Being an Expat in the Philippines sometimes is difficult. Especially when you like to eat some food which normally only is available in your home country. And I like to cook from time to time my own Dutch food. Some specific Dutch dishes cannot be made in the Philippines because the right ingredients are not available. But today I was lucky to find something I’ve been longing for a long time.
My dearest and I went to Santis Delicacies in Makati (Yakal street) and found one of the main ingredients to make Snert (a Dutch pea soup). The ingredient is celeriac or knolselderij in Dutch. Wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celeriac It is imported from Europe probably and it is very expensive. We bought one piece of almost 700 grams at 631 pesos (915 pesos per kg). Other necessary ingredients are not that difficult to get but are sometimes rare in this country, like Leeks. There are vegetables available here they call leeks but actually they are a kind of big spring onions. We bought leeks already a few weeks ago when we have seen them and put them in the freezer. The same with the dried green split peas (dried green peas, cover removed and split in halves).
One other side ingredient for Snert is rookworst ( a kind of smoked sausage), but this one is never imported unless a visitor from Holland is coming to the Philippines to bring us some. But we can do without it. It’s just an extra add-on to the soup.
So we will prepare Snert today or tomorrow. Wikipedia link for SNERT
One other vegetable I have been wanting to eat for a long time is Witlof (chicory or Belgian endive).
Wikipedia link for Chicory
I bought only one piece, enough to make me a salad out of it which is my preferred way of eating this vegetable. It is imported from Australia and cost 1198 pesos a kilo. For the one piece of 150 grams I paid 182 pesos. I will have this for dinner tonight together with some grounded beef and mashed potatoes.
Luckily I have a side job which gives me the extra funds to buy this kind of food from time to time. From my little pension I cannot afford to buy these expensive items. See my post about my work.
Jan 15, 2012 @ 17:57:01
I was craving some swiss cheese for a long time. We can’t find it up here in northern Philippines so when ever some one makes a trip to Manila I ask if they can look for it. Well, one neighbor went down there on a short trip and said he looked everywhere, no swiss. My wife went to a wedding in Manila after that and also reported being unable to find any. Now I was sad and could not understand why others were unable or unwilling to just buy some and bring it back. When living in Cavite several years ago I bought it all the time. Next was my turn, I had to make a trip down there for a medical procedure and when I had the chance I went to a couple different SM grocery stores and was surprised that no swiss cheese available. I’m still craving.
Jan 15, 2012 @ 18:06:23
Hi Marvin,
I have seen fresh Emmenthal and probably other swiss cheeses in several stores. But you have to go to areas where more expats live, like Makati, Eastwood and Ortigas.
Supermarkets like: SM, Landmark, Rustan’s and also Shopwise have a large assortment of cheeses from all over the world. But also Santi’s has a nice assortment cheese (the owner is Swiss or Austrian) and imports to the Philippines himself.
Next time instruct your ‘relatives’ what and where to buy your cheese ans store it in the fridge ass much as possible! And pack it well before moving to the North.
Jan 15, 2012 @ 19:39:38
Hey Jan,
been a long time since my last visit to yr website (btw, thanks for the good wishes for 2012), but we’re still here in The Neths, and still planning our move to the Phils late next yr – Duma, as you may recall…
Since you are obviously craving for Dutch food (heaven knows why..)I put a link here to a webshop you may want to use if the craving gets too much: http://www.heimweewinkel.nl/
As for the question about cheese in the earlier response: We found Old Amsterdam (not exactly Swiss but at least 200% better than the US junk they sell as cheese normally) in the Robinsons supermarket in the new shopping mall in Dumaguete last year. Maybe an acceptable alternative??
Greetz,
Vicmico
Jan 15, 2012 @ 20:24:56
Hi Hans,
After more than three years in the Philippines sometimes I want to eat typical Dutch food stuff. In general I can find all I want, it’s just a few things which are difficult to find. Dutch Cheese is no problem, many supermarrkets sell it. Frico Cheese in several varieties, Old Amsterdamm is one of them.
Zuurkool I have found in cans, and recently I have found an address for celeriac (knolselderij) as you have read. Spruitjes (brussels sprouts) were imported from Australia and as big as tennis balls, but the taste was not good (the price was….).
Lucky we are living near Manila where much European and other western food is available (from time to time), for high prices that is.
I have checked this website you are mentioning. Many of those food items are available here (or similar items imported from other countries) and for similar prices. So there’s no need to have it send here by them. And I eat rice as well….
It’s only that sometimes ……
Mar 02, 2012 @ 08:36:23
Hi Jan,
I know what we going te eat very soon and that is snert. We are now already for 2 month here and I also miss mine dutch food somethimes. Did you know that here in Paranaque in the fiesta S.M. they are selling Dutch kroketten in a small stall. They have 3 kinds off taste. I try all three of them and I didnt like the taste, al three have the same taste, and it taste more at potato kroket (aardappel kroket). Then the meat kroket as we know from Holland.
Groetjes
Mar 02, 2012 @ 20:04:37
Hi Wilfried,
Yes, I heard already from someone else that someone is selling them there. I have not tasted them yet, but I can imagine. A good croquette should have enough meat in it and not only flour or potato starch.
I am going to make some good ones myself, like my mother made them some 40 years ago. Pure beef inside.
And for good snert you need to have celeriac (knol selderij), did you find that already?
Mar 05, 2012 @ 14:10:37
Hi Jan,
I try to find the celeriac here in the shops in Paranaque but there is none.
That must be a good recept from your mom, if you want to share it, i am open for it. When you are in the neighbourhood off Paranaque and you have time, just let me know if you want to drop by. We will be till june.
Greetings
Wilfried
Mar 05, 2012 @ 16:12:21
Wilfried,
Go to santis in Alabang, they might have it, and many more nice things:
http://www.werdenberg.com/santis/locations.html
Mar 07, 2012 @ 23:50:00
Thank you Jan. I will look over there for it. By the way here in the shoping center in Paranaque, across Pure Gold, there is a Dutch snackbar. And it taste like it must taste, very nice. Thy selling even kibbeling, nasi hapje, berenklauw ect.
Mar 09, 2012 @ 18:21:00
Hi Wilfried,
I do not fancy most of those Dutch snacks, and i wonder if there are Filipinos who do.