This paper provides an overview of Philippine culture across three interconnected dimensions: historical development, physical geography, and traditional cuisine. It traces the Philippines from its origins as loosely organized island tribes through Spanish colonization and American administration to independence after World War II. The paper describes the archipelago's geographic features, including its volcanic Ring of Fire setting, rich biodiversity, and susceptibility to natural disasters. It then surveys traditional Filipino foods, examining the blending of indigenous Austronesian cooking with Chinese, Taiwanese, and Spanish culinary influences, covering everyday staples, regional dishes, and the variety of meals eaten throughout the day.
The Philippines existed as a loose collection of island tribes until the nation was settled by the Spanish in the 16th century following Magellan's arrival. For 300 years, the Philippines was part of the Spanish Empire — indeed, its name honors Spain's Philip II, who reigned during Villalobos's exploration of the islands in the mid-16th century. The United States became involved in the Philippines during the Spanish-American War, and their presence there prompted the Philippine-American War (Constantino, 1975). The U.S. maintained control of the islands until after World War II, when the Philippines became independent.
The geography of the Philippines consists of a vast archipelago of more than 7,000 islands. In all, the islands encompass 115,000 square miles of land, with about a third of that land mass being coastal (CIA, 2009). The islands sit on the famous Ring of Fire, a string of volcanoes in the Pacific, and for this reason the Philippines is home to several active volcanoes. This also means that the Philippines has rich mineral deposits, including gold, copper, nickel, and other precious metals and minerals. Its wildlife is very diverse, with hundreds of exotic species not found anywhere else in the world. Being situated in the tropics of Southeast Asia also means that the Philippines is susceptible to typhoons, monsoons, and tsunamis.
The main traditional food dishes in Philippine culture reflect both indigenous and Spanish-influenced origins. Prior to Spanish settlement in the 16th century, the islanders enjoyed typical Austronesian cuisine, which featured common cooking methods of roasting, steaming, and boiling livestock — chicken, cows, pigs, fish, and other seafood. This style was further influenced by Chinese and Taiwanese peoples who settled on the islands and introduced rice. Some common traditional indigenous foods in the Philippines are lumpia (a Chinese-style spring roll), longganisa (Philippine sausage), pancit (noodles), and bibingka (sweet cake). Rice is a Filipino staple and is served with a variety of meats, fish, and vegetables in various sauces, such as peanut and coconut.
A traditional Filipino breakfast might include pandesal (bread), kesong puti (cheese), sinangag (fried rice), meat or fish, champorado (chocolate rice porridge), or tuyo (dried fish). The afternoon meal is called merienda in the Philippines — a term derived from Spanish — and consists of a light snack similar to European tea service. At this time, Filipinos might eat puto (rice flour cakes) or palabok (rice noodles in a shrimp sauce).
Finger foods are especially popular in traditional Philippine cuisine and are called pulutan, which literally means "to pick up." Sisig is a traditional pulutan consisting of boiled pig skin that is grilled, chopped, and cooked with onions and spices (Martin, 2016). There are also many Spanish-inspired pastries traditional to the Philippines, such as ensaymada, leche flan, and empanadas.
Main dishes include mechado, kaldereta, and afritada, which are all inspired by the Spanish and are tomato sauce-based, in which a meat is stewed with onions, garlic, and spices. Mechado uses pork; kaldereta uses beef or goat; and afritada can be made with chicken or pork. The meals are hearty, though there are also a variety of soups as well as side dishes such as rice porridges. The Spanish-inspired rice dish arroz a la valenciana is another traditional meal served throughout the Philippines (Ku, 2013). Beyond these widely shared dishes, there are also many regional traditional meals customary to the local islands throughout the archipelago, meaning there is a great deal of variety to be found across the different regions of the Philippines.
Constantino, R. (1975). The Philippines: A past revisited. Quezon: Tala.
CIA. (2009). Coastline. Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2060.html
"Tomato-based stews, rice dishes, regional variety"
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