Asian Vegetarian Cooking

Lesson 1: THE PHILIPPINES

Introduction

The Philippines consist of over 7100 volcanic islands in the longest discontinuous coastline in the world, stretching from south of Taiwan and east of Vietnam to the north of Indonesia. The largest island is Luzon, home to the national capital of Manila. It is a tropical country, filled with coconut palms and lush rice paddies. It is also a country that other peoples have coveted for centuries. The location of the Philippines made it a convenient refueling and resting stop for everyone heading to or from the vast expanse of China.

A 300-year long Spanish occupation that began in the sixteenth century combined with a great deal of Chinese immigration to produce a people who are a Malay-Spanish-Chinese mix. The Spanish conquest of the Americas in the 1500s and the American conquest of the Philippines in 1898 brought additional culinary influences.

In this lesson, students will learn the history of Filipino foods and prepare several signature Filipino dishes. No books are required. If you wish to prepare the recipes, many ingredients can be found at your local supermarket. A research trip to a local Asian market is recommended. Recipes are included for people who wish to sample Filipino foods and for more adventurous folks who like to try new ingredients.

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