Filipino cuisine is steadily gaining popularity around the world for its spice-packed flavorful dishes. Over thousands of years, other countries’ occupation in the Philippines have influenced the Filipino food we know today. Filipino cuisine is constantly growing and changing –– from the their first encounter with the Chinese, who introduced the small group of islands in the Pacific to rice, soy sauce, and the egg roll (aka future lumpia), siu mai (hello pockets!) to their interaction with the Spanish, who introduced cutlery, tomatoes and cattle-raising, and the Americans who brought canned meats. While the cuisine is always evolving, traditional Filipino culture and cooking are still represented in each dish, some even with a hint of peaceful resistance.