History of the Philippines & its Food: A Timeline
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 and kitchen appliances. 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.
“What I have found, which really shocked me, was that during the time Legaspi and his small group of men were in the Visayas, the Filipinos in the Cebu area decided they just were not going to plant rice, hoping that they could starve away these invaders. Even if that meant that they have to sacrifice, they just wanted to find ways to peacefully get rid of these people. So they said, ‘Let’s starve them!’ But unfortunately, the Spanish were able to buy rice because there was a very active trade of rice in the inter-island Southeast Asia region. And so they were able to derive.”
Our timeline offers a brief look at the history of the Philippines and how wars, political events and cultural mingling continue to influence Filipino cooking and flavors. We sourced the information from all over the internet, and may have left some holes in our timeline. If you find that to be the case, please do let us know! We are happy to add or edit any data points to make this a more accurate and holistic representation of history of the Philippines.
For more in-depth information on Filipino food culture, dive into Nastasha Alli’s website and podcast, Exploring Filipino Kitchens. Alli’s podcast references her experiences with Filipino food history while also drawing on the expertise of writers such as Felice Prudente Sta. Maria, author of The Governor General’s Kitchen, a written history of Filipino food.
“The more people there are who’re interested in Philippine food, the more chefs there are that cook it – whether in an old fashion or a very contemporary way – the more desire there is for the original Philippine product. Once that happens, if that product can meet its market, then again, the ones who are raising the trees and the herbs and the raw sources – for these materials – will now be able to earn.”
HISTORY OF THE PHILIPPINES & ITS FOOD:
A TIMELINE
The Philippines
A history of the food
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The earliest evidence of rice in the Philippines was found in the Cagayan Valley. Rice was brought to the Philippines during an Indo-Malaysia, Chinese, and Vietnamese wave of migration.
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The Chinese were the first to trade with the Philippines, which they called Mal at the time. China introduced the Philippines to soy sauce, fish sauce, and the method of stir frying. This led to the birth of many Filipino-Chinese dishes such as pansit, lumpia, siopao, and siu mai.
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The Philippines began trading with India, Thailand, and Japan. This led to the creation of many new Filipino dishes with spices and flavors from around the world.
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Spanish explorer Roy López de Villalobos renamed the islands Felipinas (Philippines) after King Philip II, who was prince at the time.
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The Spanish introduced Filipinos, who previously ate with their hands and banana leaves, to cutlery. They also brought Christmas feast traditions such as relleno, which is the process of stuffing a turkey or chicken, rice-meat dishes such as paella and stews to the Philippines.
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The Philippine Revolution, directed against Spain, took place. This influenced the nationalist movements of other Asian countries including China, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
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The Philippines was ceded to the United States by Spain, along with Puerto Rico and Guam, following the Spanish-American War.
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A guerrilla war between the Filipinos and Americans broke out after the Treaty of Paris ended the Spanish-American War and Americans tried to take over. This lasted for three years until President Aguinaldo was captured and William H. Taft was appointed governorship. The war resulted in the death of at least 200,000 Filipino civilians, mostly due to famine and disease (some estimates reach up to 1,000,000). U.S. colonization changed the cultural landscape of the islands, which led introduction of the English language in the islands as the primary language of industry, education and government.
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Many restaurants were established in the Philippines serving Chinese food with Spanish names, a result of both the Chinese and Spanish governorships throughout history.
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The turo-turo and carinderia, both styles of filipino restaurants, became popular both in and out of the Philippines, that served "cheap, filling dishes" that were popular among locals. Outside of the Philippines, served as a community center and a reminder of home from aspects of food, popular culture, and community events.
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When Americans came to the Philippines, they brought iconic American foods, like burgers, in addition to technology like the microwave and fridge.
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The Tydings-McDuffie Act established the U.S. Commonwealth of the Philippines and promised the country its independence in 1946.
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In 1946, the Republic of the Philippines was established as the country gained its independence from the U.S. because of the 1934 Tydings-McDuffie Act.
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The U.S. Army introduced the concept of a boodle fight to the Philippines, which is a militaristic style of eating where all the food is spread out on a table covered with banana leaves and eaters stand shoulder-to-shoulder to stuff their faces as fast as they could. Older generations associate the boodle fight with the violence that came with American militarization. However, current generations see the boodle fight as a celebration of Filipino culture, introducing expat Filipinos and others to Filipino food.
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Home Economic classes were introduced into Filipino schools by Americans, and the textbook, Housekeeping: A Textbook Guide for Girl in the Public Intermediate Schools of the Philippines taught how utensils should be used. Filipinos pulled a honey badger and continued to use utensils the way they wanted.
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Known as "the revolution that surprised the world," the Yellow Revolution, part of the People Power revolution was marked by demonstrators wearing yellow ribbons to mark and honor the death of Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr., who was an active voice against President Ferdinand Marcos.
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When Ferdinand Marcos won the rigged presidential election, the People Power Revolution began, mostly in Manila demonstrating against political violence and election fraud.
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After years of rebellion, a new president and constitution were accepted following the People Power Revolution, which restored democracy to the Philippines.
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Filipino-American chef Tom Cunanan's restaurant in Washington D.C., Bad Saint, was named second best new restaurant in America by Bon Appetit.
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Anthony Bourdain predicts the explosion of Filipino food in the US, comparing it to the popularity Korean food gained in the last decade."I think Filipinos embraced America and were embraced by America in a way that other cultures might not have been," said Bourdain. "I think Filipinos in America maybe underrated their own food. They used to be mocked for balut." "A lot of traditional Filipino food has sour and bitter notes, which are very unfamiliar to American palates of a few years ago. American palates have changed drastically," he added. "I think there's a really bright future."
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