Memories of Philippine Kitchens

by Amy Besa, Romy Dorotan

"[Cendrillon is] daring, different and a sure remedy for the malady, too widespread these days, of dining déjà vu."-Frank Bruni, the New York Times

The essence of Filipino food has always remained somewhat secluded in the family kitchens of Filipino homes, passed down through the generations, melding native traditions with those of Chinese, Spanish, and American cuisines. With Memories of Philippine Kitchens Amy Besa and Romy Dorotan, owners and chef at Soho's popular Cendrillon restaurant, present a fascinating look at Filipino cuisine and culture. They have spent years tracing the traditions of the food of the Philippines, and here they share the results of that research. From Lumpia, Pancit, and Kinilaw to Adobo and Lehon (the art of the well-roasted pig), the authors document dishes and culinary techniques that are rapidly disappearing and in some cases unknown to Filipinos whether in the Philippines or abroad.

In addition to offering more than 100 unique recipes culled from private Filipino kitchens and their own acclaimed menu, Besa and Dorotan vividly document the role of food in Filipino society, both old and new. Filled with hundreds of sumptuous photographs by the esteemed Filipino photographer Neal Oshima and colorful stories of food memories from the authors and other notable local cooks, the book is a joy to peruse both in and out of the kitchen.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Food Writing, Nonfiction, Cooking, Reference, Asian Literature

208 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2006

Reviews

[Leslie (updates on SG) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful collection of memories and recipes. I learned so much about regional variations of the dishes I grew up with, as well as the use of ingredients like lemongrass and chilis. The photos are gorgeous and the recipes seem doable. If there is one drawback, I would have appreciated hearing more from the cooks employed in the various households.

[Happyreader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Considering the large American-Filipino population and the popularity of other Asian cuisines, it's surprising how little is known about Filipino cuisine. This warm and visually appealing book should change all that. In addition to recipes for essential Filipino dishes like adobo, lumpia, and pancit, there is a lot of culinary and cultural history, including food by region and the Spanish and American influences on the cuisine. So not only will you learn how to put together halo halo, you'll get some background on how the sweet dessert evolved and even find a recipe for some ube (purple yam) ice cream to scoop on top.

[wyclif · Rating 4 out of 5]

Large, bright cookbook with beautiful photography that captures the freshness of Filipino food and its amalgamation of Spanish, Chinese, and American cuisine. The authors are both natives of the Philippines and have gleaned many of these recipes from the kitchens of their friends back home. This is a terrific cookbook if you love pork, chicken, shrimp, and fresh vegetables.

[caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

i'm having so much fun reading this -- learning lots of yummy recipes (familiar and new) and the interesting story behind the eclectic awesomeness filipino cuisine is. didn't realize i knew so little about filipino food until picked this up! now i understand how i can crave sinigang na baboy, lumpia, and spam with garlic fried rice at the same time :D i just want to eat and eat and eat now!

[Neda · Rating 5 out of 5]

undoubtedly the BEST filipino cook book (and, to me, cookbook) ever written.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read Harder Challenge #13: Read a food book about a cuisine you’ve never tried before

This was a fun challenge because I try to eat lots of different cuisines, but when I read America is not the Heart, with its many descriptions of delicious-sounding Filipino food, I realized there was a huge gap in my experience. My city doesn't have a significant Filipino population and no Filipino restaurant as far as I can tell, but I hope to try one next time I am in a bigger city.

This book is meant to be about home cooking, but it's still a little chef-y. Instructions like "you will need to get this from a reputable seafood distributor" - no I will not be doing that. I did make the chicken adobo, which was pretty good, and I'd like to try a couple of other recipes if I can find the ingredients. But the Philippines is a fascinating place, and I enjoyed learning a little more about it through the lens of its rich and diverse food culture.

[Wallis · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's important to remember that this book is equal parts cookbook and memori. It's hard to rate a cookbook which I will never cook from. It isn't because the recipes are unappealing or poorly described. However, the real issue is that so many of them literally have ingredients I will never be able to obtain due to their uniqueness to the Philippines. There is a description of a special kind of mushroom, the kurakding, that only grows on "the rotting bark of trees found at the foot of volcanoes and mountains."
Memories of Philippine Kitchens itself wonderfully describes many different regions within the Philippines, and the history of countries which influenced the cooking, including the Chinese-Spanish connection., the Mexican influence, and yes, even the American influence

[Maria do Socorro Baptista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Não costumo ler livros de receitas. Tenho muitos, mas só os uso quando realmente quero fazer alguma comida diferente. Entretanto, o que me atraiu neste livro não foram as receitas, mas a história por trás de cada prato. Meu conhecimento sobre as Filipinas era praticamente inexistente, aprendi muito com este livro.

[Boni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ang serap!!! Best description of Filipino cuisine and her culture & history that I’ve read... only rated a star lower because my Mom, Lola Pat has a dozen indescribable meals not yet documented outside of her kitchen... but Salamat Po, Amy Besa 👍😊

[Daniel Mennecke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating but unlikely I'd ever try one of the recipes myself, Wish I'd gone when it was a restaurant.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some fascinating essays on Filipino cuisine/food history, but in no way a comprehensive (or even very large selection) of actual recipes.

[Alpecr · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cast of secondary character is undoubedly fantastic.

[SuRoXi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked reading about the Philippine Kitchens...I had never read some book about Philippines and it is very interesting. :3

[Nick Klagge · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished reading it cover to cover, but of course the real fun comes in trying to make the dishes, which I (we) haven't even started yet!

Very interesting to me to learn about Filipino food, since it's so underrepresented in the American ethnic foods palette. (Though one of my favorite restaurants in NYC, Kuma Inn, is at least partially Filipino.) I like the theory presented in the book that, unlike other SE Asian nations, the Philippines was never ruled by a (local) royal family, so it never developed the "royal banquet" style of cuisine that became the Chinese, Thai, and Vietnamese food that is familiar in America today. Instead it is much more down-home style...which is not necessarily to say simple!

The authors of the book (who used to run the now-closed restaurant Cendrillon in NYC) are planning to open a new restaurant called Purple Yam in Brooklyn in the next couple of months. Looking forward to it!

[Cynthia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I wanted more from this book — this is a collage of family recipes (with few substitutions) and personal recipes (with lots of play of Southeast Asian ingredients like lemongrass, coconut, cilantro, and even turmeric, and replacements for greens such as broccoli rabe). So far I've enjoyed it, though I found it confusing. It was not always clear what was a substitution or a personal preference of a cook, and what was actually, deeply Filipino. Because it wasn't clear, I lost trust in Romy and Amy as authorities — at least as far as this book goes. No doubt they are — but if you are looking for the kind of information I was looking for, this is not your book. I'm going to try reading Doreen Fernandez next, in hopes that that is the book I'm looking for.

All that said, it's a lovely book. I enjoyed the version of adobo that is in this book, and the bibingka, and I'm going to keep at it. A torta made with fried adobo? yes please.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, this book is about food, so there's an automatic interest in it. But there are many cookbooks out there, most of which never quite catch my eye.

This cookbook goes beyond just the recipes, but gets to the heart of the food. Amy and Romy and the other contributors add in stories of their families and their love for food. It made me reflect upon my own love for food and my own family.

I have also had the wonderful joy of trying some of their food and it is GOOD (said definitively). So Good.

[Trish (readtmc) · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I leave the Filipino cooking to my mom (I hope to learn how to cook someday), I wanted to learn more about the cuisine I grew up with. Memories of Philippine Kitchens has it all: personal stories, culinary history, and of course, recipes. I especially liked how the authors divide the country into regions and discuss their signature dishes. Overall, I've developed a deeper appreciation for Filipino food, knowing its complex and interesting background.

There's no better way to learn about a culture than through your tastebuds.

[Gerlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of the most comprehensive and gorgeous filipino cookbooks available

[Ilene · Rating 5 out of 5]

props to ali for giving me this beautiful book. it's a lovely marriage of narrative and recipes.

[Milady · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book! On my last trip to NYC with my family, we had a chance to actually eat at their restaurant and the food is as good as it looks. They even had a mini buko pie for dessert!

[Jonquill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful book capturing the beauty of Filipino food and the various regions of the Philippines.