those who emigrated from the Philippines to escape the persecutions brought about by the revolution against Spain in 1896." ^[6]

Chefs and cookbooks

• Martin Tinio, Jr., spoke of recipes that he or his family prepared for holidays and other special occasions, and which his parents or he himself had first encountered in France.

• Each recipe, by Mariano A. Henson of Pampanga, "gives exact measurements, the price for each condiment, the total price for each dish, and the date when he tested it. Among the French recipes he obviously cooked and served his family are: Salmon au Gratin, Chuletas a la Papillote, Bouillavaise [sic] de Marsella, Oysters a la D'Uxelles, Mechadong solomillio a la Francesa, Fish au Beurre, and Glorified Fondue" in one of his 30 cookbooks: Cusinang Capampangan, patina ding linutu nang ibat caring Americano, Castila, Frances, Intsic, Italiano, Polaco, Turco at aliwa pa, nahun qng paglasa nang sarili; Pampango, (1968).

Lifestyle

Evidence of the French-influenced lifestyle can be seen in a magnificent set of S鋦res tableware. All plates and glasses were monogrammed, complete with large platters for pi鋃es mont嶪s and carafes for wine, gift of the Grand Duke Alexis of Russia -- and a set before that. ^[7]

Examples of dishes, pastries, and others

• Pansit
• Hopya (hopia)
• Syopaw (siopao)
• Kwapaw (cuapao)
• Mami (bami, invented by Ma Mon Luk)

Notes

1. ^ Doreen Fernandez (Last accessed 05-22-06). What is Filipino Food?.
2. ^ Spanish Influence on Filipino Food (Last accessed 05-22-06).
3. ^ Nancy Freeman (Last accessed 05-22-06). Philippines.
4. ^ Filipino Food (Last accessed 05-22-06).
5. ^ Doreen Fernandez (Last accessed 05-22-06). French Influence on Filipino Cuisine.
6. ^ Felix Roxas (1970). The World of Felix Roxas.
7. ^ Gene Gonzalez (1993). Cocina Sulipe鎙.