First, the influence of the …show more content…
According to Jennibeth Alojado, “Filipinos have been cultivating rice…since the arrival of Austronesian people from Southern China and Taiwan in 3200 BC.” Many everyday dishes in the Philippines consists of rice, for example arroz a la Filipina and arroz caldo with chicken (David-Perez 25-26). However, it was not only rice that the Chinese had contributed to the Filipino diet, but also rice noodles. When Chinese trader settled in Manila, the Filipino culture adopted and indigenized noodle dishes, for example the Filipino dish pancit, which include the rice noodle bihon, plus miki and miswa (Rodell 105). The Philippines had adapted the dish in order to fit the foods they have and taste. A Paul Rodell notes, “Once the noodle dish came to the Philippines, it was subject to the process of local adoption. So, for example…fish, shrimp, and even squid were added…crumbled rice cakes…and local vegetables or sausages appeared in the recipe.” The Philippines had adopted other foods from the Chinese that they had turned into something their own. For example, the Filipino version of an egg roll is known as lumpia, which is vegetables that is wrapped in thin rice crepes (Rodell 105). Because of the foods such as rice and rice noodles that the Philippines was able to take the dishes of the Chinese and alter it to make something that is distinctly …show more content…
The Spanish had a major role in influencing the Filipino diet through the recipes, dishes, and ingredients that were brought over. Such as the Filipino version of menudo, the Philippines uses ingredients such as potatoes in the dish. Many of the dishes that the Spanish brought with them were adopted and adapted to the Filipino diet. Even when the Chinese had influenced the Philippines the dishes had a Spanish name to them. China had introduced food items such as rice and noodles to the Filipino cuisine, which had resulted in dishes such as arroz caldo with chicken and pancit. Even America had a influential part in the Philippines, but in a different way. American had brought the “ways of convenience” to the Filipino diet that resulted in fast food, carbonated soda, sandwiches, and fried chicken. This provided Filipinos a way to put little time and effort into making a meal. One last influence was from India, which gave heavily spiced foods, and coconuts from Malaysia and Indonesia. Through the influence of these countries, the Filipino diet had adopted, adapted, and evolved over the years from the different dishes, recipes, and ingredients brought from these