Aromatics, but Filipino

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PASYOTES is a leafy annual or short-lived perennial that can reach 4 feet in height. — FACEBOOK.COM/LOCALFOODHERITAGEPH

JOHN SHERWIN FELIX at the “Halimuyak: Roots Leaves Bark & Peel, Aromatic Plant Ingredients of Philippine Cuisines,” talk. — FACEBOOK.COM/LOCALFOODHERITAGEPH

FILIPINO FOOD is often criticized as not being made exciting enough with herbs and spices — but maybe you’re just not looking hard enough.

At the National Museum of the Philippines, John Sherwin Felix, the founder of Lokalpedia, a Facebook page devoted to looking for native Filipino ingredients, gave a talk called “Halimuyak: Roots Leaves Bark & Peel, Aromatic Plant Ingredients of Philippine Cuisines,” which was streamed live on May 25.

Mr. Felix argued that, “In the Philippines, we don’t have uniformity when it comes to edible flora,” because of differences in culture, preference, and geography.

One of the few herbs with which he began his talk can be found in cuisines in different places. In Cebu, it’s called pasyotes, an herb in the Amaranth family. It’s what gives that herby caress to Cebu’s famous lechon (whole roast pig). However, a little up north, in the Tagalog seat of Quezon, is called pasutis, used in longanisa (sausages) in certain towns. It had been used in Longanisang Lucban, according to Mr. Felix, but its use has faded from practice. It is also used in Vigan in pipian, a porridge made of roasted ground rice.

Quezon also uses kamamba, a relative of pepper, through its leaves. It is used to wrap pinais, a wrapped savory coconut dish.

He also highlighted the use of pandan (screwpine) and lemongrass. He described pandan as having an aroma akin to vanilla, while he notes that lemongrass is one of the core widely cultivated aromatics in the Philippines, found from north to south, because of the ease of propagation.

He even noted old citrus species that have managed to survive here (lime and lemon take the lead in the world), and noted the presence of cinnamon in the Philippines. While he said that the bark is used here, just as it is in the rest of the world, he noticed that some local cultures use the leaf for flavoring as well: in the Visayas, what they call “laurel” (which in Luzon would be the bay leaf), is actually cinnamon leaf.

“Sana, mabuhay pa iyong mga ganitong pagkain (may food like this live on),” he said. — Joseph L. Garcia