PH Hosts ASEAN Lunch in Lisbon for Filipino Food Month
Lisbon, 28 April 2026. In celebration of Filipino Food Month, the Philippine Embassy in Lisbon, Portugal hosted a simple Filipino lunch titled “Tanghalian with ASEAN” for ASEAN counterparts in Portugal. The event brought together diplomats from the Embassies of Indonesia, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam, underscoring the shared culinary heritage, cultural exchange, and enduring regional ties between the Philippines and its Southeast Asian neighbors, in line with the Philippines' role as the ASEAN Chair this year.
Guests were treated to a curated Filipino menu, featuring chicken lumpia as an appetizer, beef bulalo as the soup course, and chicken adobo with rice as the main dish, followed by halo-halo and cassava cake. Over the course of the meal, participants engaged in discussions on the commonalities among their cuisines, reflecting on shared ingredients, cooking methods, and the diverse ways these dishes are prepared across their respective countries.
Mr. Hardyanto Arsad Djanun, First Secretary of the Embassy of Indonesia in Portugal remarked on behalf of the ASEAN diplomatic community in Lisbon, that the dishes served evoked a strong sense of home, with their familiar tastes and textures bringing back fond memories and reflecting shared culinary traditions across the region.
Enhancing the cultural experience, a cooking demonstration of the iconic Filipino dish adobo was conducted by chef and Rosa Marin restaurant co-owner, Ms. Ofelia Perez Rosales. The demonstration offered guests a deeper appreciation of Filipino cooking techniques, as well as the history and cultural significance behind one of the Philippines’ most beloved dishes.
The Filipino Food Month or “Buwan ng Kalutong Pilipino” was established through Presidential Proclamation No. 469 (2018) and is observed every April nationwide to recognize and promote Filipino cuisine as part of the country’s cultural heritage. END
