STYLINGBY
TATAMAPA
PHOTOSBY
JARCONCENGCO/CAMPFIREMEDIA
Super
bowls
TataMapa lo ks into hat’ssimmeringonstovetops
all over thePhilippines
I
nmostcountries, one
canpartakeof soupwith
justabowl andspoon;
purées, consommés,
chowdersandevenstewsmay
beenjoyed thisway.But in the
Philippines, relishingone’s
soupcanoftenbea full-blown
affair that takesabowl anda
spoon—aswell asaplate, a
knifeanda fork. “ForFilipinos,
soup isour
ulam
(‘maindish’).
It’sacompletemeal in itself,”
explainschefandrestaurateur
SandyDaza,whoowns the
popularFilipinorestaurant
WoodenSpoon inManilaand
hostsTVshow
FoodPrints,
airedby theLifestyleNetwork.
“This iswhyvegetablesare
always included.” Indeed, the
comfortofFilipinos’ soups
doesn’tcome froma fewpolite
100
sips, orevenslurps, but froma
heartydigging in, andaglorious
pouringof savorystockover
moundsof rice.And though this
maynotnecessarilybodewell for
one’sdiet, itcertainlyservesas the
perfectheartwarmingremedyona
cold, rainyday.
“WeFilipinos loveoursoups
because theyarewhatwegrewup
with,”addsSandy. “Theyremind
usofchildhood,when lifewas
simpler.”Buthealsoadds that
evennon-localsarebound tofind
ourhomegrownrecipes justas
appetizing.Withourflavorful
broths, tenderbitesofmeatand
seafood, freshvegetablesand
surprisingseasoningagents,
everyspoonful is, asSandyaptly
describes, “something thatwarms
the tummyandsurprises the
palate”— theperfectbalanceof
the familiarand theexotic that
makesonecrave formore.
What isevenmoredelectable
is thatoursoupydishesdiffer
fromregion toregion.Witha
diverse topography, andequally
diverseharvests, onecanexpect
nothing less thanamyriad
offlavors fromprovince to
province. “Peoplecreatebased
onwhat isavailable,”saysSandy.
“The Ilonggosuse the locally
available
batwan
when theymake
theirkansi [seeoppositepage].
And inDavao, theyevenuse
mangosteensasasouringagent
forsinigang
.
”
From tangy tospicy, and
aromatic tosavory, hereSandy
takesus throughsomeof the
best-lovedsoups thathave
filledourbowlsandbellies, and
soothedoursouls.
