South American dishes are as diverse as the countries within the region, which takes pride in its colorful history and rich culture. Indigenous cooking traditions use key ingredients such as corn, potato, peppers, fresh cheese, cassava, and tropical fruits like coconuts, pineapple and avocado, resulting in a fusion of flavors.
Filipinos who wish to embark on a gastronomic tour of South America need only go to Naxional, a diner-style restaurant with an al fresco bar on the second floor of Uptown Parade in Bonifacio Global City. Brick walls with street art designs and chandeliers made of soft drink bottles invite guests to sample a wide range of dishes from 10 countries (thus the X in Naxional) – seven from South America and three from Central America.
“The flavors are very rich and very familiar. The dishes take time to prepare. The whole process is really a labor of love,” said Chef Cynthia Patos, the Venezuelan host and winner of Lifestyle Network’s The Clash.
“We want the menu to be South American home-cooked dishes, which we think Filipino diners would love to try. Family cooking takes time, so you have to put effort for these dishes,” she added.
Some dishes, such as the pão de quiejo or freshly baked mozzarella cheese bread from Brazil, are made from scratch and take at least two days to prepare. Rice is also soaked for 24 hours to produce milk for the horchata, a Mexican drink with a dash of vanilla and cinnamon.
Many of Naxional’s founding members, including Patos and Brazilian-Japanese model Vanessa Matsunaga, were born and raised in South America, thus their desire to ensure the authenticity of the dishes.
“For my brother (model and actor Daniel Matsunaga) and I, it has always been our dream to have our mom’s cooking close by, since we live far away from Brazil. The recipes for all the Brazilian dishes of Naxional came from our mom, so they are all authentic,” Matsunaga said.
According to Patos, the philosophy behind South American dishes is similar to how Filipinos use ingredients that are readily available to create comfort food.
“South American countries are just like any other Third World countries: we make do with what we have. We start from scratch, and build on the flavors,” said Patos, who is responsible for Naxional’s postres or desserts.
Matsunaga shared how the feijoada, touted as Brazil’s national dish, is believed to have been created by sugar cane plantation slaves who took scraps of meat discarded by their masters and cooked them with black beans which were the foundation of their diet.
“Eventually, even their masters learned to love the dish, and it has become a must-try when you are in Brazil. But now, you don’t have to go to Brazil to taste authentic feijoada. Just come here at Naxional,” she said.
Naxional offers a respectable array of South and Central American dishes including picanha (churrasco steak) from Brazil; elote (char-grilled sweet corn with chili butter, mayo like and crumbled cheese) from Mexico; bacon tocino rubbed in Colombian coffee with agave chili glaze from Colombia; chicharones with smoked chili vinegar from Cuba; ceviche with citrus marinade, pickled peppers, coconut lime from Peru; empanadas from Venezuela; patacones (choice of pork or shrimp on top of fried plantains with guacamole) from Puerto Rico; gaucho angus rib-eye steak from Argentina; picante de pollo (slow braised chicken with black beans, root vegetables, coconut crème and fried garbanzos) from Bolivia; and encebollado (hangover fish stew with root vegetables, cassava, tomato salsa and pickled onions) from Ecuador.
And while South Americans, according Patos, do not have a sweet tooth in general, it becomes another story when one opens a can of condensed milk, as a sampling of some of Naxional’s postres – dulce de leche cheesecake, arroz con leche, apple pie with dulce de leche, and tres leches sponge cake – will confirm.
“We cook our condensed milk. It is a comforting dessert for us,” she said.
Naxional may have started as a way for its founders to feel like they were back home again, but as its repeat customers will attest, this diner is proof of South America’s culinary diversity and legacy of flavors.
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