WRITTEN BY BEA AVANCENA AND FRANCESA JANA SANTIAGO

Filipino food is high in flavor but also… high in cholesterol?! A majority of our cuisine is composed of fried dishes, fatty sauces and innovative uses for every part of an animal. And while high blood pressure and diabetes are the leading illnesses found in Filipinos, most often these are tied to our eating habits. Because not every food we have is a hospital bill on a plate… If there’s dishes like Lechon Kawali, there’s also Pinakbet. But what makes Filipino food, “Filipino” and are they healthy or unhealthy?

Aside from music, food is a distinctive part of the Filipino’s identity! Why do you think we love hosting parties so much? And while fusion foods today are considered “trendy”, the Philippines has been doing it for years with each dish representing the different influences we got from our history of trades, colonization and imperialism. Our Leche Flan came from the Spaniards and our Lumpia originated from Chinese settlers. As for our love for fried food, we can thank the Americans for that. And along with the Americans also came influences of canned food, processed meat and soft drinks which are all now a staple in our food culture.

But do you know what makes Filipino food what it is known today? It’s the versatility of each dish. So no, it’s not just healthy or unhealthy because it’s a cuisine that knows how to adapt based on specific situations and people. Almost every item on the Filipino menu from Lumpia to Kakanin can be remixed with other ingredients. Adobo can be served as chicken, pork, bamboo or kangkong and Sinigang can come as fish, shrimp, beef and even guava. It’s basically the best of both worlds! That is the very beauty of having a “Panlasang Pinoy”.