Guests at the special dinner (all photos by CRH Malasig)

Berlin-based media personalities, bloggers, and some of the city’s top food critics received a special introduction to Filipino cuisine through a Christmas dinner hosted by the Philippine Embassy last December 10, at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.

Taggespiegel Editor Kai Röger (left) interviews Amb. Dizon-De Vega during the dinner.

The four-course dinner, prepared by Filipino culinary expert Maite Hontiveros-Dittke, consisted of appetizers and entrées that represented Filipino cuisine’s main flavor profile – sweet, salty, and sour.

In her remarks during the event, Philippine Ambassador to Germany Maria Theresa Dizon-de Vega described Filipino food as one of the original fusion cuisines with layers of influences from East and West.

Amb. Dizon-De Vega (2nd from right) with Berlin Food Week CEO Alexander van Hessen (middle), Maite Dittke (extreme left), Chef Bulawan Callanta (2nd from left), and Embassy Cultural Section Head Alvin Malasig (extreme right).

The dinner started with chicken binakol soup, elegantly served in a young coconut shell, followed by lumpiang shanghai, lumpiang sariwa, and chicken sisig as appetizers.

The main course included chicken inasal (grilled chicken with special marinade) and pinais (presented in a crab shell wrapped in banana leaves), accompanied by adobong kang kong (water spinach cooked in soy sauce and vinegar) and pinakbet (a vegetable dish from the northern Philippines), respectively.

For dessert, guests enjoyed biko (sticky rice) and the Philippines’ famous carabao mango, with a sweet syrup called latik.

Dishes were served at a table setting using Philippine handicrafts like abaca and capiz plate chargers.

Before taking their places for the dinner, the who’s who of the Berlin food scene had the opportunity to sample Filipino cocktails made of Destileria Limtuaco Dark and Mango Rhum products paired with fishballs, liempo (deep fried pork belly), longganisa (Filipino-style sausage), and adobong Tokwa (tofu) prepared by Chef Bulawan Callanta of Ayan Filipino Streetfood Restaurant.

From left: Food blogger Gesa Noormann, Deputy Chief of Mission Lillibeth Pono, and Consul Catherin Rose Torres.

The guests were delighted by the new flavors that they were able to try and the warm Filipino hospitality extended by the Embassy Team that night. Each one went home with a bottle of Don Papa rum, and Malagos and Georgia Ramon Philippinen chocolates – Filipino products that continue to gain popularity in other countries, including Germany. END

Philippine booth at the Christmas Bazaar (photos by Berlin PE)

Berliners got a taste of Filipino food this Christmas through the Philippine Embassy stand at the Weihnachtsrodeo Christmas Bazaar, held from December 7 to 8, in Berlin’s trendy Kreuzberg District.

With its participation, the Embassy and its partners put on display food products that are not only of good quality, but also sustainably-produced.

Health-conscious and eco-friendly Berliners took their pick from a wide-variety of products on offer, such as black and red rice, coconut vinegar and sugar, and banana chips courtesy of Loop Products, a Dutch distributor of fair-trade products sourced directly from Filipino farmers and cooperatives.

Curious shoppers were served Filipino Christmas staple bibingka and beef empanada, as well as ube (purple yam) waffle, and adobo from Ayan Filipino Streetfood Restaurant based in Berlin.

Those looking for holiday presents were also in for a treat with a selection of pearl jewelry, fashion accessories, and handicraft items from the Little Big Box Project of the International Bazaar Foundation and the Department of Foreign Affairs Special Projects Unit.END

Amb. Maria Theresa Dizon-De Vega (second from right) with the Loop Team. Below Filipino food and other items