Recipe: Fantastic Filipino Fried Rice

History of Fried Rice!

• Fried Rice is a main or side dish of cooked rice with a variety of added ingredients, like scrambled eggs, veggies, seafood, or meat. The rice mixture is then stir-fried, using a small amount of oil, in a skillet or wok. It is seasoned with salt, garlic, or other spices, and soy sauce or oyster sauce may be added. You can make it at home using either available leftovers or fresh foods. 
• The earliest mention of fried rice is from China during the Sui Dynasty (589-619 CE). It is believed to have developed as a way to use leftovers to avoid the Chinese taboo on wasting food.
• Although the dish began in China, several other Asian countries later adopted their own variations of Chinese fried rice using one or more unique ingredients. For example, in Indonesia, fried rice is considered one of their national dishes called "nasi goreng," and it includes sweet soy sauce and ground shrimp paste. 
• Fried rice isn't eaten only in Asia, however. Variations found elsewhere in the world include Portugal's "arroz chau-chau" and Peru's "arroz chaufa." In Africa, there is "Nigerian fried rice," and Puerto Rico has "arroz mamposteao." There are many, many more. Often, versions found on other continents began with the fried rice made by Chinese immigrants that were modified by their adopted countries using local foods and cooking methods.  
• Whichever version you eat and whatever ingredients you add, fried rice is delicious comfort food and a great way to use up leftovers!

Let's Learn About the Philippines!

• The official name of the country is "The Republic of The Philippines." A person from the Philippines is a "Filipino."
• The Philippines is an archipelago or a collection of islands. In this case, the collection is vast, spanning over 7,000 islands total!
• The history of language in the Philippines is rich and a little complicated! The official languages of the nation are Filipino and English. Filipino comes from Tagalog and is the standardized version. Filipinos speak the language primarily in Manila, the capital, and neighboring provinces. People who speak both languages can understand each other.
• During Spanish rule, the official language of the Philippines was Spanish. There are about 182 languages and dialects throughout the islands of the Philippines. 
• Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan arrived in the Philippines in the 1500s and claimed the archipelago for Spain. As a result, the Philippines were under Spanish rule for 300 years until 1898. At the end of the short-lived Spanish-American War, at the Treaty of Paris, Spain handed over the Philippines to the United States. The US had control until 1946, when the Philippines officially regained its independence.
• Rice is a staple, and Filipinos eat it in some form at every meal. "Kamayan" is a family or community buffet of Filipino food. Hosts lay banana leaves on a table and then serve seafood, grilled meats, vegetables, and rice on top. In Tagalog, "kamay" means "hand," so a kamayan feast indicates how you eat the food. First, you put a mound of rice into the palm of your hand,  then add lechon (roasted pig), seafood, or other meat, and stir-fried veggies, and bring it all to your mouth to eat. Guests stand side-by-side to eat together at the long table. 
• Although a version of the yo-yo has been around since Ancient Greece, a Filipino immigrant who came to the US in 1915 popularized it and started the first yo-yo company. He strung his yo-yos differently, using a loop around the axle rather than a knot, allowing tricks like "sleeping," etc.
• The world's longest snake comes from the Philippines. It's called the Reticulated Python, and it can grow to almost 29 feet in length! Yikes!
• In the Tojoman Lagoon, there are millions of "stingless" jellyfish! The lagoon is located in Sohoton Cove on Bucas Grande Island in the province of Surigao del Norte. The jellyfish aren't technically stingless, but their sting often doesn't penetrate skin or cause a reaction.
• Filipino/Tagalog for "Hello": "Kamusta" (pronounced KAH-moohs-tah).
• Filipino/Tagalog for "Thank you": "Salamat" (pronounced SAH-lah-maht).

What's It Like to Be a Kid in The Philippines?

• Kids play basketball, which is the country's most popular sport. They also play soccer and badminton. Kids may participate in the national martial art called Arnis or Eskrima, which uses blunt, wooden sticks.
• The school year is from June to April, and school hours are usually from 7:30 am to 4 or 5 pm. In some areas, schools may not have cafeterias, so students go home for lunch or eat outside in the schoolyard under the shade of trees. Their lunch may consist of dried fish and rice wrapped in banana leaves.
• One of the sweets Filipino kids eat is "leche flan." It is similar to crème caramel, but sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk are used instead of cream. "Tsokolate" (Cho-co-lah-TAY) is a drink that is popular with kids. The word means "chocolate," and the drink is thick hot cocoa made from tablets of ground roasted cacao beans, dissolved in water and milk. It is common to drink "tsokolate" with breakfast and at Christmastime.