Filipino American Food

Layers of history defined the character of Filipino food long before it arrived on the shores of the United States, where it was further adapted into the cuisine it is today. Its foundation is Malay, though the country’s lack of large unifying kingdoms and its island nature allowed it to remain highly local and essentially simple—the cuisine of fisher folk and rice farmers. The primary source of protein lay off its 22,550 miles of coastline. Lightly cooked seafood and an abundance of vegetables accompanied large servings of rice.