Palayok: Philippine Food through Time, on Site, in the Pot

by Doreen G. Fernandez, Marian Pastor Roces (Foreword)

Hailed as “effortlessly elegant” when it was first published in 2000, "Palayok: Philippine Food through Time, on Site, in the Pot" by Doreen G. Fernandez presents the origins and evolution of Philippine cuisine to the then-present. From her background of cultural research, Fernandez serves not just the meal but also its surrounding context, antecedents, and influences.

In this new edition, Fernandez’s writing is accompanied by photographs by Jilson Tiu of the eateries and arteries of Manila, of first catches and ferments, of kitchens, tables, and fiestas all over the country. The book was designed by Miguel Mari. This edition comes with a foreword by Marian Pastor Roces.

Genres: Food

248 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Doreen Gamboa Fernandez (28 October 1934 – 24 June 2002) was a Filipino professor, historian, writer and critic best known for her writings on Filipino food, food culture, and the theater arts. Apart from many books and academic articles, she wrote a regular column on food and dining for the Philippine Daily Inquirer. She taught English at Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), serving also as head of the Communication Department and moderator of the student newspaper.

Reviews

[jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful entry text about Filipino food. Despite the fact that a lot of the information herein was already familiar to me, bestowed upon me through my heritage, I found it valuable! Fernandez eloquently puts into words the unspoken historical, cultural, and societal context of our food and how it shapes Tagalog’s etymology, the values of the Filipino, and our traditions. Simply put, it was a joy viewing Filipino food through a lens of such academic rigor.

These essays bring forth the rich and complex lineage of our food, from its indigenous roots to the effects of Chinese, Spanish, and American influence, and to the regional variations shaped by the islands’ biodiversity. For example, on biodiversity, there was a whole chapter dedicated to different indigenous flora that are used as souring agents (Shout-out to the humble batwan, commonly used in Ilonggo cooking!).

In an age where the cuisines of our SEAblings and of East Asia are proliferating in the West and Japanese and Middle Eastern cuisines extert increasing influence within the Philippines itself, it’s a bit easy to overlook our humble mga ulam (in English, viand, the dish that accompanies the rice). However, these essays call us to re-examine the wide and complex breadth of our food and celebrate the food that not only nourishes us physically, but nourishes the soul of the Filipino.

On a personal note, I was pleasantly surprised at all the mentions of Capiz in this text! :’)

[Jay Salvosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book serves as a good springboard to anyone who would like to do research on Filipino food. The scope is wide and peppered with regional flavors.

[gabbie gent · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Filipino food today, therefore, as cooked and as served, includes: the indigenous, which grew from the land; and the indigenized, which was adapted from foreign influences but adopted into the culture. The imported as entered the food scene too, and remains standing by, still foreign, but quiet possibly bearing prospects of future adaptation."

If you love food, read this book! It's a cool compilation of essays explaining how our food culture is shaped by hundreds of years of Philippine history. To understand Filipino food, you must know Filipino history.

[空 · Rating 5 out of 5]

didn’t dgf absolutely love to write about food though, and especially to celebrate filipino food? and this new edition from exploding galaxies is so NICE. great pics, love the layouts, absolutely a fresh update to a classic.

[Matthew Lopez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is quite luxurious for its size, price and use of images. But for those who want to have an first-hand introduction of the Philippine history through cuisine, Fernandez's Palayok will not only help you learn through your taste but understand it's social, economic and even political context.