Glenda Barretto reinvents Pinoy cuisine
MANILA, Philippines - Foodies who want their fix of Via Mare pancit luglog, bibingka and lumpiang ubod as they remember it will hardly be disappointed in the cafes founded by Glenda Barretto, the grand dame of Philippine cuisine. This is because those dishes have been cooked in exactly the same way for the past 36 years.
“Stay true to the natural flavors of well-loved dishes,” Barretto advocates in Kulinarya, A Guidebook to Philippine Cuisine, which intends to win greater prominence for Pinoy cooking on the world stage by standardizing its quality.
Barretto and five other chefs attempt to define the ingredients, standards for freshness, and presentation of popular Filipino food in this colorful and informative volume. Nevertheless, the products of Barretto’s kitchens remain exciting and popular because she innovates in increments to keep up with evolving food trends.
Her devotion to traditional flavors as well as her reinventions of well-loved dishes keep her at the top of the Philippine food industry. A new dish she recently introduced at her Via Mare outlet in St. Luke’s Hospital at Bonifacio Global City, for instance, illustrates these twin facets of her food philosophy. Usually served in chunks, her reincarnation of the Ilocano bagnet is sliced thinly and fried. It has less calories and retains its crunch.
“It is served on a bed of tomatoes, shallots and fresh mustard leaves and a dressing of Pangasinan bagoong and olive oil,” she explains.
In much the same way, Barretto has evolved puto bumbong, palitaw and other delicacies. These are now sweetened with Suchero, an all-natural sweetener made from coco sap. “Suchero is a healthy substitute for sugar,” Barretto explains. She likes its “non-cloying” taste and sprinkles it on kakanin freely. She serves it as a dip for suman, which Barreto likes to fry to an appetizing golden brown.
