Can we take a moment to celebrate our humble calamansi? One cannot even conceive of pancit or arroz caldo without it. Use another citrus in bistek and it’s as if something is amiss. Its tart zing has long been a perfect match to soy sauce’s sharp, salty umami, giving birth to the now-ubiquitous toyomansi, every home cook’s reliable marinade and the standby sawsawan whether food is steamed, fried, or served in broth. It’s an easy way to make sinigang and an essential in kinilaw. It’s great for tenderising and removing lansa. Philippine summers are marked with cold calamansi thirst-quenchers (and calamansi muffins from Boracay—remember them?), while the monsoon season ushers in hot cups of calamansi and ginger tea to keep the sniffles at bay. Calamansi is such a part of Filipino culinary heritage that our kababayans abroad try to grow it in their backyards when they can, as the flavour, and the recipes it opens up, helps connect them back home. Available year round, we’re highlighting our favourite and most accessible source of Vitamin C as the rains become more regular and the citrus bounty from our farmers begins. How do you like using your calamansi?
Recipes
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