Tikim: Essays on Philippine Food and Culture (Doreen G. Fernandez)

Doreen Fernandez is one of the most celebrated writers on Philippine food and culture. According to the New York Times, she was “Filipino food’s greatest champion.” Tikim is a groundbreaking work that introduces readers to the wondrous history of Filipino food.

First published by Anvil in 1994, Tikim explores the intricate nuances of Philippine cuisine through its people, places, feasts, and flavors. Her writings go way beyond describing taste, instead her prose situates how a particular dish fits into Filipino daily life.

This particular printing, a 2020 paperback release by Anvil Press in the Philippines, has a compact 5.5″ x 7.5 trim size. Its 220 pages are densely typeset. And there is no denying that the price, reflecting not only a small print run but the costs of importing the book from more than 13,000 kilometers away, is higher than we would like, though it is considerably less than other that from other US sellers.