After almost a month of family bonding in Europe, it’s great to be back home and sleeping in the same bed for a change. Worrying about catching flights or overweight charges could be taxing on any vacation.
One bite of chef Ainer Ebue’s chicken roll and I was back in my Lola Carlota’s kitchen. In Sta. Cruz, Manila. In 1978.
If there is anything that distinguishes Filipino cuisine from that of our Asian neighbors, it would be the heavy influence of Spanish gastronomy. Unlike other Southeast Asian countries that have distinctly light-textured yet very spicy recipes, we have heavier meals that veer towards the salty; saucy and sweet. This is in large part due to over 300 years of Spanish colonial rule and the osmosis of Spanish flavors into our own culinary lives. Hence, our love for flavors based on chili peppers, tomato sauce, garlic and onions.
There’s another way to enjoy “authentic” Spanish food without having to bust US$2,000 on a trip to Barcelona. Led by chef Myrna Segismundo, chefs Robbie Goco, Manny Torrejon and Penk Ching went on a food tour of Spain last year to learn the flavors and cooking techniques involved in Spanish cuisine. They all came home with a piece of Spain in their hearts, and the love shows when they cook.
From Madrid, we took a high-speed train to Barcelona. Traveling at close to 300 kilometers an hour, we reached Barcelona in about three hours.
Spanish cuisine is really very simple, says chef Victor Burgos, who’s in town to preside over Gastronomia de España, a Spanish food fest at Marriott Hotel Manila.
Experts advise that one should never do business with family or friends, if one wants friendship and kinship to last. However, childhood friends Dani Aliaga and Sergi Rostoll, who founded the successful Barcino, a Spanish wine and tapas bar, belie that truism.
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