Italian Chef Reacts to Filipino Chef Cooking Spaghetti 3 Different Ways

Thanks again for the review, my friend! I wish you roasted me more — I’ll take this as a challenge 😈 You are always welcome to visit the Philippines, I’ll prepare the hotdogs, banana ketchup, and the cream in carbonara hahahaha Kidding aside, Filipinos having a different take on the traditional spaghetti is a matter of localizing the dish according to the palate, accessibility and affordability. Pecorino for example can only be found in few delicatessens in the urban area and could cost more (around Php 400-800 for a single use) than an average Filipino’s daily wage (Php 500-600). Fish sauce, we use because it adds both saltiness and umami. In my opinion, it’s just important now to be aware and properly label the recipe. As long as we don’t call the sweet one “authentic”, we can still be friends 😂

Should I plan a trip to the Philippines and try the Sweet Spaghetti? :_FoodFather::_Gesture:

The story of banana ketchup dates back to World War II, when there was a shortage of tomato ketchup in the Philippines. In an effort to create a similar condiment, food manufacturers turned to bananas, which were abundant in the country. They mixed mashed bananas with vinegar, sugar, and spices to create a sauce that was similar in flavor to tomato ketchup. This is why we use Banana ketchup in our spaghetti.

Okay, just a disclaimer. Fish sauce is mainly used in the northern part of the Philippines. We from the south rarely use fish sauce. We use salt in our dishes. It's going to be an acquired taste to get used to fish sauce. What I noticed is that dishes from the north of the country always have fish sauce in it.

Points you can take from the Filipino perspective: 1. Fish sauce is probably the same as what you Italians call colatura de alici or garum. It imparts a great salty and umami flavor from the salted and fermented fish (there are good quality fish sauce that doesn't have that strong fishy flavor and odor) and is often used as a liquid alternative to salt. Cooks use it if they want to not only impart saltiness to the dish, but also the savory umami from the fish. 2. Filipino style spaghetti sauce is tomato sauce which is pre-seasoned and with might be a sacrilegious amount of sugar in it. As you have already knew, Filipinos like their sweet flavor and are not used to the acidic flavor of just pure tomato sauce. 3. Banana ketchup, from what I remember from the top of my head (someone fact check me if ever) originated during the American Occupation. Tomato Ketchup was introduced in the Filipino palate but due to the war and shortages, Filipinos developed an alternative ketchup by using bananas, which are abundant in the country, instead of tomatoes. They have concocted the banana puree I guess with a usual seasonings of a tomato ketchup i.e. vinegar, spices, etc. Because of the sweetness of the bananas, it became a household favorite condiment in the country, and like how it is with tomato sauce, Filipinos like it better than the tangy taste of tomato ketchup. 4. You definitely hit the spot on Filipino spaghetti being a child's meal. But some adults do still eat it especially during birthday parties. It reminds them of what they were used to in their youth, although I see most adults would rather opt for the local noodle dishes and sometimes the sacrilegious cream carbonara pasta that are more savoury than sweet nowadays. I really hope this helps in gaining insight.

Vincenzo, in Asia garlic is often overcooked on purpose and then the onion sweat stops the garlic from burning. Indians cook the same way. And fish sauce early in the dish is really good, believe it or not. When added early the fishiness goes away and you just get the nice umami. It pairs beautifully with beef, just like anchovies. Try it, you'll be surprised. I bet the Romans did the same thing when they made fish sauce centureis ago.

That’s why Vincenzo is loved by many, he is brutally honest and won’t be surprised if he does the same to his wife. To share my 2 cents here, as the economy in the Philippines grows, many Filipinos in the last 20-30 years are expanding their food selection from Italian, French and Greek and other western cuisines. As a retired hotel food & beverage employee in Vancouver for 30 years, I find Italian cooking the hardest to emulate for many reasons. “There are very few cultures that achieve the level of culinary excellence with the simplicity in their recipes like the Italians have. Many of their most iconic dishes have 5 ingredients or less. Making these dishes taste good require exceptional quality of ingredients and a lot of dedicated practice as a cook. This translates to some of the strongest farming and food production (e.g. cheese and pasta) traditions in the world. It’s not difficult to find delicious food anywhere in the world, but the sheer simplicity with which the Italians achieve it deserve our attention and respect.” - This is a quote from an expert.

I'm Filipino and I really laughed out loud at your reactions. I wonder what your reaction will be if you saw someone adding soy sauce to their spaghetti recipe. 🤣

The Filipino palate is more on the "extreme" side if I might say. Meaning we like our food salty,sweet,sour and far from being bland. So if ever you do visit the Philippines,please keep an open mind to various tastes and not the typical flavors you might be used to. As to the ingredients.more often than not we use products which are readily available in the market, because sometimes what may seem as simple ingredients in your area maybe quite expensive or cannot be easily found in the Philippines,hence we adapt or substitute with whatever ingredient is available.😊

It's not just the Philippines, all of Asia is basically is into the sweeter version of tomato sauce, I lived in Japan for 7 years, my wife is Japanese and its the same thing. For whatever reason, Asians like European pasta to be sweet, but their own ramen or whatever noodles are as savory as ever. It's really a mystery where this dichotomy erupted.

I love the way you comment on the cooking Vicenzo. I know how critical Italian's are about their pasta and pizza, but the way you deliver your comment is very respectful and without prejudice. Love it man. God bless

Chef Vincenzo, there was a time after World War II when tomatoes were so expensive. Since bananas were/have always been abundant in our land and way cheaper/affordable, the Filipinos found a way to create ketchup using the available resources. Banana ketchup is just ketchup made of bananas instead of tomatoes. Somehow, the taste of banana ketchup became a massive hit to the local masses, and so banana ketchup became a staple among Filipino household. Filipinos love anything sweet, sour, and salty. So it's no wonder we love sweet spaghetti. It's a Filipino thing. No offense to Italians, but true Italian spaghetti is a little too sour for our palate. You have to develop a taste for it. Also, many Filipinos have not been exposed to Italian cuisine. As for me, I eat both Italian and Filipino spaghetti. I have no problem switching from one plate to another. I live in Canada and I have easy access to Italian dishes.

If you're replacing the salt with fish sauce, I think it could be interesting. Fish sauce is very similar to Garum, the fish sauce the ancient Romans loved so they would probably like it.

Sadly, it is very difficult to find Pecorino Romano in the Philippines. We got the short end of the stick when it comes to dairy products. The average grocer would not have heavy cream, half and half, buttermilk. Most stores would only have full cream milk, condensed, evaporated, and fresh milk, and nestlé cream. For cheeses, we mostly have blocks of processed cheese that imitate cheddar. Though there are some farms that manufacture artisanal cheeses, they have very small yields and are often cornered by restaurant suppliers. We have no choice but to buy from specialty stores that import dairy products at inflated prices.

I am a Filipino but we've never put condensed milk in our spaghetti. But lately, I realized adding sugar is good, not only in Spaghetti but also in other salty dishes. But at the same time I also love the sour-taste of the Italian style.

Filipinos have a deep affection for spaghetti as it is a familiar dish. During our childhood, our parents frequently served it to us during birthday festivities. As youngsters, we have a natural inclination for sweet food, so we tend to desire more of it. As a result, birthday parties are incomplete without spaghetti, as well as other foods like Lumpiang Shanghai that we always prepare during these celebrations. Try it, when you do, let us know 🙂

My grandfather was Dutch-Indonesian and he used to put Ketjap Manis (sweet soy sauce) and Sambal Badjak (shrimp / chili paste) in his spaghetti sauce.

😂 Italian chefs freaking out about their pasta is always somewhat epic. I wish they somehow appreciate the evolution of Pasta so as how the Chinese Lamian evolved to Japanese Ramen and Korean Ramyun. As there is not enough italian tomatoes to accomodate the world’s demand, definitely adaptation/variations will happen. 🤟🏼

it’s true that sweet or Filipino style spaghetti were made usually for kids during children’s party here in the Philippines.. But, children before are grown ups now, and sometimes (specially those who lives abroad for a long time) has this nostalgic feeling or cravings of sweet spaghetti when they visit the Philippines again, and it’s in Jollibee where they can find it easily.. That’s why most Filipinos coming back here has Jollibee their first destination before going home.

Thank you very much sir for being respectful and understanding of the Filipino style spaghetti. 🙏 I also appreciate how you keep an open mind watching how it's made since coming from an Italian palate, it really would be unusual and weird. 🙏