The Delicious Variety of Filipino Food

Filipino food is on the rise here in the States.It's no wonder.It's a cuisine full of rich flavors and tastes, from a milky sweetness to a mouth puckering sour.No wonder the cuisine is popular.It' 's full of exciting flavors melded together to create a  memorable taste.

Ligaya Mishan,  who normally writes the New York Times Food section's restaurant reviews, wrote this interesting article about the cuisine. Thanks to the influx of immigrants from this archipelago of seven thousand islands, Filipino foods are fast becoming part of the American culinary landscape.The cuisine is different from its' south Asian neighbors.Where their dishes are fiery , sparked with chilis, Filipino recipes are varying degrees of sour.Vinegar is a main ingredient  in many, used for centuries as a type of preservative. Since the islands are tropical, meats spoil easily, Vinegar is a way to keep them .One of their most ancient of dishes, kinilaw, possibly the precursor to seviche, is fish soaked in suka, extracted from sugar cane or sap from coconut trees or nipa palms. Another Filipino staple, daing na bangus which is milkfish, a tuna like fish, deboned. splayed and then soaked in vinegar.overnight. It's then crisped in a pan for a crunchy outside however the inside can be eaten with a spoon,thanks to the vinegar soaking.Even their version of spring rolls, or lumpia are dipped in a garlic laced dip called savsavan.

Adobe is the second flavor that define Filipino cuisine.Its' method of making and ingredients predate the Spanish name for it. At its' base it's meat being braised in vinegar and garlic for a long time. Other ingredients are added and that's when the  recipe varies.some put in a dash of soy sauce while others stir in achuete oil - made from annatto ,a peppery kind of nut. Some adobo recipes have coconut milk, sugar and even squid ink added. Every family has their own unique recipe.Funny enough it's not the national dish, despite its' popularity. That would be sinigang, a soup, according to Doreen Fernandez, born in the capital city of Manila and a food historian.. The first taste is usually so incredibly sour that it induces a shudder. The souring agent can vary according to where you are in the Philippines. Most use tamarind, a sweet -tart fruit that's usually made into a syrup to be mixed with water.It could also be guava alibangbang leaves - a type of orchid, the fruit of the sorrel tree kamia along with batuan similar to the mangosteen or unripe pineapple. Filipinos balance it out with kare-kare,  taken from Indian cooks who came with the Royal Navy.,a nutty-sweet stew of oxtail,bok choy, string beans and eggplant simmered in ground peanuts and achuete oil according to Nicole Ponseca who runs the Filipino restaurants, Malika and Jeepney in New York.

Filipino food is an interesting mix reflective of the many islands that make up the country. It can be eye opening and adventurous but definitely chock full of flavor. It's like no other South Asian cuisine.

Food Trends For The New Year

We all want 2016 to end.Foodwise, it was an OK year.Cheetohs may have made a comeback , thanks to a certain presidential candidate but that's it.What trends will bloom in the new year?

The New York Times Food section wondered this too in today's issue.Kim Severson, a regular contributor, wrote about trends of past years.1997 brought us the exotic wrap, now a staple of delis and luncheon platters every where.2006 brought us the uboquituous olive bar that is a supermarket must
2002 ushered in bubble teas while we have 2008 to thank for the rebirth of kale.Macaroons and whoopie pies were the it girls of 2011.


Trends used to take two to three months to percolate back in the late Nineties.Social media now can birth a trend and grow it overnight. Every December food wonks and PR firms throw out foods and see if they stick. 2017 is promising to see an interest in such diverse cuisines as French and Filipino. Natural grains such teff and sorghum may be in every baked good from cupcakes to breads. Egg yolks ,long under fire for being bad for you, is now going to be a top ingredient.Not surprisingly, hemp is also going to be hot.

What else will be the most trendiest food this year?It could come from any foodie. It could be hemp crepes or a Filipino egg dish. Any guess is a good one.

Hudson County Jersey's Foodie Paradise

Everyone  thinks of Manhattan as the culinary capital of the world. That may be so in some eyes however there's another foodie paradise just across the Hudson - appropriately in Hudson County. This Garden State county is chock full of interesting and well known eateries. It's a gamut of different tastes and flavors for any one.

New Jersey's most metropolitan area was the subject of an article in today's New York Times Dining section. The  piece, written by former Hudson County resident, Helene Stapinski, explores  the various cities like Jersey City, Hoboken and Union City and the culinary gifts they have to offer. Of course, Hoboken is the best with over three hundred restaurants , thanks to the town being a yuppie paradise.  However the most famous is the Biggie's Clam Bar that feature's the earthy  littleneck clams.It started as a simple pushcart in the 1940s and grew into a restaurant famous for it's clam cakes and those littenecks.There is also the Italian influence there too (after all Hoboken is the birthplace of Frank Sinatra) which is shown in Fiore's Deli, home of the creamiest mozzarella and Piccolo's ,a classic .

Jersey City and Union City also have excellent restaurant and both cities cater to the groups who live there. There are the standard Southern Italian restaurants Puccini's and Laico's. Both have dishes that outshine any  of their counterparts across the river. There is also a big Filipino population and there are some good Filipino restaurants such as the Fiesta Grill. It  features such traditional dishes as chopped milk fish with red onions and chilies. Union City also has very good eateries. One is Mi Banderas, reflecting the town's majority of Central and South Americans,. Here you can get heavenly chicarones, nuggets of fried pork skin and tostones, plantains stuffed with tiny shrimp.It's also known for its churrasco steak which comes with heaping sides of yuca along with rice and beans. Dessert is lush tres leches cake.

Forget Manhattan. Try the culinary treasures right across the river in Hudson County. There's the new and traditional but all four star worthy.Every restaurant is a true treat.