Rice is life, especially for Filipinos and other Asians. It is a staple in almost every Filipino household. A Filipino meal cannot be complete without rice.

It is rarely missing on the table – be it breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Besides eating it as part of their daily meals, rice may also be prepared as snacks, desserts, and other rice-related meal products.

 

The average Filipino diet is based on this crop. It provides half of the calorie requirements and is a rich source of carbohydrates and other nutrients.

 

Even with the availability of other staple foods such as noodles and bread, rice remains to be the primary choice for staple food in the Philippines. Rice, locally known as palay [Tagalog] or pagay [Ilocano] (un-milled rice), bigas [Tagalog] or bagas [Ilocano] (milled rice), and kanin [Tagalog] or inapoy [Ilocano] (cooked rice) is much more than food. It is a grain crop that has historical and cultural significance. In fact, it is commonly associated with many rituals, traditions and cultural practices in the country and are deeply woven into Filipino culture for years in different areas of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

 

Aside from the diet and culture, rice also plays a huge part in providing income sources for Filipino families, especially the farmers who work day and night just to provide food not only to their own but to all Filipinos that are dependent on rice to sustain the day-to-day nutrient needs. 

 

In the 2023 Filipino Fiesta, Alpha Phi Omega (APO) Alumni Association of Hawaii features the various ways that rice may be prepared – from the daily staple inapoy or kanin to other preparations like fried rice, rice porridge, rice drinks, rice snacks, or rice as ceremonial foods. --rliongson