Drinking culture of the Philippines

Last updated

The Philippines has its own unique drinking culture and practices that are based on influences from its Austronesian heritage to the colonial influences of Spain, the United States, and Japan.

Contents

History of Philippine drinking culture

The Philippines is an archipelago located in Southeast Asia. [1] In 1521, Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer, landed on the bays of Mactan, Cebu. This was the start of the Spanish colonization period in the Philippines. [2] However, even before the colonizers arrived at the bays of the Philippines, cultures and tribes, with their own social structure and customs, already proliferated in the different parts of the archipelago. [2] In fact, these ethnic groups already had products of fermented and alcoholic beverages. According to Blair and Robertson, Magellan first came upon coconut wine (tuba), or wine made out of coconut palm, and its distilled variety. [3] A record describing how early Cebuanos made tuba states:

“They bore a hole into the heart of the said [coconut] palm at the top called palamito, from which distils a liquor which resembles white mist. That liquor is sweet but somewhat tart, and [is gathered] in canes [of bamboo] as thick as the leg and thicker. They fasten the bamboo to the tree at evening for the morning, and in the morning for the evening.“ [3]

Types of liquor pre-Spanish period

According to Demeterio, early Visayans made five different kinds of liquor namely; Tuba, Kabawaran, Pangasi, Intus, and Alak. [4]

Tuba, as said before, is a liquor made by boring a hole into the heart of a coconut palm which is then stored in bamboo canes.5 Furthermore, this method was brought to Mexico by Philippine tripulantes that escaped from Spanish trading ships. [4]

Kabawaran are made out of the bark of the tree of the same name, or Neolitsea Villosa. The bark is boiled and then mixed with molasses. After which, it is left to be fermented. This type of drink is also called as “mead” in the Europe [4]

Pangasi on the other hand, is made out of rice or wheat, so it can be considered as a variant of rice wine. It is inoculated with a yeast culture which the early Viasayans called “tapay”. [4]

Intus is a wine made out of sugar canes. The juice of sugar canes are then boiled and reduced to half. Once this has reduced, this can be drunk already as it is. Some continue the process and add the same bark used in Kabawaran once the reduction has cooled down. [4]

Alak is considered as the distilled version of any of the other four. [4]

Alcohol drinking etiquette

Early Filipinos, according to records, drank in large quantities. During ceremonies, events, and communal recreational activities, drinking was almost required while drinking during meals are often custom. [5] Furthermore, refusing to accept the offer of alcohol was considered as disrespectful. Furthermore, food was often shared as members of the community would sing tunes. [5]

According to Antonio Pigafetta, early Filipinos in Limasawa, Southern Leyte toasted in a specific manner. “They raise their hands to the heaven first, then take the drinking vessel in their right hand and extend the fist of their left hand toward the company." [6] The now popular “tagay” originated from the same time period. The difference between this from the other manner of drinking is this generally refers to the round-robin style of sharing one drinking glass.

Modern Philippine drinking culture

Today, Filipino drinking sessions are called inuman and are normally a planned event rather than an extension of a meal. The persons celebrating in an inuman perform tagayan as a cheers to the event. The person who pours drinks for the participants is called the tanggero. When the participants want to cheer they raise their glasses together and say "tagay". [7]

Karaoke, mainly known locally as videoke , is a standard activity Filipinos participate in while drinking. Many inumans include a karaoke machine for the purpose of singing karaoke. [7]

Filipinos sometimes perform "Alay sa Demonyo" before beginning their drinking sessions. Alay sa Demonyo means “offering to the devil”. The tanggero offers some of the alcohol by pouring it from the bottle cap, to the ground. This is to prevent spirits from disturbing the session as the party continues throughout the night. [7]

People involved in an inuman are often members of a barkada or a family of relatives. [7]

Finger foods eaten with the drinks are often called pulutan and commonly include the following foods: sisig , chicharon , lechon, inihaw and crispy pata. [8]

There are also clubs and resto bars that people usually go to after-work to drink and chill with their peers, family and friends. These places are open during night time until midnight or early hours of the morning which are commonly crowded on weekends. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cebu</span> Province in Central Visayas, Philippines

Cebu, officially the Province of Cebu, is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas (Region VII) region, and consists of a main island and 167 surrounding islands and islets. Its capital and largest city is Cebu City, nicknamed "the Queen City of the South", the oldest city and first capital of the Philippines, which is politically independent from the provincial government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palm wine</span> Alcoholic beverage made from tree sap

Palm wine, known by several local names, is an alcoholic beverage created from the sap of various species of palm trees such as the palmyra, date palms, and coconut palms. It is known by various names in different regions and is common in various parts of Africa, the Caribbean, South America, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Micronesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Leyte</span> Province in Eastern Visayas, Philippines

Southern Leyte, officially the Province of Southern Leyte, is a province in the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is the city of Maasin. Southern Leyte comprised the third congressional district Leyte until it was made into an independent province in 1959. Southern Leyte includes Limasawa, an island to the south where the first Roman Catholic Mass in Philippine soil is believed to have taken place and thus considered to be the birthplace of Roman Catholicism in the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lapulapu</span> Datu of Mactan (fl. 1521)

Lapulapu or Lapu-Lapu, whose name was first recorded as Çilapulapu, was a datu (chief) of Mactan, an island now part of the Philippines. Lapulapu is known for the 1521 Battle of Mactan, where he and his men defeated Spanish forces led by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and his native allies Rajah Humabon and Datu Zula. Magellan's death in battle ended his voyage of circumnavigation and delayed the Spanish occupation of the islands by over forty years until the expedition of Miguel López de Legazpi in 1564.

<i>Aguardiente</i> Generic term for alcoholic beverages containing 29% to 60% alcohol by volume

Aguardente (Portuguese), or aguardiente (Spanish), is a type of distilled alcoholic spirit that contains between 29% and 60% alcohol by volume (ABV). It is a somewhat generic term that can refer to liquors made from various foods. It originates from and is typically consumed on the Iberian Peninsula and in Iberian America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arrack</span> Distilled alcoholic drink typically produced in South and Southeast Asia

Arrack is a distilled alcoholic drink typically produced in India, Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia, made from the fermented sap of coconut flowers or sugarcane, and also with grain or fruit depending upon the country of origin. It is sometimes spelled arak, or simply referred to as 'rack or 'rak. It is not to be confused with the anise-flavored distilled spirit called arak or araq. In many parts of India arrack is colloquially known as "desi daru".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waray people</span> Ethnic group in the Philippines

The Waray people are a subgroup of the larger ethnolinguistic group Bisaya people, who constitute the 4th largest Filipino ethnolinguistic group in the Philippines. Their primary language is the Waray language, an Austronesian language native to the islands of Samar, Leyte and Biliran, which together comprise the Eastern Visayas Region of the Philippines. Waray people inhabit most of Samar where they are called Samareños/Samarnons, the northern part of the island of Leyte where they are called Leyteños, and the island of Biliran. In Leyte island, the Waray-speaking people are separated from the Cebuano-speaking Leyteños by the island's mountain range at the middle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cebuano people</span> Ethnolinguistic group of the Philippines

The Cebuano people are the largest subgroup of the larger ethnolinguistic group Visayans, who constitute the largest Filipino ethnolinguistic group in the country. They originated in the province of Cebu in the region of Central Visayas, but then later spread out to other places in the Philippines, such as Siquijor, Bohol, Negros Oriental, southwestern Leyte, western Samar, Masbate, and large parts of Mindanao. It may also refer to the ethnic group who speak the same language as their native tongue in different parts of the archipelago. The term Cebuano also refers to the demonym of permanent residents in Cebu island regardless of ethnicity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tapai</span> Indonesian and Southeast Asian traditional fermented of rice

Tapai is a traditional fermented preparation of rice or other starchy foods, and is found throughout much of Southeast Asia, especially in Austronesian cultures, and parts of East Asia. It refers to both the alcoholic paste and the alcoholic beverage derived from it. It has a sweet or sour taste and can be eaten as is, as ingredients for traditional recipes, or fermented further to make rice wine. Tapai is traditionally made with white rice or glutinous rice, but can also be made from a variety of carbohydrate sources, including cassava and potatoes. Fermentation is performed by a variety of moulds including Aspergillus oryzae, Rhizopus oryzae, Amylomyces rouxii or Mucor species, and yeasts including Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Saccharomycopsis fibuliger, Endomycopsis burtonii and others, along with bacteria.

Lambanóg is a traditional Filipino distilled palm liquor. It is commonly derived from tubâ made from coconut sap that has been aged for at least 48 hours. It originates from Luzon and the Visayas Islands. During the Spanish colonial period, it was also known as vino de coco in Spanish. It is also commonly described as "coconut vodka" due to its clear to milky white color and high alcohol content. It is particularly potent, having a typical alcohol content of 80 to 90 proof after a single distillation; this may go as high as 166 proof after the second distillation.

Rajah Humabon, later baptized as Don Carlos Valderrama, was a King of Cebu in the 16th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cebu (historical polity)</span> Historical polity in the Philippines

The Rajahnate of Cebu or Cebu also called as Sugbu, was an Indianized Raja monarchy Mandala (Polity) on the island of Cebu in the Philippines prior to the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors. It is known in ancient Chinese records as the nation of Sokbu (束務). According to Visayan oral legend, it was founded by Sri Lumay or Rajamuda Lumaya, a minor prince of the Tamil Chola dynasty. He was sent by the Chola Dynasty emperor from southern India to establish a base for expeditionary forces, but he rebelled and established his own independent polity. The capital of the nation was Singhapala (சிங்கப்பூர்) which is Tamil-Sanskrit for "Lion City", the same rootwords with the modern city-state of Singapore.

Bahalina, sometimes called "coconut red wine", is a traditional Filipino palm wine made from fermented coconut or nipa palm sap. It is derived from tubâ that has been aged for several months to several years. It originates from the Visayas and Mindanao islands of the southern Philippines. It is deep brown-orange in color and has a slightly bitter astringent taste.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippine wine</span> Wine making in Philippines

Philippine wine or Filipino wine are various wines produced in the Philippines. They include indigenous wines fermented from palm sap, rice, job's tears, sugarcane, and honey; as well as modern wines mostly produced from various fruit crops.

Pangasi, also known as pangase or gasi, are various traditional Filipino rice wines from the Visayas Islands and Mindanao. They could also be made from other native cereals like millet and job's tears. Pangasi and other native Filipino alcoholic beverages made from cereal grains were collectively referred to by the Spanish as pitarrillos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nipa palm vinegar</span> Traditional Filipino vinegar

Nipa palm vinegar, also known as sukang sasâ or sukang nipa, is a traditional Filipino vinegar made from the sap of the nipa palm. It is one of the four main types of vinegars in the Philippines, along with coconut vinegar, cane vinegar, and kaong palm vinegar. It is usually sold under the generic label of "palm vinegar".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tubâ</span> Filipino alcoholic beverage

Tubâ is a Filipino alcoholic beverage created from the sap of various species of palm trees. During the Spanish colonial period, tubâ was introduced to Guam, the Marianas, and Mexico via the Manila Galleons. It remains popular in Mexico, especially in the states of Colima, Jalisco, Michoacán, Nayarit, and Guerrero. Tubâ was also introduced to the Torres Strait Islands of Australia in the mid-19th century by Filipino immigrant workers in the pearling industry.

Kaong palm vinegar, also known as irok palm vinegar or arengga palm vinegar, is a traditional Filipino vinegar made from the sap of the kaong sugar palm. It is one of the four main types of vinegars in the Philippines, along with coconut vinegar, cane vinegar, and nipa palm vinegar. It is usually sold under the generic label of "palm vinegar".

Kabarawan was a traditional pre-colonial Filipino mead-like alcoholic drink. It was made from boiling the ground up aromatic bark of the kabarawan tree until it was reduced to a thick paste. It was then mixed with an equal amount of honey and fermented. It was traditionally consumed from jars with reed or bamboo straws. The wine was mentioned by early Spanish colonists as being made by the Visayan people. However, the tradition has been lost in modern times. Kabarawan tree bark is also used to flavor other types of native wines, like intus and basi, which are both made from sugarcane juice.

Laksoy, is a traditional Filipino distilled nipa palm liquor. It is derived from tubâ made from nipa palm sap that has been aged for at least 48 hours. It originates from Eastern Mindanao, the Visayas Islands, and the Bicol Region. During the Spanish colonial period, it was also known as vino de nipa in Spanish. Like the lambanog, it is particularly potent, having a typical alcohol content of 70 to 100 proof after a single distillation.

References

  1. ↑ "About the Philippines". UNDP in Philippines. Archived from the original on 2014-06-08. Retrieved 2020-10-31.
  2. 1 2 Constantino, Renato (2008). History of the Philippines: From Spanish Colonization to the Second World War. Monthly Review Press,U.S. ISBN   978-0853453949.
  3. 1 2 Akamine, Jun (2005). Whisper of the Palms: Etic and Emic Perspectives in Comparative Linguistics Whisper of the Palms.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Demeterio; Petronilo, Feorillo (2012). "Kolonisasyon at Mga Inuming Nakalalasing Ng Mga Sinaunang Bisaya Ng Samar at Leyte". Malay. 25 (1).
  5. 1 2 Vasquez, B. A. (2014). ""Tagay" and Cross Contact Contamination: The Cebuano Culture of Sharing Glasses". WDI Publishing.
  6. ↑ Pigafetta (9 January 2019). "The Filipino culture of drinking continuously".
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Guide to the Philippines Drinking Culture: Inuman & Pulut..." Guide to the Philippines.
  8. ↑ Canonigo, J. P. (November 3, 2018). "Inuman at Pulutan: A Filipino Love Affair". Medium.
  9. ↑ "The Philippines' Best Bars And Lounges 2019". Tatler Philippines. 30 January 2019. Archived from the original on 23 November 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.