Food is the first introduction into a new culture — and celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain is predicting mainstream America will fall in love with Filipino food through one dish: sisig.
The dish, mainly made up of the parts of a pig that most Americans typically avoid — the head and liver — is typically seasoned with calamansi, onions and chili peppers. It is usually served sizzling over rice and an egg.
“Americans and American palates are just now starting to become seriously interested,” Bourdain said in an interview with CNN Philippines’ “The Source” in June.
Calling the dish “casual, accessible, [and] exactly what you need after a few beers,” Bourdain plans to take the dish into his New York street market called Bourdain Market, opening in 2019.
“I think Filipinos embraced America and were embraced by America in a way that other cultures might not have been,” he continued. “I think Filipinos in America maybe underrated their own food. They used to be mocked for balut [a hard-boiled duck embryo].”
In his CNN food and travel show “Parts Unknown,” he explores the many varieties and wonders of Philippine cuisine, something that has taken up an interest in mainstream America. Foods such as ube, the sweet, bright purple yam used in many Filipino desserts and adobo, a vinegar-braised meat dish, have also gotten the attention of people being introduced to Filipino food.
With “Bon Appetit” naming Washington, DC-based Filipino restaurant Bad Saint the second-best restaurant in the entire country, Filipino food spots such as LA’s The Park’s Finest and New York’s Jeepney have also been putting Filipino food on the map.
