Local publisher Exploding Galaxies will be republishing two classic Filipino food bibles from distinguished Filipino food historian Doreen Fernandez: Sarap: Essays on Philippine Food, co-written with Edilberto N. Alegre, and Palayok: Philippine Food Through Time, On Site, In the Pot.
These books come in well-designed new editions by Kristian Henson (Sarap) and Palayok (Miguel Mari). The new edition of Sarap will feature new illustrations by artists Gianne Encarnacion, Kitty Jardenil, Elle Shivers, and Eva Yu. While the new edition of Palayok is accompanied by photographs by photojournalist Jilson Tiu “of the eateries and arteries of Manila, of first catches and ferments, of kitchens, tables, and fiestas all over the country.”
Palayok, first published in 2000, delves into the origins of Filipino cuisine. Sarap, on the other hand, is where Fernandez and Alegre tackle the “life and ways” of Filipino food. It was first published in 1988.
“We invite our readers as well to join the voyage: we want readers who cook, who like to eat, who enjoy reading about cooking and eating, who are curious about the subtext beneath our food,” Fernandez and Alegre wrote in Sarap.
The new editions of Sarap and Palayok were done in cooperation with Fernadez’s estate.
“Seeing Sarap and Palayok republished is incredibly gratifying. I remember on the 10th year anniversary of her passing, my mother — Doreen’s sister — was so moved at the many tributes remembering her, and amazed that ten years on not only had she not been forgotten but her work continued to be recognized as pioneering and revolutionary. And now, 23 years since Tita Doreen left us and she continues to be discovered/ rediscovered—by new generations of readers who didn’t grow up reading her weekly newspaper and magazine columns, by Filipinos at home and away from their homeland,” says Maya Besa Roxas, Fernandez’s niece.
The books will be launched on October 11 and will be available online and in bookstores on October 15.
