Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Filipino Christmas food did not look the same a hundred years ago. As ingredients changed and new influences arrived, families adapted their Noche Buena dishes to fit their lives and tastes.
This episode looks back at holiday recipes from the 1900s and how they reveal the creativity, practicality, and history behind Filipino celebrations.
Resources:
1. Felice Prudente Sta. Maria (main source)
- The Lure of Liking and Being Liked: Philippine Cuisine at the Turn of the Nineteenth Century.
Budhi: A Journal of Ideas and Culture, Ateneo de Manila University.
- The Governor-General’s Kitchen: Philippine Culinary Vignettes and Period Recipes, 1521–1935.
Anvil Publishing, 2014.
- Food and Life in the Philippines During the American Period.
2. Doreen G. Fernandez
- Tikim: Essays on Philippine Food and Culture. Anvil Publishing, 1994.
- Culture Ingested: Notes on the Indigenization of Philippine Food.
3. Trade & Food Imports (1898–1930) (American Period: Imports & Retail Expansion)
- Doeppers, Daniel. Food Supply and Colonial Change in Manila, 1850–1940. Journal of Asian Studies.
- Rafael, Vicente. White Love and Other Events in Filipino History.
- Almario, Virgilio (ed.). Food in Philippine History. Cultural Center of the Philippines.
4. archive.org/details/masasarap-na-lutuing-pilipino
5. PASKO, The Philippine Christmas. Reynaldo Gamboa Alejandro, Lourdes B. Ilusorio, Melissa Y. Moran
Jump to:
(0:00) Intro
(1:06) Christmas Roulade Bangus Belly
(4:07) Parol Terrine
(7:18) Dulong Fish
(10:13) Meat Turnovers
(14:17) Divine Food for the Gods
(16:47) Lengua Mechada
(19:47) Let's Eat!, Outro
-------------------------------
We are looking for collaborators, content producers, brands, and anyone who has a story to tell. Email us at hello@thefatkidinside.com
The Fat Kid Inside Studios
Erwan Heussaff - Founder
Kashka Gaddi - Content Producer
Eamonn Quizon - Cinematographer
Edel Valera - Story Producer
Harold Singzon - Story Producer
Mary Lournette Baligod - Story Producer
Kleo Balares - Supervising Producer
Hans Rivera - Multimedia Producer
Janelle Sy - Content Producer
Julius Rivera - Videographer
Lorraine Santos - Editor
Dana Blaze - Editor
Kim Arroyo - Editor
Whilhem Lorena - Multimedia Editor
RM Alfonso - Multimedia Editor
Martin Narisma - Food Editor
Ynna Gaita - Junior Food Editor
Kathryna de Bustos - Social Media and Content Manager
Chester Velasco - Studio Manager & Camera Operator
Kevin Amponin - Production Assistant
Dustin Dagamac - Colorist
Sofia Paderes - Graphic Artist & Illustrator
Joshua Gonzales - Graphic Designer
Dajed Binauhan - Multimedia Artist
Bianca Adriano - Accounts & Sales Coordinator
Roanne Salvacion - Administrative Accountant
Donalyn Aranda - Accounting Assistant
Jennylyn Quizon - Accounting Staff
Content Creators:
Seth Alonzo
Samuelle Bawasanta
Trisha Chua
Nica Soledad
Social Media:
instagram.com/featrmedia
twitter.com/featrmedia
facebook.com/featrmedia
instagram.com/erwan
twitter.com/erwanheussaff
Filipino Christmas food did not look the same a hundred years ago. As ingredients changed and new influences arrived, families adapted their Noche Buena dishes to fit their lives and tastes.
This episode looks back at holiday recipes from the 1900s and how they reveal the creativity, practicality, and history behind Filipino celebrations.
Resources:
1. Felice Prudente Sta. Maria (main source)
- The Lure of Liking and Being Liked: Philippine Cuisine at the Turn of the Nineteenth Century.
Budhi: A Journal of Ideas and Culture, Ateneo de Manila University.
- The Governor-General’s Kitchen: Philippine Culinary Vignettes and Period Recipes, 1521–1935.
Anvil Publishing, 2014.
- Food and Life in the Philippines During the American Period.
2. Doreen G. Fernandez
- Tikim: Essays on Philippine Food and Culture. Anvil Publishing, 1994.
- Culture Ingested: Notes on the Indigenization of Philippine Food.
3. Trade & Food Imports (1898–1930) (American Period: Imports & Retail Expansion)
- Doeppers, Daniel. Food Supply and Colonial Change in Manila, 1850–1940. Journal of Asian Studies.
- Rafael, Vicente. White Love and Other Events in Filipino History.
- Almario, Virgilio (ed.). Food in Philippine History. Cultural Center of the Philippines.
4. archive.org/details/masasarap-na-lutuing-pilipino
5. PASKO, The Philippine Christmas. Reynaldo Gamboa Alejandro, Lourdes B. Ilusorio, Melissa Y. Moran
Jump to:
(0:00) Intro
(1:06) Christmas Roulade Bangus Belly
(4:07) Parol Terrine
(7:18) Dulong Fish
(10:13) Meat Turnovers
(14:17) Divine Food for the Gods
(16:47) Lengua Mechada
(19:47) Let's Eat!, Outro
-------------------------------
We are looking for collaborators, content producers, brands, and anyone who has a story to tell. Email us at hello@thefatkidinside.com
The Fat Kid Inside Studios
Erwan Heussaff - Founder
Kashka Gaddi - Content Producer
Eamonn Quizon - Cinematographer
Edel Valera - Story Producer
Harold Singzon - Story Producer
Mary Lournette Baligod - Story Producer
Kleo Balares - Supervising Producer
Hans Rivera - Multimedia Producer
Janelle Sy - Content Producer
Julius Rivera - Videographer
Lorraine Santos - Editor
Dana Blaze - Editor
Kim Arroyo - Editor
Whilhem Lorena - Multimedia Editor
RM Alfonso - Multimedia Editor
Martin Narisma - Food Editor
Ynna Gaita - Junior Food Editor
Kathryna de Bustos - Social Media and Content Manager
Chester Velasco - Studio Manager & Camera Operator
Kevin Amponin - Production Assistant
Dustin Dagamac - Colorist
Sofia Paderes - Graphic Artist & Illustrator
Joshua Gonzales - Graphic Designer
Dajed Binauhan - Multimedia Artist
Bianca Adriano - Accounts & Sales Coordinator
Roanne Salvacion - Administrative Accountant
Donalyn Aranda - Accounting Assistant
Jennylyn Quizon - Accounting Staff
Content Creators:
Seth Alonzo
Samuelle Bawasanta
Trisha Chua
Nica Soledad
Social Media:
instagram.com/featrmedia
twitter.com/featrmedia
facebook.com/featrmedia
instagram.com/erwan
twitter.com/erwanheussaff
