5 Culinary Delights to Include in Your Media Noche Feast Checklist
CONSOLACION, Cebu, Philippines – To start the year right, Filipinos often prepare themselves for the grand feast known as ‘Media Noche’.
Families sometimes go to the extent of skipping a grand feast for Christmas, and instead channel all their money and energy into preparing for New Year’s Eve. Some believe this action is done to attract good luck.
For Cebuana food historian, Louella Alix, she shares the top 5 picks of delectable foods she would serve for the upcoming New Year’s Eve.
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Traditional media noche foods still stars of the night
According to Alix, her family has raised her over the years with traditional holiday foods taking center stage on their table. Foods that Filipinos have adapted from its Spanish, American, and Japanese colonizers.
Old and tested, glazed ‘hamon’
Alix suggests that our enjoyment of today’s ham stems from a culinary legacy passed down by our Spanish and American ancestors. Additionally, these ancestors frequently showcased meat during lavish celebrations, laying the foundation for the culinary traditions we savor today.
This ham, carved from a pig’s hind leg, usually receives a sweet glaze, creating a delightful fusion of savory and sweet tastes that complement diverse cuisines. However, over time, hams have transitioned to being “processed,” offering Filipinos a more affordable option and an additional reason to celebrate the holidays with this savory and sweet treat.
Arroz Valenciana Paella
Paella Valenciana. | Inquirer.net file photo
The name ‘Arroz Valenciana Paella’ indicates a dish that Cebuanos inherited from their Spanish ancestors. According to Alix, this delicacy consists of rice combined with aromatic ingredients such as garlic, peppercorns, laurel leaves, and salt. Furthermore, it incorporates the Filipino favorite, pork, mixed with cooked sticky rice, resulting in a savory rice specialty.
Pochero
Who wouldn’t desire a warm, comforting, and velvety soup to welcome the New Year’s Eve? The Filipino Pochero, commonly garnished with petchay and cabbage, immersed in an orange-hued broth created with tomato paste and sauce, remains a timeless favorite for Filipino palates.For Alix’s family, they often add “saging saba” and chorizo bilbao to their pochero, to add sweetness to the dish.
A fruit salad. | Inquirer.net file photo
Salad
No New Year’s feast is truly complete without the Filipino fruit salad. A dish staple from our culture, includes an assortment of locally sourced fruits, often incorporating ‘kaong’ or palm fruit. Combining these fruits with condensed and evaporated milk enhances the natural sweetness of the fruity medley.
Roasted chicken or lechon manok
Since her childhood, Alix and her family have made Roasted Chicken a tradition on their New Year’s Eve table. Consequently, considering its affordability, it’s a meal that you, too, can prepare and enjoy with your family. Not only does it offer a delicious dish, but it also provides chance to spend quality time together while cooking—an absolute win-win for everyone!
READ: What are the common New Year’s beliefs and traditions?
Don’t go overboard! Use ingredients in your locality!
However, According to Alix, due to the current economy, using all our funds for New Year’s Eve expenses isn’t feasible. She suggests incorporating local ingredients, ‘utanon’ or vegetables, into our Media Noche. For instance, adding ‘dabong’ or bamboo shoots to pochero is a great way to do so.
“Kita ra may mobutang og pochero sa atong nilat-an nga baka, ang sa atoa [Cebuanos] kita ray magbutang og utanon. What is available here [in our local markets and gardens] mao ray ibutang as rekados.”
(We are the ones who will add in our pochero in our boiled beef soup, to us [Cebuanos], we are the ones who put veggies. What is available here [in our local markets and gardens] those are the ones that we put as rekados.)
READ: Filipino New Year’s Eve food for that extra luck in 2024
Enjoy the New Year’s eve!
May you embrace the upcoming New Year with merriment and joy, ka-Siloys!
Let these five dishes inspire the feast you and your family will relish this New Year’s Eve. Remember, thriftiness isn’t merely about saving money; it’s about using it wisely.
Let’s welcome the upcoming year with a savvy mindset—finding delight in simple celebrations and making every peso count. Here’s to a prosperous and financially wise 2024 ahead! Cheers!