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Vinegar in Cuisine
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Why is vinegar everywhere in the Philippines?
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Why is vinegar everywhere in the Philippines?
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Sourness is the main flavor that distinguishes us from other Asian cuisines. –Amy Besa, Filipino Cookbook Author and Restaurateur[1] Indeed, Filipinos, rich or poor, have a fondness for sour food: from green mangoes as an afternoon snack, Sinigang as the all-time favorite soup, to the staple Filipino dish, Adobo. Besides, dipping sauces (sawsawan) are an integral part of Filipino cuisine. You'll rarely find a Filipino dish without a dipping sauce partner. It's no wonder vinegar is found pretty much everywhere in the Philippines. Dating back from the Spanish colonial period, the Philippines has an abundance of agricultural produce that makes it easy to concoct different types of vinegar. Coconut, sugar cane, and nipa palm are some of the base ingredients, of which their fermented vinegar counterparts vary in degree of sourness. Among these, sugar cane vinegar is one of the milder ones and is the most common in the kitchen. If you travel the Philippines from the northernmost part to the south end you'll find that there are so many different ways Filipinos make their vinegar, their dishes with vinegar as a condiment, and their dipping sauces by combining the regional concoction with other ingredients like chili, garlic, onion, and calamansi (small citrus fruit that is common in the Philippines), among others. Every region has a different kind of sourness to offer; their own blend showcases their uniqueness and versatility. As a Filipino, it is so delightful to find common dishes in another province that taste pleasantly different. Case in point: Kinilaw, a dish similar to seviche, wherein raw seafood is cooked by using only vinegar without heating, possibly has over 50 different kinds. Footnotes[1] Power of Sour in Manila
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A2A why is vinegar everywhere in the Philippines? The Philippines grows rice, coconuts, corn and sugar cane, for the sustenance of its farming families and much needed foreign trade. Thus all these coconut trees and crops seen from the northern most tip of Luzon island to the southern most tip of Mindanao and all throughout the archipelago are good sources of vinegar. As a consequence, vinegar has become a major ingredient in Filipino cuisine particularly adobo and paksiw. Local vinegar is also used for Greens salads though imported balsamic vinegar is getting to be more widely used. Vinegar spiced with soy sauce, red and green chili pepper garlic and onions, is also popular as dips for many types of appetizers (deep fried fish balls, squid balls etc) and finger foods like pork skin and kropeck, washed down with ice cold beer and other alcoholic beverages.