Conversations

Heres Why Food Historian Doreen

Fernandez is a Vital Part of Todays Culinary
Scene
Once upon a time, Filipino food was not something people raved about or dined out in
restaurants for. It was what you ate at home, and likely did not regard as haute cuisine. Flash
forward to the present day where The New York Times predicts that Filipino food will be the
next big thing.

Filipino food became visible on worldwide radar when it caught the attention of celebrity chefs
looking for new, novel cuisine to present on their foodumentaries. Viewers and fans across the
world hear Anthony Bourdain declare lechon to be the best pork ever while Andrew
Zimmerman sings praises for adobo. Thats right, world! Theres more to Philippine cuisine than
eating balut in Fear Factor!

But before all the Hollywood buzz, we were privileged to have someone who expressed a true
understanding of Filipino food and brought about the appreciation it lacked from its own people.
She is Doreen Fernandez.
Who is Doreen Fernandez? Young adults of today may have heard of her in passing, since she
was the grand dame of the local food writing landscape before the Social Media Age, but pre-
millenials are likely to be aware of her workat least they should be, especially if they call
themselves food critics or the more contemporary term: foodies Like most great women,
Doreen was excellent at many things. She was an inspiring professor, a well-versed historian, a
highly acclaimed food critic, a loving wife, a treasured aunt, and so much more.

Doreens three decades of writing began with Geny Lopez and Santi Dumlao. They approached
her husband Wili Fernandez, esteemed interior designer, asking him to write a column for The
Manila Chronicle that would make mouths water. His reply: Ill eat and shell write (Besa,
18). At the time, she was already a professor, researcher, and writer, but did not have much
experience in the food industry. Naturally then, her first reaction was, But I dont have enough
of a vocabulary! How many words are there for delicious? (Tikim, xi). Little did she know at
the time that she would leave a massive legacy on the Philippine food writing industry and
Filipino culture itself.

As the famous but fictitious food critic Anton Ego from Disneys Ratatouille once said, You
know what Im craving? A little perspective. Thats it. Id like some clear, well-seasoned
perspective. Can you suggest a good wine to go with that? Doreen Fernandez undoubtedly
satisfies this craving for perspective with her writing. As a food critic, Doreen is best known for
her very shrewd and witty reflections on the dining experience and how every aspect of a dish,
from the ingredients, the cooking process, and even the presentation, represents our culture and
national identity. She considered herself more of a food historian than a critic, and as such,
worked relentlessly to perfect her craft. This is what makes her writing stand on its own and
merit review and reference decades later.

In Doreens narration of the importance of rice, which is almost always regarded as the sidekick
of a meal, she writes, What would we do without rice? Those who do manual labor would go
hungry midway through the gap between meals. And what would we take to go with kari-kari
tinapa, tuyo, tapa? Loaf bread? Only rice provides the mild, comfortable background that makes
the very salty, the highly flavored, logical and palatable (Savor the Word, 35). , Instead of
merely describing a sensation, she coaxes us to savor, to understand, to reflect, and most of all to
think critically.

The critical thinking that is very much present in her writing was likely developed from her years
as an English and creative writing professor at the Ateneo de Manila University. Maya Besa
Roxas, Doreens niece and custodian of Doreens library and body of work says: She would
take her students on food trips as part of her course. She would introduce them to farmers,
arrange for restaurants to prepare for them so they could sample local foods Even dishes such
as snake and adobong bayawak!(What does it taste like? I asked curiously. Like chicken,
she said.)

A common approach to food criticism today is to see it as the opportunity to have a free meal
and reporting it in detailed, synonym-filled description. Even more tragic is when the writing
focuses on food fads, celebrity chefs, and emphasis on where the society crowd dines. With the
rise of social media, every diner, every blogger, every Instagrammer is a critic. However, what
separates a good food critic from a forgettable one is, according to Roxas: inquisitiveness. She
further elaborates on Doreens influence in her own writing: Be inquisitive and come from a
scholarly background[dont just write] a simple press release. Tita Doreen never considered
herself a food critic, but a food researcher. For straightforward restaurant reviews, she always
said, Ill leave that to the kids. It was more important to her to look behind the food; its
meaning, what it says about the culture, where it came from.

It is highly probable that Doreens influence and her emphasis of the importance of the origins
behind the meals we take for granted is what led to the current trend of culinary anthropology.
Such courses are taught at schools today,. Those who write and read about the subject are
developing an interest in the history and evolution of cuisine instead of just eating and being on
their way. We see the organization and promotion of well-attended events such as the recent
Madrid Fusion Manila. The pen, or to be more current; the keyboard, truly is mightier than the
sword!

These days, having a byline in print or onscreen is neither as exclusive nor distinguishing as it
was before the Internet era. Anyone can post their opinion the simplest form of thought online.
The ever-quotable Doreen Fernandez, however, is relevant even 13 years after her passing in
2002. Why? She worked hard at everything she wrote. She researched, she theorized, and asked
the right questions at interviews. You have to think about the collective thought youre
contributing to, Maya Besa Roxas states. Uneducated opinions wont matter ten years from
now. Doreen has clearly survived the short-term attention span that our generation possesses
alongside instant gratification and an abundance of easy-access information (Thanks, Google!).
So, if you are serious about food writing, pick up a book by Doreen Fernandez: the
gastronomical researcher, cultural historian, and culinary anthropologist. Who better to learn
from than the Indiana Jones of food criticism?

What do you think of Doreen Fernandez? Who is your favorite food writer? Tell
us with a comment below!

Sources:
Tikim by Doreen Fernandez
Savor the Word Editors: Michaela Fenix, Maya Besa Roxas, Felice Prudente Sta. Maria
A tribute to Doreen Fernandezs exceptional taste in everything by Amanda Lago

*Special thanks to Ms. Maya Besa Roxas for sharing her personal insights about her Tita
Doreen Fernandez with us.

Shaking the tree of youth and memory

Santol
Family Meliaceae
Sandoricum koetjape (Burm. f. Merr.)
Katul (Sambali), Kantol (Mountain Province), Santol (most dialects)
Season: June to October

Santol. Photo Neal Oshima.

Santol is a native of India and Malaysiawhere it is called Sentul or Kecapiand is now found
in all tropical countries in Asia. It was probably introduced into the Philippines in prehistoric
times, and is now found in practically all parts of the countryboth cultivated and semi-wild in
backyards and second-growth forests at low and medium altitudes.

To most Filipinos, however, it is one of the most familiar of backyard or orchard trees: medium-
sized to large, reaching perhaps 15-25 meters in height, with leaves that change from light green
to dark green to red when about to fall. The flowers are pale green to greenish white and slightly

scented.

The two principal varieties of santol in the Philippines are the Native, which has small fruits
and constitutes the majority of trees in the country, and the Bangkok, which has large, sweet
fruits. It was introduced in 1949 from Thailand.

In the old days, santol was gathered by climbing the tree, or by shaking it. Now, knowing that the
fruits should be allowed to fully ripen on the tree, they are harvested with a net attached to a long
bamboo pole, then transferred to a bamboo basket which when full is lowered to the ground. The
fruits are sorted and placed in kaing lined with banana leaf, that contain 150-200 fruits. A full
grown native tree can produce twelve kaing of fruit every season.
The fruit is part of almost anyones childhood: rounded or somewhat flattened, green when
immature, turning dull or golden yellow, the skin thick. One opens the santol with a knife, or
more often by pressing it between the heels of ones palms. Inside are three to five seeds,
whitish, juicy, furry and fibrous, sour to sour-sweet, lovely to suck.

Most also know that the pulp surrounding is good to eatpeeled, sliced and soaked in sugar and
water. Bicolanos chop the rind and saute it with coconut milk and bagoonggulay na santol.
Bulakeos peel off the rind, and carve flower shapes into the pinkish pulp (bordado or
embroidered), which is then preserved in syrup. Ripe fruits are also made into santol jelly,
chutney, marmalade and candy.

When one no longer relishes the picking, opening and sucking of santol, then youth is really
over.

Gulay na Santol
from The Coconut Cookery of Bicol by Honesto C. General (Bookmark, Inc., 1994)

1 kilo santol
milk from the gratings of 2 medium-size coconuts using 1 cup water, preferably hot but
below the boiling point
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
thumb of ginger, crushed or sliced
1 bulb tanglad (lemon grass), crushed (optional)
1 heaping tablespoon balao (unfermented Bicolano bagoong)
100 grams dried fish (daing in Pilipino, badi in Bicol)
siling labuyo to taste, if desired
salt, to taste

Cut the whole ripe santol in halves. Discard the seeds. Grate the rind with a stationary grater. If
you do not have a grater, peel the rind and chop finely. Soak the rind in water. Then squeeze the
rind of as much liquid as possible. Discard the liquid.

Add the onion, garlic, ginger, tanglad, balao, dried fish, siling labuyo, and salt into the coconut
milk, first and second pressings combined. (The siling labuyo may also be reserved and later
served whole on the side.) Over high heat, bring the gata and other ingredients to a boil in a
kawali. Stir the mixture constantly. Stirring is absolutely essential to prevent curdling. Scrape in
any cream that sticks to the sides of the kawali. When the gata is a-boil, you should have a
smooth, thick sauce.

Into this boiling sauce, add the santol. Do not reduce the heat. Stir often to ensure even cooking.
When the vegetable is done, the dish is done. The water content should be lamost gone, leaving
just the oil. The final product should not be watery.
When the milk is reduced to its oil, the dish keeps for several days. Dont fret if you have cooked
too much. The leftovers are even more delicious the following day.