Memories of Philippine Kitchens

• Food for Thought: Summer Reading

  A collection of recent food literature

  BY VIRGINIA B. WOOD

• Fritos® Pie: Stories, Recipes, and More

  BY MM PACK

• Colonel Sanders and the American Dream

  BY MM PACK

• The Wine Region of Rioja

  BY WES MARSHALL

• The Mom 100 Cookbook: 100 Recipes Every Mom Needs in Her Back Pocket

  BY MELANIE HAUPT

• How To Cook Everything: The Basics

  BY KATE THORNBERRY

• The Gardener and the Grill

  BY KATE THORNBERRY

• Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil

  BY RACHEL FEIT

• > Memories of Philippine Kitchens

• Ice Cream Happy Hour: 50 Boozy Treats That You Spike and Freeze at Home

  BY CLAUDIA ALARCÓN

• Paletas: Authentic Recipes for Mexican Ice Pops, Shaved Ice & Aguas Frescas

  BY CLAUDIA ALARCÓN

• Talking With My Mouth Full: My Life as a Professional Eater

  BY MELANIE HAUPT

• The Juice, Vinous Veritas

  BY WES MARSHALL

• Eat With Your Hands

  BY MICK VANN

• Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Pie

  BY VIRGINIA B. WOOD

Memories of Philippine Kitchens

Philippines natives Amy Besa and Romy Dorotan (husband and wife) own and operate Purple Yam, a popular restaurant they opened in Brooklyn in 2009. It followed their acclaimed Cendrillon which opened in 1995, an excellent restaurant where I've been lucky enough to dine. This book is an updated new edition, sure to garner awards like its predecessor. Photos are by award winner Neal Oshima, who focuses on Philippine culture and food; his work is spectacular.

Offering more than 100 unique recipes culled from family members, private regional Filipino kitchens, and their own restaurant menu, Besa and Dorotan vividly document the role of food in Filipino culture as no previous cookbook has done. They methodically examine the native cuisine and the impact of succeeding influences from the Chinese, Span­ish, and Americans, as well as introductions from the spice trade through the centuries, documenting how Philippine cooks managed to adapt their native cuisine and keep it unique rather than allowing it to be dominated by any new arrivals. Besa and Dorotan do an especially good job of relating specific dishes and techniques to each pertinent historical influence.

The recipes are easy to follow and loaded with additional information. Oshima's photos complete the presentation, completely illuminating dishes and ingredients for the reader. A special meal assembled from the book might include steamed oxtail dumplings, a round of ukoy (shrimp and sprout fritters) with a vinegar-garlic-chile dipping sauce, tuna and oyster kinilaw (ceviche) with orange and grapefruit, pork ribs or beef short ribs adobo, finishing with a calamansi meringue pie (think of key lime with a touch of kumquat). This is big taste food loaded with layers of flavor. If you're interested in Filipino food, no other cookbook even comes close.