Filipino Food - Kare Kare

If you look through the past blogs I've written you will find two about food, 'balut' and 'halo halo'. I think those two are a good start but let's continue with some more Filipino foods.

There's a long list of foods here that a non-Filipino might find odd. Many Asian foods in general are quite different than what the Western palette is used to (when I say 'Western' I'm referring to the McDonalds eaters of the Western world - Mr. Burger and Fries, not the Westerners who are open to the odd food eating challenge) . Although balut was featured in an episode of 'Fear Factor' not all Filipino foods are as 'disgusting' to the Western palette. Some are pretty tasty. Today we're going to talk about kare-kare.

Kare-kare is a Philippine stew. It is made from peanut sauce with a variety of vegetables, stewed oxtail, beef, and occasionally offal or tripe. Meat variants may include goat meat or chicken. It is often eaten with bagoong (shrimp paste), sometimes spiced with chili, and sprinkled with calamansi lime juice.

The reason I bring up kare-kare, as with most foods in the world, I often wonder how they were first invented. Did someone set out to invent a meat stew that tastes like peanut butter or did it happen by accident? According to information I found on the internet, kare-kare came from Pampanga, known as the Culinary Center of the Philippines. Some say that the name comes from a corruption of the word "curry", and that the dish evolved from the cooking the Indians did who settled in the area of Cainta, Rizal many years ago.

This is the official history ... but I have my own. There is a commercial I remember watching when I was young. It was advertising Reeces Peanut Butter Cups. The invention of Reeces Peanut Butter Cups, according to the commercial, occurred one day when two joggers were out jogging and for some odd reason, one was eating a chocolate bar as he ran and the other was eating peanut butter as he ran. Little did each know that they were running towards each other and then - BAM - they collided. The chocolate fell into the peanut butter, the joggers tasted it, loved it, and Reeces Peanut Butter Cups were born. I think kare-kare shares the same origin as Reeces Peanut Butter Cups. Imagine two Pinoy joggers; one jogging with a jar of peanut butter, and the other jogging with a big slab of beef. They collide and there's beef and peanut butter everywhere. Our two pinoy friends - although embarrassed about the accident - decide to make something positive of the whole situation and share the beef and peanut butter mix with all the villagers who saw the accident. They cook it up, someone adds some vegetables, and there you have it, kare-kare is born.

This is my story and I'm sticking to it. The Kenniverse is here to rewrite Filipino history!

Here's your kare-kare. You can have a peanut butter cup for dessert.