PPPans

I love this topic. I am in the Philippines, specifically in the province of Pampanga. Here we call them clavos de comer, which is of course borrowed from Spanish. In the vernacular, they are called pácu or nails, the ones whose heads are hit by a hammer.

Thanks Lumiere and eje! Now I can see the fruiting seasons in different areas. I was told in another forum that the anonas are available in Tenerife.

I got this comment on my blog, for the post on Anunas/Anonas: I told the commenter that I'm in the Philippines and wouldn't know if the fruit is available in Tenerife. However, I promised to post the question in the food fora I belong to in case someone knows. Normally, in the Philippines, anonas (custard apples) bear fruits starting in June till around October. I don't know the fruiting seasons in other parts of the globe.

Oh, this is similar to our town's version of pocherong bacalao. Very interesting that you posted this. Last week, my mom and aunties were just telling me about how they used to have it during Holy Week.

And how about banana ketsup. ← Banana indeed! The achara is also a mainstay of most refrigerators. The most popular achara is of (pickled) unripe papaya with a few other vegetables such as carrots, cauliflower, etc. But there is an endless variety: bitter gourd, radish, bamboo shoots... In my province, broiled fish goes with fermented rice and shrimps or fish. That's another staple though I'm not sure if it's still considered a condiment. I can probably think of a few others later.

I'm drooling! Boy Bawang... are those essentially chichacorn? What a horrendously addictive snack. I swear that people can smell me from 10 feet away every time I tuck into a bag of them. The fish crackers are another favourite of mine as are cheese-flavoured Clover chips. Can't forget the garlic peanuts. Be still, my snacking heart! ← Yes, essentially chichacorn. Retail chichacorn as they're sold PhP1 per packet.

Yes, that's it! What we call 'native' chickens, the older the better, is what is best for that soup. Lemongrass is also used to stuff whole roasted pigs and to add that extra flavour to vinegar-stewed fish.

Hi Pan, That's the basic recipe above. You can layer it with other spices and greens if desired. Not sure how it is in Malaysia but in the Philippines, lemongrass is definitely used but not everyday. There aren't too many recipes with it that I know of.

A simple chicken soup with a clear broth: 1 kg. chicken (more or less, as you please) a gallon of water 1 large stalk of lemongrass salt to taste Clean whole lemongrass. Fold it in three and tie it with one of the leaves. Bruise the lower white stalk towards the roots. Drop it in the water with the chicken and salt. Under low fire, simmer for around an hour. Keep adding water if you want a lot of the soup. You can add a few ears of corn if you desire.

Longganisa is from the Spanish longaniza that's why they also have it in South America. I think they pronounce it 'long-a-niza' unlike the Filipino adaptation with a hard 'g'. On another forum they have a discussion on the difference between longaniza and chorizo. It might be worth reading, if you're interested.

It's the type of crab, the talangka. I don't have pictures now but just imagine a tiny crab, around 2 inches in length without the legs. For tabang talangka, no fermentation required. The roe and flesh is squeezed, sauteed with garlic, salt and a bit of calamansi juice. What is fermented for a day or two (at most) is burong talangka. The crabs are cleaned, placed alive in a covered jar and salted. Shake them up every now and then to make sure the salt is evenly distributed. After the fermentation period, the crabs are squeezed on top of steaming rice and eaten with a squeeze or two of calamansi.

There you go! Had its title been Beer on the Greater Mekong area, we would have understood you better. When you said Southeast Asia, those who read it must've thought your project encompasses the whole of Southeast Asia. If it were more precise I wouldn't even have replied. As for your assumption, I'm not saying it's right or wrong, I just asked for the basis, e.g. anecdotal info, survey, industry reports, etc. On rice-based spirits being ubiquitous in Southeast Asia (if we are both referring to the same geographic scope), just because each country has one or two doesn't mean it has penetrated the populace as much as beer has now. But then again, I don't have historical statistics on beverage consumption for the whole of Southeast Asia.

Yes, everything inside the soursop except the seeds is edible. It's ripe as soon as you can smell its fragrant and a bit tender to the touch. It's eaten as is or made into jam.

@ PCL ASEAN website and member-countries: Brunei Darussalam Cambodia Indonesia Laos Malaysia Myanmar Philippines Singapore Thailand Vietnam Even ethnolinguistically, Southeast Asia makes no sense without the archipelagic countries. Btw Austin, how did you come up with the assumption that rice-based spirits were ubiquitous? Or perhaps I didn't understand you well enough. Like what PCL mentioned, I don't think they were ever as common as beer is now. In the Philippines (which may not count), the distribution of rice wine (tapuey/tapuy) is limited to Northern Luzon, the origin perhaps near the Banaue Rice Terraces. Other localities have sugarcane, coconut, palm, fruits, etc. Second point, again in terms of distribution, the native liquor was only made in very limited amounts, traditionally just for family, friends and/or the village. They never had large breweries. You know, something like economy of scale.

Ah! Averrhoa bilimbi, tree sorrel in English. It's indeed camias for most Filipinos and we utilise it in many ways. One of the better-known is in fish sinigang - basic recipe: fish, kangkong, yard-long beans, taro, long green chillies and camias. A sour and spicy soup - makes my mouth water just typing this up. Tepee, your chicken looks so inviting! You can also slice the fruit thinly and eat it raw in salad-like preparations.

I've only started - no greens yet, it's still too rainy. There's some arrowroot, cassava and I got some peanuts ready for planting next week. There's some Malabar spinach growing, a few bitter melon. By November or December I'll start sowing the seeds for greens like mustard and bokchoy.

Preparing frogs the Filipino way: 1. Rub your hands with ashes or sterilised fine sand, then with your left hand (or right, if you're left-handed) hold the frog's body. Let the head out between your thumb and index finger. 2. Decapitate with a cleaver. Do not let go of the frog. 3. Chop off the 'hands' and 'feet' (We make use of the whole torso and the upper limbs, not just legs). 4. Rub ashes over the whole frog. 5. Peel off the skin starting from the neck. Be careful so it can be pulled off in one piece. This is how our prepared frogs look:

A crucial step when making hash browns is to squeeze out as much of the liquid from the potatoes as possible. I find this works since I can even form patties. Freezing prior to frying helps too. I like my hash browns baked though. Synchronicity, I just had a hash brown post a day ago.

Avocado is a regular Filipino ice cream flavour. Even the big ice cream companies have it in their line-up. The usual way to eat them is with milk, sugar and ice. Most Filipinos have not eaten avocados as savoury food.

Hi alanamoana, It's mostly those Asian cultures that eat rice with their hands who use forks and spoons together. You see, when we take rice, it's with the index, middle and ring fingers - or the pinkie, ring and middle fingers - that "rake" it while the thumb pushes it in. That's how you use a spoon and fork. The fork works like the thumb (of the same hand).

Yes indeed, Dian. As far as I know, most of Southeast Asia eats that way.

Apparently, the Filipino or Thai method is not acceptable in one Canadian school: Filipino table etiquette punished at local school. Hmmm...

Some folks will eat ANYTHING. Even raw horses when they are not even starving. ← Well, you don't have to be starving to eat a delicacy. In the event that it's not, do we question a locality's traditional source of food?

Bacolod - all over the city. Had lunch in Pala-pala, bought sweets here, there and everywhere. I also went outside the city, to Mambukal. Beautiful place! Went to Silay too.

Hey you're here! You're here! Are you in Negros now? I was in Bacolod not too long ago and I haven't posted my food trip report on my blog, hehehe! I was trying to figure out the logic of the seeming arbitrary regulations re: bringing in food. I think (not sure, haven't verified) Philippine Customs depends on the immigration officers from the point of origin - since it is assumed that we have diplomatic relations with them and they will uphold both countries' laws anyway - for the packages that passengers bring in. Or - if our regulations are less strict than the point of origin, then they don't bother too much with checking. If ours are stricter then they do check and quarantine if necessary. I vaguely recall a diplomatic document to that effect.