From China to the Philippines, a Look at the Pancit History.
China’s food influence has been global for centuries. In fact, it was the Chinese who introduced noodles, or pasta, to Italians. It was also the Chinese who introduced noodles to the Philippines. Learn about the pancit history and how it evolved over the centuries to the countries variations of noodle dishes today.
From pian i sit to pancit
From China to the world
Noodles were first introduced to the Philippines by Chinese traders, just as they did in Japan, Thailand, Italy, and beyond.
The origins of pancit go as far back as the 16th century as the world’s oldest Chinatown was founded in Manila, Philippines by Chinese traders and immigrants.
The name “pancit” means “noodles”, which can either be rice noodles, egg noodles, or mung bean noodles – basically any and all localized noodles typically sautéed with meat, seafood, and vegetables.
Pancit comes from the Hokkien word, “pian i sit”, meaning “something conveniently cooked fast”. Essentially, the word referred to convenience food. In this case in the Philippines, it referred to noodles cooked with meat and vegetables as a complete meal on one plate.
Pancit in the Philippines
The first plates of pancit were from food stalls for factory workers. It later moved beyond the factories as street food stalls and eventually as brick-and-mortar specialty restaurants called panciterias.
The name “panciteria” speaks of the history of the Philippines itself with “pancit” from the Chinese influence and “-ería” from its Spanish colonial history.
Pancit Today
Globally, pancit is as known as lumpia and adobo. Locally, it is a staple dish in any celebration meal especially birthdays because long noodles mean long life.
If you are new to pancit, try the country’s most popular noodle dishes like pancit bihon with rice noodles, pancit canton with egg noodles, or pancit palabok with rice noodles topped with a shrimp-based sauce.
Today, pancit is completely Filipino as it has localized and regionalized all throughout the country.
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