How Arab cuisine is influencing the dining scene in Philippine capital

Filipino guests enjoy Saudi food at Arabic House restaurant in Manila, Nov. 8, 2024. (Arabic House)
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  • Family-style Middle Eastern meals align with Filipino get-together traditions
  • Exposure to Arab cuisine is making Filipinos appreciate its nutritional value

MANILA: More and more Middle Eastern restaurants are popping up across Manila, influencing Filipino dining with flavors and styles that differ from local food traditions.

Everywhere you turn, there is a new spot serving comforting, smooth, creamy hummus, perfectly grilled juicy kebabs, shawarma with tender, seasoned meat wrapped in pita, and more.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e everywhere and I love it,鈥� said Jacob Lazaro, a journalist in the Philippine capital, who has developed a taste for Arab food over the past few years. And he is far from alone.

For fellow Manilenos, Trisha Santa Cruz and her husband, a trip to Meshwe 鈥� a Lebanese restaurant in the capital region鈥檚 Quezon City 鈥� has become a habit, especially after workout, when they want to eat healthy food.

鈥淚t鈥檚 complete with protein, there are carbs, and there are always vegetables. So it鈥檚 complete, very palatable to our taste,鈥� Santa Cruz said.

The owner of Meshwe, Nathaniel Mounayer, who opened the restaurant in 2013, has in recent years noticed a growing interest in Middle Eastern food among Filipinos.

鈥淲hen I was still a college student, Middle Eastern food was a very niche market ... but the Filipino palate has been growing ever since, and we鈥檙e getting more and more newcomers 鈥� not necessarily people who have visited the Middle East, just people who want to explore and try different cuisines,鈥� he said.

Filipino customers were initially most interested in barbecued meat dishes, and the restaurant catered to them. This is also reflected in its name, which is Arabic for 鈥済rilled.鈥� Over time, however, especially when the spot became popular with Arab students, Mounayer started cooking traditional Levantine home meals for them, which included vegetable specialties.

鈥淔ilipinos were like: 鈥楬ey, can we try?鈥� From then, it grew, and it grew, and we started adding them into our menu regularly,鈥� he said.

鈥淔ilipinos have always been very adventurous in trying different cuisines. So, it gives us, as a restaurant, as a chef, more confidence to introduce not only the typical Middle Eastern dishes, but (also) dive into more regional, more traditional home cooking.鈥�

More exposure to Arab cuisine has allowed Filipinos to also appreciate its nutritional value and the way the dishes are cooked.

鈥淚 like Middle Eastern food because I know it鈥檚 halal and healthy. I trust the way it was prepared. My introduction to Middle Eastern food was through the shawarma. Then I tried hummus and kebab. I also discovered mulukhiyah, or we call it saluyot, and their special desserts,鈥� Baleno Reyes, a government worker, told Arab News.

鈥淣ow, I usually order Middle Eastern food online instead of pizzas, which used to be my go-to food when I didn鈥檛 feel like cooking. Growing up, it was always pizza for me ... as a kid I always loved pizza. But now, it鈥檚 time to go healthy.鈥�

In their weekend evening outings, Filipinos most often opt for shawarma. Friends Weng, Rissa, Joey and Hannah, who were enjoying the dish at The Melting Potluck in Quezon City, said they were 鈥渢eam shawarma鈥� and would not pass up any opportunity to have it together.

鈥淲henever we get together, it鈥檚 not possible without shawarma. It鈥檚 automatic,鈥� Weng said, as the others laughed.

鈥淚t鈥檚 filling, not oily, and of course it鈥檚 delicious,鈥� Hannah added. 鈥淓specially when there鈥檚 garlic sauce and it鈥檚 spicy.鈥�

The Palestinian owner of The Melting Potluck, Khaldoun Asad, estimated that 99 percent of his customers were Filipinos.

When he opened the restaurant eight years ago, shawarma was the only dish he sold.

鈥淚t was a shawarma wrap with pita bread, and then we introduced rice. The Filipino people love rice. After that we put up another dish, hummus, and they loved it. And then we put up biryani and kebab, and all these dishes are our best sellers,鈥� he said.

The flavors that he offered were the same as those he would prepare for his children at home. He believed that authenticity of flavor was what would attract Filipinos most.

鈥淚 did not make any adjustments. I stick to the originality of our food and that鈥檚 what the people love about it,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f you taste our shawarma, it鈥檚 very authentic ... and they love the authentic flavor.鈥�

Middle Eastern restaurants are giving Filipinos a taste of something new, and they鈥檙e embracing it 鈥� along with the shared, family-style meals that perfectly align with the Filipino 鈥渟alu-salo鈥� (get-together) traditions.

Mohamed Al-Malek, a restaurant owner from 抖阴短视频 who opened Arabic House in Manila two years ago, said the Arab style of dining 鈥渁ligns perfectly鈥� with Filipino culture.

鈥淔ilipinos love family-style meals, and sharing platters like what we have in our menu makes Middle Eastern cuisine a natural fit,鈥� he told Arab News.

鈥淥ver the years, I鈥檝e seen a growing curiosity and appreciation for international cuisines, including Middle Eastern dishes, as Filipinos become more adventurous with their dining choices. Middle Eastern cuisine has seen remarkable growth.鈥�

Besides Filipino expats returning from Arab countries and Arabs settling in the Philippines, the driving factor for this growth has also been a 鈥渕ix of curiosity about international flavors鈥� and the 鈥渞ise of health-conscious eating,鈥� which boosts interest in dishes such as hummus, moutabal and mulukhiyah, Al-Malek said.

鈥淢iddle Eastern cuisine is carving its own niche. While Japanese and Italian are staples, Middle Eastern food offers something unique with its bold flavors and communal style. The future looks exciting.鈥�