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A pleasant surprise greeted us Monday afternoon. On our usual afternoon surf, we stumbled upon an NPR article on, of all things, rellenong manok.

“Rellenong manok is a cherished tradition in the Philippines, and is often given as a Christmastime gift, like a bottle of wine, a tin of cookies or a fruitcake,” writes Aurora Almendral on NPR.

Almendral goes on to explain the history of our Country — from Spanish to American to now — by way of the rellenong manok and its many different versions, changing stuffing.

“As colonial ties shifted, so did the ingredients of rellenong manok… Vienna sausage replaced Oxford sausage, Spam filled in for ham or bacon, Chinese or Filipino sausages stood in for chorizo, and kalamansi replaced the hard-to-find lemons.” It’s all very interesting to read, even for Filipinos.

“A History Lesson of the Philippines, stuffed in a Christmas Chicken” is part of the website’s series “exploring the rich diversity of Christmastime edibles around the world, and the stories behind the food.” Read the rest of the story here.

Photo: AngSarap.net

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