Republic of pancit

THIS week’s i Report Feast and Famine feature at pcij.org is a delectable piece by food expert Nancy Reyes Lumen on pancit, the perennial item on the Filipino dining table next to rice. Tracing its historical origins, Nancy says we borrowed pancit from the Chinese, innovating and adopting it into our cuisine, and yet still connecting us to our Asian roots. She adds:

But more importantly, it is a veritable Pinoy comfort food — easier to cook than rice, and more versatile and food combination-friendly. It is the faster fast food. In fact, “pancit” is derived from the Hokkien “pian i sit,” which means “something conveniently cooked fast.”

Nancy then enumerates the rich variety of pancit that has come out of the Pinoy home cooking. The rest of the article  becomes a gastronomical tour as it takes a closer look at the different types and styles of pancit and a regional map of pancit specialties.

Read on — and salve yourself — at pcij.org.