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Káin Ná! A celebration of Filipino food illustrated by artist Mariel Ylagan Garcia

‘Eating the Filipino way is not only a celebration of cooking but of how valuable relationships are’

Felice Prudence Sta. Maria and Bryan Koh explore the cuisine, but don’t include recipes

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Káin ná’!, an illustrated guide to Philippine food by Felice Prudente Sta. Maria and Bryan Koh. Photo: Antony Dickson

Published: 5:00am, 27 Sep 2019Updated: 6:17am, 27 Sep 2019

Any food lover interested in exploring Filipino cuisine should look into Káin Ná! (2019). There are no recipes, sadly, but there are plenty of charming illustrations by artist Mariel Ylagan Garcia.

The writers are Filipino culinary historian Felice Prudente Sta. Maria and Singaporean cookbook author Bryan Koh, who wrote the excellent Milk Pigs & Violet Gold (2013), which also focused on Filipino food.

In the introduction, they write, “Filipinos seem to prefer a variety of dishes served altogether at a meal. The ‘eat all you can buffet’ satisfies the native craving, and desire for variety has made the Philippine meal flexible. Even the simplest repast of rice and a tiny piece of fish has hidden complexities ...

“One is expected to be spontaneous in combining and sequencing the tastes and flavours of every menu … But a meal is far more than just filling your stomach.

An illustration from the book. Photo: Antony Dickson

“Eating the Filipino way, however, is not only a celebration of cooking but of how valuable relationships are. ‘Káin ná’ is the call to table. It means, ‘let us eat now.” The nationwide preference is to dine with others.