Simple Preparation of a Chinese Classic
Beche de Mer
Frozen, Chinese Origin
Preparing Bêche-de-Mer is never exactly simple or quick, although it has become easier with the arrival of frozen and pre-cleaned products from Asian fisheries. Continue reading
Crossroads of Asia
Lingering Vinegar and Garlic
“There’s a trick if you want to know that it’s a Filipino an apartment belongs to; the garlic and vinegar can linger around a good long while.” — N.V.M. Golnzalez, The Bamboo Dancers [1]
There are more than 7,000 islands in the Philippines. And its people speak some 87 languages.[2, 3]
Lumpia Shanghai
Fusion Food and the Greatest Appetizer
Can there be any common factors in the cuisine of such a far-flung and diverse people? There may be some common elements, but we have to look for them in the past.
The ancestors of today’s Filipinos spoke languages of the Malayo-Polynesian language family. This far-flung language group stretches from Madagascar in the west to Easter Island in the east, with Hawaii in the middle.
These people were sea-farers, expert seamen and navigators. Fish were an essential part of their diet, and seafood remains a key element of Philippine cuisine today. Continue reading
The Manila Galleon and the Third Route
Tomatoes, Chili Peppers and Beche de Mer
“Tang cookery sounds like modern Japanese cookery — plain food, sometimes raw, with few savory mixtures or interesting sauces.” — Edward Schafer
“The best of modern Chinese cooking developed in relatively modern times under the influence of foreign taste and customs, in particular those of India and the lands of the Desert and the Isles.” — Edward Schafer
Curly Haired Man, Malayan
Silk Road, Tang Dynasty
We sometimes forget how many of the foods we associate with Pacific Rim cuisines today were not native to much of the region in the oldest times and have migrated back and forth along the ancient trade routes. Continue reading
Sea Grub or Sea Mice?
Solomon Islands Currency
Beche de Mer
Frozen, Chinese Origin
You see them in Asian markets. They do look like cucumbers, and are typically about six inches long in the fresh state. Sometimes they are sold dried. The dried form is usually black and rock-hard, and only a few inches long.Despite the name, they are not a vegetable and are not related to cucumbers. They are a kind of seafood.
A common name is Sea Cucumbers, from their shape, also Trepang, or Bêche de Mer, from the French word for “sea grub.” Continue reading
