Product Description

"[Cendrillon is] daring, different and a sure remedy for the malady, too widespread these days, of dining déjà vu."-Frank Bruni, the New York Times

The essence of Filipino food has always remained somewhat secluded in the family kitchens of Filipino homes, passed down through the generations, melding native traditions with those of Chinese, Spanish, and American cuisines. With Memories of Philippine Kitchens Amy Besa and Romy Dorotan, owners and chef at Soho's popular Cendrillon restaurant, present a fascinating look at Filipino cuisine and culture. They have spent years tracing the traditions of the food of the Philippines, and here they share the results of that research. From Lumpia, Pancit, and Kinilaw to Adobo and Lehon (the art of the well-roasted pig), the authors document dishes and culinary techniques that are rapidly disappearing and in some cases unknown to Filipinos whether in the Philippines or abroad.

In addition to offering more than 100 unique recipes culled from private Filipino kitchens and their own acclaimed menu, Besa and Dorotan vividly document the role of food in Filipino society, both old and new. Filled with hundreds of sumptuous photographs by the esteemed Filipino photographer Neal Oshima and colorful stories of food memories from the authors and other notable local cooks, the book is a joy to peruse both in and out of the kitchen.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #30252 in Books
• Published on: 2006-11-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 208 pages

About the Author
Both Philippines natives, Amy Besa and Romy Dorotan own and operate Cendrillon, a popular restaurant they opened in New York in 1995, where Dorotan is the highly acclaimed chef.

Neal Oshima is the principal photographer of more than two dozens books on Philippine and Asian culture, seven of which have won Philippine National Book Awards. He lives in the Philippines.

Customer Reviews

Must buy!
I would like to thank you for your great service! I got my products in great shape! I have friends who also own this wonderful product, and they have great comments about this book. The recipes are very authentic and true to what the Philippines would serve. It is great that the recipes are also translated where Filipino-Americans would be able to understand the English equivalent of certain ingredients. This book is also great for portraying the origins of most every Filipino dishes. All I can is...this book is very much worth to own! Buy it!

Best book on Filipino cuisine
Simply one of the best books about Filipino cuisine out there. I love the concept of showcasing each region as well as the painstaking research that went into this.

The headnotes in each chapter provide so much color and context to the recipes that follow them. If you ask me, they outshine the recipes themselves.

As someone who grew up in the Philippines and now resides in the US, this 'cookbook' made me so nostalgic for the food that I grew up with, especially the ones I will never find here in the US.

AN INSIGHT TO FILIPINO FOOD & CULTURE
I'm an Australian Filipino, born in the Phillipines but raised in Australia. Therefore, my knowledge in Filipino food is minimal & somewhat 'westernised'. This book has helped me relearn the essences of filipino cuisine. The authors have their own restaurant Cendrillion in New York, I have been admiring there work from their website [...] since I can't visit just yet.

This book includes many beautiful photographs, more than most cook books I've seen. There are small photos demonstrating the steps in the more complex recipes, photos of filipino food & culture - markets, typical filipino kitchens, methods of cooking, there is also many photographs & indepth stories of the authors family & ancestors through out the book.

I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in the Filipino way of cooking & living. Whether or not you are filipino, this book will certainly stay with you forever, and if your're like me - filipino born but raised elsewhere, everytime you pick this book up it will definately bring back 'memories'.