Philippine vinegar .. cane, coconut and palm

PalawOne Serial expat

737POSTS

2 months ago

"How vinegar has given Filipino food a sour kick for centuries, from adobo to dipping sauce"

Cooks in the Philippines have used the 鈥榠ngredient of 2026鈥� to bring out complexity in dishes long before the condiment started trending

Tribune News Service聽 Published: 12:45pm, 6 Mar 2026

Named the 鈥渋ngredient of the year鈥� for 2026 by The New York Times, vinegar can have many uses and personalities far beyond its generic role in a salad dressing or as a decorative balsamic reduction.

You can use a splash as a finish to lentil soup or chilli to add depth. Some bartenders throw it into mocktails. Some folks use raw vinegar for its supposed health benefits. It can even be lightly sprayed onto cookies.

Long before its current moment in the spotlight, Filipinos used vinegar as an integral element in their cooking.

Chef Rafael Vencio, who was born in Quezon City in the Philippines, points out that Filipinos use a variety of sources to achieve that acidic hit.

鈥淔ilipinos have a deep love for three main flavour profiles, particularly sweet, salty and sour,鈥� says Vencio, who is slated to open his Filipino restaurant, AmBoy, in Pittsburgh, in late spring.

鈥淪our is just ingrained in our palate.鈥�

Filipinos use not only vinegars from different sources but also underripe fruits, such as tamarind, to add acidity.

Some will make their own condiments to add to foods, Vencio says, usually using some type of vinegar.

Filipino vinegar can be made from cane, coconut or palm. The type employed depends largely on regional custom and personal taste.

Spanish colonisers expanded the Philippines鈥� indigenous sugar cane plantations, and sugar cane remains an economically significant crop in the country.

Cane vinegar is the most common type used.

For their condiment or dipping sauce 鈥� called sukang sawsawan 鈥� Filipinos up the acid ante by adding the native citrus fruit calamansi, also known as a Philippine lemon.

Fish sauce, soy sauce, garlic, peppercorns, onion and chillies are also common components.

鈥淓ssentially, what we do is we鈥檙e compounding acidity,鈥� Vencio says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 how we make the sour flavour profile more robust and more complex.鈥�

Personal condiments are used to adapt all types of dishes, but especially seafood. They can be a dipping sauce for crab, for instance, or fried fish or pork.

Pittsburgh-based Kimberley Ashlee Haugh, of Kimberley Ashlee & Co catering, calls Filipino cooking 鈥渢he original fusion cuisine鈥� because it integrates influences from Chinese, Spanish, Indo-Malay and American cultures.

However, adobo, considered the unofficial Filipino national dish, is uniquely Filipino and has indigenous roots.

Although the name comes from the Spanish word adobar, meaning 鈥渢o marinate鈥�, the dish 鈥� chicken or pork braised in vinegar 鈥� predates the arrival of Spanish colonisers.

Vinegar is essential to adobo, Vencio says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not noticeable, but it鈥檚 there.鈥�

With cooking, vinegar鈥檚 sharpness mellows. Vencio says vinegar鈥檚 role in the dish was partly to preserve the meat, especially back in times when refrigeration was not available. It also balances adobo鈥檚 saltiness.

Cane vinegar, which Haugh describes as 鈥渃lean鈥� and 鈥渂right鈥�, is most commonly used for adobo, as well as for a dish called paksiw, fish or pork cooked in a sour-and-savoury broth containing vinegar.

Coconut vinegar 鈥� which can be made from fermented coconut juice, sap or blossoms 鈥� is 鈥渟ofter鈥� and 鈥渞ounder鈥� than cane vinegar, Haugh says, and is traditionally used often in the southern Philippines.

Haugh recalls a vinegar drink her grandmother made, both to quench thirst and aid digestion. Haugh compares it to the apple cider vinegar craze in the US or to Filipino-style kombucha.

鈥淚 remember my grandmother, when she would have these vinegar drinks, you would put things in it like green mango, pineapple or guava,鈥� Haugh says, 鈥渁nd you would mix it with a little bit of water and sugar.鈥�

Cane or coconut vinegar is used to make a Filipino ceviche, called kinilaw; fish is 鈥渃ooked鈥� in vinegar rather than Latin-style citrus. It is often mixed with calamansi, ginger, chilli and coconut milk.

Haugh describes palm vinegar as 鈥渆arthy鈥�, adding that it has 鈥渁 subtle sweetness鈥�.

Calamansi is a citrus fruit native to the Philippines that often accompanies vinegar in Filipino dishes.

As someone who grew up in Toronto, Canada, slightly ashamed of bringing her aromatic Filipino lunches to school, Haugh finds it gratifying that Filipino cuisine is finding acceptance.

鈥淚f you were to tell the 10-year-old me that Filipino food would actually be something that people are interested in, I wouldn鈥檛 have believed it,鈥� she says.

Her ultimate moment of sharing Filipino cuisine with an American audience came at a charity dinner for the O鈥橬oir Foundation 鈥� which helps young homeless and displaced LGBTQ people 鈥� featuring chefs cooking black-coloured food.

She decided to make one of her favourite dishes, dinuguan, featuring various cuts of pork stewed in pig鈥檚 blood and vinegar, among other ingredients.

鈥淚 was like, 鈥業鈥檓 going to do it. I鈥檓 going to go for it. I鈥檓 going to serve a bunch of non-Filipinos a stew made of pig, cooked in pig鈥檚 blood with a splash of vinegar,鈥欌€� she says.

The 10-year-old Haugh would have been amazed.

Bring on the "Sarsons or London Pub Malt Vinegar"

These nine words replace 36 paragraphs of verbiage.

1 member reacted to this post

sunshinenjournal New member

8POSTS

2 months ago

What's great about local vinegar is it's the defining product of people selling balut. If you have the best vinegar recipe, people will flock to u

Cherryann01 ViP

1277POSTS

2 months ago

Apart from using Sarsons Vinegar on Fish & Chips and Balsamic Vinegar on salads, the main usage I have for the stuff is to remove stains from my laundry.

Of all the countries I have been to I can honestly say that the Philippines is probably one of the聽 only ones where I have never tried to find a restaurant in my home country that serves the cuisine. Thai, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese聽 yes but never filipino food. I did cook a Chicken Adobo once to try impress my daughter though.

PalawOne Serial expat

737POSTS

2 months ago

Yes, it seems the Spanish left their vinegar heritage on the Philippines.

Quote: "Renowned for its wines, the Spanish region of Jer茅z is also famous as one of the most historic and best-known vinegar producing places in the world.

References to this product date to the 1st century, and a text from 138 BC refers to the regular trade of vinegar from C谩diz to Rome, perhaps setting the tone for the ongoing success that the product enjoys."

"Here are different Filipino vinegars and tips on how to use them"

"Acid鈥攊t鈥檚 a taste all Filipinos are well acquainted with but also take for granted. No Filipino kitchen cupboard can exist without vinegar.

Adobo is only possible through the magical properties of vinegar. Vinegar, because of its acidity, livens up the flavor, disrupts cloying sweetness, cuts through fat, and may even tenderize meats.

Vinegar plays such a big role in our cooking that it鈥檚 criminal how we don鈥檛 take advantage of the wide variety of kinds of vinegar around the Philippines.

The Philippines, after all, is home to so many diverse fruits and spices. Combine that with innovative, industrious hands and you get all sorts of vinegar that are miles better than your simple, distilled white vinegar.

In fact, many of our types of suka or vinegar can compete with the famed balsamic vinegar of Italy, apple cider vinegar of America, or the black vinegar of China. The only problem is, we don鈥檛 know where and how to get them!

Level up every single dish that needs acidity when you use a delicious, locally-produced vinegar that doesn鈥檛 stop at just being sour. They鈥檙e aromatic, spicy, sweet, caramelly 鈥� all sorts of pleasures you didn鈥檛 know that vinegar can deliver. Along with our recommendations, we鈥檙e also giving you tips on ways you can best use your vinegar.

Here are different Filipino vinegars and tips on how to use them: ..聽 (snip)"

Must admit, because wifey, I'm starting to love vinegar.

1 member reacted to this post

bigpearl ViP

4328POSTS

2 months ago

Well P1, personally a bit of vinegar now and again on fish and chips can be delightful but the use here has been stemmed in cooking but the guys certainly love it with snacks like green mango or papaya, cucumber etc. their choice.

I love vinegar for cleaning the toilets and scale build ups on stainless steel sinks. Balsamic on salads though with a drizzle of virgin olive oil.

Choices.

Cheers, Steve.

Cherryann01 ViP

1277POSTS

2 months ago

Well P1, personally a bit of vinegar now and again on fish and chips can be delightful but the use here has been stemmed in cooking but the guys certainly love it with snacks like green mango or papaya, cucumber etc. their choice.
I love vinegar for cleaning the toilets and scale build ups on stainless steel sinks. Balsamic on salads though with a drizzle of virgin olive oil.
Choices.

Cheers, Steve. - @bigpearl

I can understand using vinegar on cucumber but mango and papaya noooo. By the way, I do remember eating cucumber sandwiches when I was a kid with the cucumber soaked in vinegar for an hour or so before placing in between the bread slices.

PalawOne Serial expat

737POSTS

2 months ago

Yes gents .. should mostly agree .. but the dinner

my Phils wife just cooked with vinegar, well finds

that lovely spicey place between all of the world's

standard casserole flavours, yet again!聽 Am being

won by her Phils cooking, our farm fresh produce,

and perhaps especially some of the local vinegars.

happy trails ppl

aklokow Contributor

114POSTS

2 months ago

#10

My 2 Peso worth of comment, we opened our little restaurant 13 months ago and its going from strength to strength but that is not the point. Its mentioned about vinegar and sweet, salty, sour typical local cuisine. What we offer is western style food, a bit of spice in some dishes, balsamic glaze and vinegar for the salads only. That is the only vinegar we use. Now the range of dishes are not so many but either chicken or beef based and to be very honest the reception of our menu has been exceptional from the local people, they really enjoy the food and keep on coming back week after week. We have even the mayor coming on a regular basis, which tells me that people enjoy something different not just the traditional rice-based meals and pancit. I think by default people like to try new things and then either like or not.

Cheers AK

1 member reacted to this post

bigpearl ViP

4328POSTS

2 months ago

#11

Sounds good AK and happy to hear you are going well, probably too far for us to try out your menu but glad others are enjoying your culinary delights.

Cheers, Steve.

GuestPoster0359 Guest

0POSTS

last month

#12

We made some fermented pineapple vinegar from pineapple skins, sweet pineapple flavour with the vinegar, good for sweet and sour pork, but little else for me as I don't have a sweet tooth. We have a range of soy and vinegars for different dishes, can be pretty good if time and care is taken.

Not mentioned in the article is that vinegar also blunts the insulin response if you're eating a plate of white rice, meaning your body will process it better without shoving it all into fat storage, which would definitely be helpful here.

PalawOne Serial expat

737POSTS

last month

#13

Yes, thanks for that.

Must say, regards vinegar sauces I like Mang Tomas

Lechon sauce, also called sarsa ng lechon, is a popular condiment traditionally served with fried, grilled, or roasted foods, especially roasted pig (lechon).

See how to make this homemade version using liver spread or p芒t茅.

Mang Tomas brand of lechon sauce

How to make lechon sauce

What is lechon sauce?

Lechon sauce is traditionally made with grilled pork liver, vinegar, sugar, bread crumbs, and aromatics. It has a thick consistency with a sweet and savory flavor. Like banana ketchup, it has become a pantry staple in many Filipino households.

Mang Tomas is a popular brand of lechon sauce, labeled as an all-purpose sauce or sarsa. It has been around for several decades and has gained widespread popularity among Filipinos for its distinct flavor.

The name Mang Tomas has become nearly interchangeable with lechon sauce, with many people using the two terms synonymously. Although the original recipe used liver as one of its primary ingredients, variations nowadays no longer include liver.

How to make lechon sauce

Making a homemade version using liver spread or p芒t茅 is easy, convenient, and far more delicious than store-bought alternatives.

Step 1: Saut茅 the aromatics ... (etc)

GuestPoster0359 Guest

0POSTS

last month

#14

Bookmarked! Thanks for that idea, making your own no sugar lechon sauce with BBQ'd liver sounds interesting, hmmmm... on eggs and chips?

PalawOne Serial expat

737POSTS

last month

#15

Bookmarked! Thanks for that idea, making your own no sugar lechon sauce with BBQ'd liver sounds interesting, hmmmm... on eggs and chips? - @Offgrid Philippines

Quote "Although the original lechon sauce recipe used liver as one of its primary ingredients, variations nowadays no longer include liver."

Anyway, lots find this popular lechon sauce makes any boil-up better