Toyomansi, Mang Tomas, or suka? I Juander fans choose their fave sawsawan

When it comes to food — especially street food — there’s no denying that Filipinos love their sawsawan or dipping sauce.  While some think that a dish is only truly tasty if it can stand alone without sauce, the majority of Pinoys can’t do without dunking their favorite food in something sweet, sour, salty, spicy, or all of the above. Sawsawan or dipping sauce enhances the flavor of food. Salty patis (fish sauce) complements the sour broth of sinigang.  Tart and acidic suka (vinegar) best accompanies dried fish like tuyo or daing. And no siomai merienda is complete without the combination of toyo (soy sauce), calamansi (lemon), and chili oil, for that extra kick.  Pinoys love putting salt on everything, from green mangoes to watermelons, and are only too happy to dunk fried pork or fish in vinegar. If Filipinos seem obsessed with sawsawan, then perhaps their ancestors are to blame. In an episode that aired on June 4, the GMA News TV program “I Juander,” hosted by Susan Enriquez and Cesar Apolinario, discovered that Pinoys have been happily been dipping food in vinegar and salt even before Magellan set foot in the Philippines. Salt has, after all, always come from the sea. “Siguro masasabi natin na pinakaunang sawsawang Pilipino ay asin dahil tayo’y napapalibutan ng dagat at ang asin ay bahagi ng ating basic flavoring,” says food historian Francis Musni.  Vinegar, on the other hand, is fermented from coconut, another ingredient easily accessible to ancient Filipinos. “’Yung tumutubo around the coast, coconut. So from coconut you get coconut water, you get tuba.  Doon nakaka-produce ng suka,” adds Francis. If vinegar is the “original” Pinoy sawsawan, what then is the crowd favorite? On Facebook and Twitter, the show’s fans and followers weighed in on what they believe is the best Pinoy sauce. While many insisted that suka and toyo are the quintessential Pinoy dips, bagoong (shrimp paste), catsup, and patis were also popular choices. For lechon in particular, Mang Tomas’ famous lechon sauce won by a landslide: But in general, the favorite sawsawan of I Juander’s fans and followers was toyomansi, or a combination of toyo and calamansi. I Juander Facebook fan Jules Perez Bueno even goes so far as to pour the stuff over her rice: And then there were a few I Juander fans who recommended some most unusual food and dip combinations — they may seem quirky to some, while stomacache-inducing to others: What’s your favorite Pinoy sawsawan? I Juander airs Mondays, 10 PM on GMA News TV. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter! — Arla Fabella/PF, GMA News