Filipino cuisine is finally having its time in the limelight, with a host of Filipino restaurants popping up in the biggest cities in the world and enjoying international recognition through online and broadcast media. In 2012, TV host and chef Andrew Zimmern said that Filipino food is ‘the next big thing,’ and dishes like lechon and sisig have moved from being curious dishes to must-try fares on the international stage.
Celebrated Filipino chefs Margarita Forés and Myrna Segismundo have helped bring other local cuisine to the spotlight with a presentation and cooking demonstration held on the opening day of Madrid Fusión 2015 at the Palacio de Congresos Municipal in Spain. In the said event, which is considered as one of the world’s most important chefs’ congresses, both chefs prepared kinilaw, a dish of raw fish soaked in vinegar and citrus fruit juice served with garlic, onion, ginger, salt, and pepper.
Kinilaw is often assumed to be a localized version of ceviche, but Chef Segismundo affirms that “it is probably one of the most ancient food cooking methods in the Philippines.” It dates back to at least 1,000 years ago when tabon-tabon halves and fish bones were excavated in 1987 in Butuan City, Agusan del Norte.
“Despite the simplicity of kinilaw, it piques the interest of the audience because of the ingredients and techniques that were utilized to build the dish,” she adds.
During the chefs’ presentation at Madrid Fusión, the recipe was praised for its innovative use of flavors.
Filipino cuisine is influenced heavily by the Malay, Spanish, Chinese, and American food tradition. But the Filipino palate is distinct in its search for flavors which include maalat (salty), matamis (sweet), mapait (bitter), maasim (sour), and malinamnam (tasty).
Argentinian chef Estanislao Carenzo told Monocle Radio, “I’m really trying to keep in touch with [the Philippines] because I think it’s one of the next trends in food, because it’s so diverse, much more than we can imagine.”
Spanish chef Elena Arzak, who was voted as the world’s best female chef by the World’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards, also said in a separate interview, “I am happy to try [the Philippines’] food. I will meet the chefs, they are so good.”
For the first time in history, Manila will play host to this year’s Madrid Fusión, which celebrates the common historical and cultural ties of the Philippines and Spain through culinary chemistry. Visitors from the Philippines, Asia, and the world are expected to attend the three-day event at the SMX Convention Center.
“Madrid Fusion is all about the future of gastronomy, therefore it is about the future of lifestyles and tastes around the world,” said Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez, Jr.
At Madrid Fusión Manila, globally-recognized chefs Andoni Luis Aduriz, Elena Arzak, André Chiang, Quique Dacosta, Ramón Freixa, Alvin Leung, Francis Paniego, Paco Roncero, Mario Sandoval, and Paco Torreblanca will showcase their culinary expertise.
These global chefs will be joined by culinary heavyweights from the Philippines including Fernando Aracama, J. Gamboa, Chele Gonzalez, Pepe Lopez, Rob Pengson, Bruce Ricketts, Claude Tayag, Juan Carlos de Terry, and both Forés and Segismundo. The combination of internationally-recognized chefs and homegrown talent is expected to bring exciting additions to modern gastronomy.
Madrid Fusión Manila is the first international satellite event in Asia, and will be held on April 24 to 26 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.