Imagine stumbling upon a treasure chest of a war chest of historical secrets—recipes from your great-grandparents' era, hidden away in dusty old cookbooks. That's exactly what one Reddit user, Chill_Boi_0769, has done, bringing to light an online collection of Filipino cookbooks dating back pre-1976.
Chill_Boi_0769 shared on Reddit’s r/Old_Recipes that their passion for history and cooking sparked this unique hobby, especially once face-to-face classes resumed. Being back on campus allowed them to explore university archives, second-hand bookstores, and libraries—places that turned into gateways to the past, revealing recipes that many might have otherwise forgotten.
The cookbooks, now accessible online through Google Drive, span everything from classic home economics staples to specialized baking guides, pastry recipes, and coconut-based dishes. What's really cool about these cookbooks is how clearly they show the history of cultural influence in Filipino cooking, highlighting recipes that blend local traditions with colonial and international flavors.
Take, for example, the intriguing "Chicken Dinuguan with Coconut Milk." Most Filipinos today associate Dinuguan strictly with pork blood, but this historical recipe reveals an earlier, chicken-based variation. The dish involves cooking chicken meat and innards with chicken blood, vinegar, coconut milk, garlic, and onions, creating a richer, creamier version of the familiar dish. Dinuguan, traditionally known as "chocolate meat" due to its dark color from the blood, is usually cooked with pork nowadays. Discovering this chicken variant offers fascinating insight into how Filipino dishes have evolved over generations, possibly reflecting earlier dietary preferences or availability of ingredients.
These recipes are brief yet packed with detail—just a few lines per recipe with precise measurements, unless baking is involved. This minimalist approach reflects an era when home cooks relied on experience, intuition, and fewer written instructions.
Another gem from the collection is the uniquely Filipino Buko Chopsuey and Buko with Bagoong—recipes that show how coconut (buko) was creatively incorporated into savory dishes. Buko Chopsuey mixes coconut milk, papaya, cabbage, pork, and shrimp in a savory stir-fry with shrimp stock, garlic, and "toyo" (soy sauce), thickened slightly with cornstarch. It’s finished with "kinchay" (Chinese celery) for added aroma.
Another standout recipe from this collection is "Pili Brownies," combining Western brownie traditions with local pili nuts—showing how colonial and international influences shaped Filipino baking.
Chill_Boi_0769 stresses that their goal isn't profit but rather to honor the heritage and original creators by sharing this cultural wealth openly. They’ve invited fellow history and cooking enthusiasts to contribute more pre-1976 cookbooks to help preserve and expand this resource.
"It's all about keeping the legacy alive," Chill_Boi_0769 shared casually, encouraging others to dive into their own family cookbooks or local archives.
For anyone curious about historical Filipino cuisine or interested in contributing to the collection, the archive is open and waiting to be explored. This casual yet meaningful project ensures that these tasty pieces of Filipino history remain accessible, reminding us that every dish tells a story.
Explore the vintage Filipino cookbook collection on Google Drive
