Cultural understanding through taste is one of the best ways we can learn to understand each other
~ Allhoff & Monroe
If you have ever wondered about the Filipinos and the origins of Filipino food, Memories of Philippine Kitchens is the book for you. Arguably one of the least understood and appreciated cuisines in the world, food historians and Filipino chefs are now attempting to document Filipino culinary heritage and champion the survival of its foodways.
According to Amy Besa, Filipino cuisine is essentially home cooked comfort food. Therefore ‘the essence of Filipino food is in the family kitchens of Filipino homes, passed down through the generations, melding native traditions with those of Chinese, Spanish, and American cuisines’. With this in mind, she and her husband, Romy Dorotan travelled throughout the Philippines exploring the different cooking styles in each region and recording traditional family recipes.
First published in 2006, the revised edition of Memories of a Philippine Kitchen was released in May 2012. It is a compilation of culinary tales, cooking techniques and recipes from the Philippine provinces; a scrap book of memories recording Philippine culinary history, emotive photographs by renowned photographer Neal Oshima, and interspersed with Romy’s own recipes.
Originally from the Philippines, Amy Besa and Romy Dorotan now live in New York where they once owned Cendrillon, a renowned Filipino restaurant in SoHo. In 2009 they moved to Brooklyn to open Purple Yam, a very cool Filipino fusion restaurant. (Sadly we didn’t make it to the restaurant while in New York last Christmas, but we tasted some of the menu’s highights at a Night Market in Williamsburg. Next time Amy, for sure…)
Amy Besa posted on Facebook: “what’s the diff[erence] between the original and the revised edition of Memories of Philippine Kitchens? … For me, a world of a difference. The last chapter is more than a shift from Cendrillon to Purple Yam. It is a worldview developed from 17 years of promoting Filipino food here in NYC (and beyond). It reflects how our love for our own goes back to our roots.”
This beautiful book will give you a much deeper understanding of the Filipinos, their cuisine and their culture, from the variations on the well-known adobo and zesty sinigang to banana hearts in coconut milk and bringhe, the Filipino version of paella. All in all, an experience to engage the senses!
Memories of Philippine Kitchens won the International Association of Culinary Professionals 2007 Jane Grigson Award for scholarship. It was also a finalist for the Julia Child First Book Award.