New publication digs deep into Phl food and culture

Following the success of its earlier publications on Batanes cuisine and indigenous bladed weapons, the Museo ng Kaalamang Katutubo (MusKKat) has released yet another noteworthy volume on Philippine material culture.

Based in Pasig City, MusKKat advocates for the conservation and preservation of artifacts from the country’s diverse ethnolinguistic groups. It also advances cultural education through lectures and well-researched posts on Philippine culture and heritage via its online platforms. For now, it operates as a research institution while awaiting the establishment of its own museum building.

Its latest publication, Food and Ethnographic Paraphernalia, edited and curated by its head Corazon Alvina, goes beyond the subject of food. It explores the material culture that surrounds it, presenting a broader “ecosystem” that connects environment, traditions, practices and people.

This complexity and harmony are thoughtfully conveyed in the 198-page volume, a veritable gathering of scholars and practitioners. Contributors include Alvina and aquaculturist Norberto Chingcuanco; historians Milagros Guerrero and Mercedes Planta; the late archaeologist Victor Paz; anthropologist-archaeologist Jesus Peralta; Cordilleran anthropologist Patricia Afable; conservator Orlando Abinion; and researcher-author Norma Respicio.

Also featured are chef-visual artist Claude Tayag, researcher John Claude Renan Salluta, scientist Francis Magbanua, environmental science researcher Lemnuel Aragones, chef-essayist Datu Shariff Pendatun, restaurateur and material culture collector Armand Cating, Raymond Santiago of MusKKat, and curatorial associate Mauri Lyn Doblado.

The book’s photography — evocative of a museum exhibition — is by At Maculangan, while Onofre Cabading serves as designer. The essays, compact yet rich in insight, are complemented by images drawn from the institution’s collection. As Guerrero notes in her foreword, these visuals serve as “evidences of our marvelous ingenuity.”

Multi-pronged

In his essay on “old food plants,” Paz argues that understanding food requires a multi-pronged approach, engaging not only archaeology but also history, anthropology and linguistics. He discusses traditional sustenance such as yams, millet, sorghum and Job’s tears.

Rice, a cornerstone of Filipino life, is examined by Peralta, who also writes about the Ifugao rice drink bayah. Tayag explores fermentation through buro, while Afable discusses Cordillera fermented food and introduces the Ifugao rack called haldak, typically found near the hearth.

Material objects associated with food are likewise highlighted: Doblado writes on Cordillera baskets and the Meranaw dipper known as sakdo; Santiago examines harpoons; and Respicio discusses fish traps from northwest Luzon.

On aquatic life, Alvina and Chingcuanco delve into the complexities of fish production and trade, as well as related practices and culinary traditions. Meanwhile, Cordilleran river ecosystems — including their fish species — are explored by Salluta, Magbanua and Aragones.

Rooted, refined

Planta surveys significant plants and their uses, while Pendatun and Paz examine the coconut’s central role in Philippine gastronomy and archaeology. Abinion contributes a practical discussion on the conservation of objects made from wood, basketry and brass.

Overall, the book is a valuable addition to Philippine cultural literature. Its contents are not only highly educational but also reveal a food culture that is deeply rooted, refined and sophisticated.

In the years to come, Food and Ethnographic Paraphernalia is poised to become a classic.

Published in celebration of the 80th anniversary of United Laboratories Inc., the book is available for purchase through the Museo ng Kaalamang Katutubo’s official Facebook page.