Growing up, Filipino food in my household was simply “dinner.” Terms like “Tagalog Food Recipe” or “Filipino cuisine” weren’t part of my vocabulary. Dishes like pancit, tinola, kare-kare, menudo, lumpia, and adobo were just the comforting flavors of my childhood, cooked by my parents, my Lolo and Lola (grandparents in Tagalog) in my eyes, even if my actual grandparents were geographically distant and unknown to me in their culinary traditions. Among these familiar dishes was one I knew simply as “eggplant omelet.”
To me, eggplant omelet was just that – a simple, almost mundane dish. It lacked the exotic appeal of other Filipino foods. There were no unfamiliar ingredients, no trips to Asian grocery stores required. Just eggplant, eggs, and a bit of pork. Perhaps the oyster sauce hinted at something more, but it was far from the elaborate Filipino dishes served to guests or brought to potlucks. Eggplant omelet was weeknight fare, a quick and easy way to feed hungry kids. Its simplicity, and let’s be honest, its somewhat unrefined appearance, led me to believe it was just a dish my parents invented on a whim, like so many families do when faced with an empty fridge and rumbling stomachs.
It wasn’t until later that I realized nearly every dish my parents placed on our table had roots in the Philippines. Even seemingly simple meals like scrambled eggs with tomatoes and onions for breakfast, or canned corned beef mixed with potatoes served over rice, were staples of Filipino cooking. Imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon recipes for these dishes on Filipino food blogs! And then, the revelation: my humble “eggplant omelet” was actually tortang talong, a beloved Filipino food recipe enjoyed by many. Discovering this dish had a name, a history, and a community of fellow enthusiasts was a revelation.
It makes perfect sense now that every food tradition, every recipe, carries a story. Whether it’s a treasured heirloom passed down through generations or a spontaneous creation that becomes a family favorite, our meals are imbued with history and heritage. As I cook these dishes today, I’m filled with anticipation at the thought of sharing them with my own children. While Filipino classics like lumpia and adobo are sure to endure, I also hope that the simpler, often overlooked dishes – like tortang talong, my eggplant omelet – will also live on. These are the flavors of home, the tastes that hold a special place in my heart, and a vital part of our Tagalog food recipe heritage.
