In the Philippines, Picadillo is called Giniling. Picadillo is a stew dish common throughout Spain and countries familiar with the misfortune of being colonized by spain, and is usually a dish made with ground beef or pork.
Foods culturally brought in via oppression and transformed into cultural staples are historically complex symbols of cultural change, endurance and influence. Like many others, this dish is a combination of the mark that colonization has left on various countries as well as a canvas for each culture to imprint its own tastes and expressions.
I was first introduced to Picadillo as a Mexican dish and my base recipe reflects that. But after realizing that- unsurprisingly! -Picadillo also features in Filipino cuisine as Giniling, I have endeavored to blend the two recipes a bit; as I am myself a mixed person of multiple descents and a lover of many shared cultures, I like to think about dishes like this as representative of alliances. By the way, did you know about the extensive history of contact and alliance between pre and post colonial Mexico and the Philippine Isles? It’s a rich and broad history for sure. But this is a food blog, and not a history one, so that’s beyond the scope of this article! Happy researching for all of you who like to go on wikipedia deep dives, however. 🙂
The point is that Picadillo / Giniling is slightly different wherever you find it, and this recipe is something you can adjust to your tastes! As for the nutritional info, this post is more of a culture one than an ‘herbal’ one, but make no mistake, this dish is bursting with veggies and is rich, hearty, savory and healthy.
Read the full recipe here for free on my blog. All content is Patron supported, so subsribers are deeply appreciated~