Yuankai Ge (Kyle)Prof. GoadHTM 29102September 23, 2018Cultural PaperSection 1: Geography and Culture – The Philippines is a place worth exploring because its unique location has created many unique environments and influenced the growth of many creatures. In this way, the food in the Philippines will certainly be very rich. The Republic of the Philippines is in the western Pacific and composed of the Philippine Islands. The northernmost island group of the Malay Islands is located in the southeastern part of the Asian continent, separate from the South China Sea.
The Philippines has a total area of approximately 300,000 square kilometers (approximately 115,830 square miles). The total area is about 298,170 is the land area, and the remaining 1,830 is the total water area. The capital and largest city of the Philippines in Manila. The Philippine island group extends 1,850 km (1,150 miles) from north to south and is 1,127 km (700 miles) long from east to west. The volcano originated in the mountains. These mountains are parallel to the coast and border them in many places, extending from north to south.
There are about 20 active volcanoes on the island, and the earthquake is quite common. This is indeed a more difficult place. All in all, the overall impression of the geography of the entire country is sleeping, volcanoes, earthquakes for me.
Such a complex natural environment must also have a rich variety of food (Hamlett, C). Due to its geographical location, the Philippines is a monsoon rainforest climate between the equator and the Tropic of Cancer. High temperature and rain are the biggest features. The entire island is divided into the dry season from November to April and the rainy season from May to October. The coastline of the entire country is often accompanied by the emergence of typhoons. Filipinos’ ancestors were immigrants from the Asian continent, and the Philippines now has a population of 66.5 million. The ethnic group is mainly Malay, accounting for more than 85 percent of the population, including Tagalog, I locos, Bang ban, and Pisa.
There are also Indonesians, Chinese, Indians, Americans and so on. Most of the residents believe in Catholicism. General English.
The official languages are English and Filipino. The three most influential and traditional feasts, festivals or holidays in the Philippines are Ati-Atihan, Festival of the Black Nazarene and Panagbenga Flower Festival. Ati-Atihan is a signature festival in the Philippines it was the craziest event will be held in this country during the third week of January. There is a massive parade where bright costumed revelers with their skin painted black. For the Festival of the Black Nazarene, “Panagbenga Festival is held every year in Baguio City in February. Participants in colorful costumes are reminiscent of highland flowers and tribes and celebrate the growing season of the parade and local dance” (Philippines Holidays…).
The traditional festival is called Panagbenga Flower Festival and it usually will be celebrated in February. During this feast, people dress in colorful costumes with native dancing and the vehicles are decorated with fresh flowers in the line of the parade.Section 2: Fruits and Vegetables – Mango is the most the country’s most important representative in the Philippines, it is not only a tropical fruit is one of the most healthy and delicious fruits, and there is a lot of mangoes exported to countries around the world. Because of its geographical factor, mango varieties produced by different regions are different in the Philippines.
But different parts of the mango have enough sunshine time so all of them are high sweetness with good smell and will not have a bitter taste. Another popular fruit is called Rambutan, Rambutan is very easy to identify because of its surface with short hair and red bright color. It looks like a hedgehog on the outside. It is a very common fruit in the Philippines, this kind of fruit is smaller, and not bigger than eggs, send out a soft sweet smelling. Rambutan is a kind of delicious fruit, also brings health benefits. People in the Philippines are fortunate enough to live in a tropical country full of fresh fruits and vegetables. And these crops can be easily grown in home gardens, are also very cheap on the market, and they have many benefits for human health. The most two common vegetables are avocado and sweet potato.
Sweet Potatoes are very popular in the Philippines. The locals call the sweet potato Kamote, and its leaves and roots are edible. It contains a lot of trace elements to protect the normal repair of various organs of the body.
There is a recent research about the production of sweet potatoes during the second quarter of 2018: “the production of sweet potatoes dropped to 153.99 thousand metric tons from 158.82 thousand metric tons in 2017 or by 3.0 percent. Among the factors that caused the decline were the following:1.smaller tubers harvested in the Bicol Region and in Caraga due to hot weather condition/insufficient water supply during tuber formation; and2.
lesser and smaller tubers harvested in Eastern Visayas due to the effect of weevil and continuous rains during tuber formation”?Major Vegetables…?. There are another very popular vegetables in the Philippines called avocado. There are two different types of avocado, namely green and purple those two types.
In other countries, especially in the United States, green fruit varieties are preferred. However, in the Philippines, purple fruit varieties are the first choice for consumers. “Avocados have a high monounsaturated fat content, which helps reduce bad cholesterol and reduces the risk of stroke and heart disease. This is also a source of high potassium that can help prevent some cancer” (Avocado Production…).The most common starch was found in a typical family in the Philippines is in the kitchen?corn starches and rice starches.
Cornstarch will be sort of gritty if people crumble it. If people enjoy baking and they would like to keep some baking kinds of stuff in the Philippines. It is a gluten-free product because cornstarch is made from corn and only contains carbohydrates. Another common starch is rice starches: rice starch is characterized by very small particles that are much smaller than other cereals. Its particle size is associated with fat globules. They can, therefore, be used as a natural fat substitute to simulate a fat. The smaller the rice starch granules makes it a natural choice for challenging colors that can be used with paint, instead of artificial color paints (Rice Starches).
Section 3: Proteins – The most more common dishes in the Philippines are chicken, pork, fish and seafood. In Philippines pork is the most produced meat, followed by chicken and beef. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a Filipino consumes about 14.2 kg of pork, two kg more than the world’s average pork consumption. Next, to pork, the average Filipino consumes about 3 kg of beef or veal. However, the population for pork consumption is greater than pork consumption. The cattle were brought to the Philippines from Mexico and became a fairly popular choice for families who want to improve their animals.
It became the most popular meat after pork (Tomacruz, S). The Philippine poultry industry, including chickens and ducks, faces important challenges. Taking chicken as an example, the chicken industry has different structural characteristics in the Philippines. One of them comes from the commercial sector, which is characterized by a large-scale, automated production system.
On the other hand, it is made up of many small farmers, private farming models, mainly used for their own consumption. However, these management methods are relatively difficult, and the sanitary conditions will be relatively poor (Oluwayelu, D ).Seafood is a mainstream trend in Philippine cuisine. This country is surrounded by the sea and has a wealth of seafood resources. The Philippines has always been rich in fish resources because of its location, and fishing has always been an important lifestyle for Filipinos.
This is why Filipinos like seafood and you should also taste Filipino seafood. Dilis is a kind of Anchovy. It is very popular in the Philippines market, especially its quality very affordable and very small. They in the country almost all the coral reefs are common in the shallow reef. This type of fish on the public market or the supermarket are sold, and usually priced at Philippine Peso (PHP) 40 per 1/2 kilo and in supermarkets.
Furthermore, another popular salt water fish is Small toothed Jobfish, and locals called Bisugo. Fishman are easily to catch this kind of fish in the India and the western Pacific Ocean. The size of this fish is also differently. However, Bisugo relatively popular in the Philippines market, because they are versatile in many dishes.
The market reference price is PHP 90 per kilo( Primer Media Inc.). In the Philippines, you can meet the most abundant and freshest seafood, because many fish can only be found here.Section 4: Cooking, Flavoring ; Traditional Dishes – The Philippines food is basically a variety of styles. Their traditional food originally from Malaysia, China and Spain cuisines and has a little influence of India and the United States. Cooking methods are cooking in the Philippines, mainly including boil (nilaga), barbecue (ihaw), roast (lechon) and steam (halabos). The four kinds of the Philippines is the foundation of the Philippines cooking methods. Many Filipinos like most typical Nilaga or boiled dishes are bulalo.
It consists of leg bone and cartilage from, the boiling of meat and cabbage. Ihaw or barbecue is cooking fish, chicken and meat. It is a common way for preparation.
Its directly hot cooking with charcoal. In addition, Adobo not only is the name of this dish, it is a popular way of cooking. Adobo means with garlic, soy sauce, vinegar and cooking oil. There are many different types of the Philippines Adobo. It has chicken, pork, and squid liver. But Adobo also just simply cooking oil and garlic, is a very local cuisine (Filipino Cooking…).The cuisine of the Philippines is the most distinctive in the world and has a unique secret like other cuisines.
The two most common ingredients are ginger and pepper. In the Philippines, the role of ginger is most commonly used in soups and stews; it is especially suitable for chicken and fish dishes, in sharp contrast to the intense meat flavor. This will remove some of the astringency, and the ginger has a cold effect. In winter, people can feel warm in their stomachs. Peppers, the Philippines is not as spicy as Thailand, but every Philippine dish can be added to peppers, from rich meats to everyday soups and noodles. Also, in order to prepare some unique dips, the sauce is often mixed with crushed peppers and used as a dip or marinade. This has become a condiment in many people’s homes.
Although many of us have had the experience of eating Philippine cuisine, few people know the deliciousness. Because of the large amount of spices used in the Philippines, it has the most unique flavor. But there are also many people who can’t accept this unique taste. This is the charm of food.Adobo is considered to be the signature dish of the Philippines and is also regarded as the national dish of this country.
Almost all meat, seafood and vegetables can be cooked in this way. Chicken Adobo is a well-known version of the Adobo that is increasingly popular around the world. Another great adobo is made by pork, logically it called Pork Adobo.
The traditional pork adobo is basically made of garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, bay leaf, pepper, and water. Usually, the meat stew first says the ingredients until gentle and then drains and browns. For the signature juice is named Malunggay juice, it is a traditional Filipino drink, and its ingredients are: malunggay leaves. pandan leaves, calamansi and sugar or honey according to taste (Filipino Drinks and Beverages).
This juice has an excellent medical benefit. If you drink a cup of Malunggay juice every morning, it will help increase your body’s resistance and immune system.?ReferencesAvocado Production in the Philippines – Rachel C. Sotto*. (n.d.). Retrieved September 20, 2018, from http://www.
fao.org/docrep/003/x6902e/x6902e09.htmFilipino Cooking Methods II. (2012, December 04). Retrieved September 23, 2018, from https://babymira13.
wordpress.com/2012/12/04/filipino-cooking-methods-ii/Filipino Drinks and Beverages. (n.d.).
Retrieved September 23, 2018, from http://www.filipinodishes.org/category/filipino-drinks-beverages/Hamlett, C. (2017, April 17). Food Culture in the Philippines. Retrieved September 18, 2018, from https://traveltips.usatoday.com/food-culture-philippines-17408.
htmlMajor Vegetables and Root Crops Quarterly Bulletin, April – June 2018. (2018, April 01). Retrieved September 20, 2018, from https://psa.gov.ph/vegetable-root-crops-main/sweet-potatoOluwayelu, D., Todd, D.
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(n.d.). Retrieved September 18, 2018, from https://www.
iexplore.com/articles/travel-guides/south-and-southeast-asia/philippines/festivals-and-eventsPrimer Media Inc., & Primer Media Inc. (2017, August 13). Retrieved September 23, 2018, from http://primer.com.ph/tips-guides/2017/08/13/expats-guide-to-common-fishes-in-the-philippines/Retrieved September 23, 2018, from http://primer.com.
ph/tips-guides/2017/08/13/expats-guide-to-common-fishes-in-the-philippines/Rice Starches. Retrieved from https://www.beneo.com/ingredients/human-nutrition/specialty-rice-ingredients/rice-starchesTomacruz, S. (2017, April 14). FAST FACTS: How much meat does the Filipino consume? Retrieved September 21, 2018, from https://www.rappler.com/business/166870-fast-facts-meat-chicken-pork-filipino-consumption
