Flavors of Ilocano Food with Mon Corpuz
Ilocano food called Dinendeng. Reproduced with permission. ©Mon Corpuz
The earliest depiction of Filipino food appears in the famous 1734 map of the Philippines by Padre Morillo Velarde. It was engraved by an Indio, Nicolas de la Cruz Bahay, one of the countries finest artists.
CARTA HYDROGRAPHICA Y CHOROGRAPHICA DE LA YSLAS FILIPINAS. MANILA, 1734 by Padre Morillo Velarde
Quirino, Philippine Cartography pp.45-61
It shows hunting, food vending, and the cultivation of crops. From early Filipino painters and photographers, it showcases food-related activities. Today, you can find Filipino food on photos, painting, illustrations, and mainly, on Instagram.
During the lockdown starting March this year, we were treated with @moncorpuz almost daily post of Filipino food on his Instagram feed. One of the things that surprised me the most is the display of Ilocano food with its informative caption on his feed.
About eleven percent of the Philippine population are Ilokano speakers. The Ilocano homeland consists of four provinces—Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, and Abra. Most Ilocanos are known as hardworking, thrifty, and as migrants. Most of the migrant Ilocanos have settled in the sparsely populated central plain of Luzon in the nineteenth century. This includes Pangasinan, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, and the Cagayan Valley in the northeast. They have also established themselves in Manila and Mindanao. They are also the first Filipinos to immigrate to the United States. Reaching Hawaii and California to work as farmers in the early 20th century. Making Ilokano food’s influence reach far and wide.
The Ilocanos are considered the champion of vegetable dishes. Their Pinakbet, traditionally consist of eggplant, ampalaya (bitter gourd), and okra layered with steamed bagoong and crushed tomato has become the national vegetable dish in the archipelago. Each region favors a different set of vegetables for their Pinakbet. Adding squash on a Pinakbet will raise any Ilocano’s eyebrow but it’s the version that you can find in any modern Filipino restaurant in the Metro. The authenticity of Pinakbet doesn’t just stop at excluding squash, you must also use the smaller variety of parya (ampalaya) and tarong (eggplant).
| Pinakbet | Pork Igado | Inabraw |
|---|---|---|
What I love about Filipino vegetables is that anything can be used as a “vegetable” by a method called “gugulayin” (to cook as a vegetable for a savory dish). From young stalk to root crops, stem, fresh leaves or dried leaves, riped or unripened fruits, fresh or dried fruits, and a variety of edible or ornamental flowers. Other regions used different kinds of vegetables too and Ilocanos have their own set of vegetables that are unique to them by combining produced from lowland and highland like Kalunay, Allukon, Saluyot, Panawil, et.al.
We talked to Mon Corpuz about his love for Ilocano food and what inspired him about cooking home-cooked meal.
What inspired you to start taking pictures of the food you cooked?
Mon Corpuz: My feed is composed of amazing foodies and chefs who were previous customers of our small farm in Tarlac that grows organic heirloom Philippine wild cherry tomatoes called “Paratipit”.
What do you like about Ilokano food?
MC: Ilocano food is constantly predictable and quintessential—what varies are the ingredients as they are dependent on seasons. Recipes are named after how they are cooked ie. Pinacbet (shriveled), Inabraw/Dinendeng (Boiled), Tinuno (Grilled), Inanger (Stewed), Inalseman (Soured), Pinaryaan (Cooked with ampalaya), Pinapaiitan (Cooked with ox bile), etc.
Who taught you how to cook?
I learn how to cook by observing my father and grandmother as I was tasked to watch our wood-fired stove (dalican) when I was a kid.
Where do you source your local ingredients in the city?
Happy to see that most groceries have a wide variety of lowland vegetables. Seasonal produces are sourced from Tarlac public market or harvested from our farm.
What can we learn about our culture by learning how to cook local food?
Local food is a family heritage—in preparing these home-cooked meals, we pay tribute to family traditions or simply can reminisce family moments when we first learned how to cook the dish. Each family has different ways of cooking a recipe and by observing laborious preparation and cooking methods, we pay homage to our roots. Another thing I learned while doing this is that we share so many ingredients, cooking styles, and preparation with our regions, we may differ in a few steps but our food gathers us together.
What advice can you give to anyone interested in cooking Ilokano food?
Learn to love fish bagoong and patis (fish sauce). Everything we cooked is based on these Ilocano staples.
Mon Corpuz is Tarlac-born and raised. He is a UX designer and a photographer. He founded Black Pencil Project in 2008, a social media-based, civilian volunteer organization whose aim is to work with remote and indigenous Philippine communities to promote child's primary education and welfare.
You can find more of his home-cooked Ilocano food on Instagram, @moncorpuz.