Sour Notes

Filipino Cuisine Boasts a Wide Array of Fermented Dishes That Define Our Food Culture

- Bea Misa-Crisostomo

One of early man’s greatest discoveries—right up there with discovering fire—are the byproducts that microbes create. Fruit, honey, and grains get spontaneously converted into alcohols and acids, while animal and plant proteins turn into amino acids and peptides. The resulting stuff, when edible, usually had increased levels of protein, vitamins, and essential amino acids. People eventually developed a liking for the hallmark flavors of fermentation—savoriness, booziness, and sourness. In time, these byproducts became part of our culinary culture and had an impact on commerce.

Because our muggy equatorial existence lends itself to bacterial cacophony, fermentation on our tropical islands remains relatively basic (and mostly spontaneous), giving the Filipino regular access to vinegar, fish slurry, shrimp paste, palm wine, and many other pungent pleasures.

SAVORINESS

In our urban world of bouillons and bacon-on-demand, it might be difficult to understand the important role that savory, shelf-stable, ready-to-eat food and condiments play in pre-industrial or non refrigerated societies. They served as backbones for many beloved recipes, easily enriching broths or guisados due to their solubility. Just as importantly, they became, without additional preparation, integral parts of simple spreads around the country—flavorful side dishes that often stood as the main protein of the Filipino rural meal. This was especially invaluable to a people who consider a meal a meal so long as it has rice and something savory.