Lessons From the Kitchen: My Favourite Filipino Proverbs About Food

How the wisdom of Filipino sayings continues to guide my cooking, creativity, and connection to heritage.

Author

Earl Briones
June 03, 2025

0In the Filipino way of life, food is inseparable from wisdom. Our elders taught us that a good meal doesn’t just fill your belly — it feeds your soul and offers lessons if you’re willing to listen. So many of our proverbs use food as a metaphor, a bridge between the daily and the divine, between survival and celebration.

Here are some of my favourite Filipino food proverbs, and the life lessons they continue to teach me, both in and out of the kitchen.

"Kapag may tinanim, may aanihin."

"If you plant something, you will harvest something."

This one sits at the heart of farming and cooking, but also life itself. Whether you’re tending to your garden, your career, or your relationships, you must first plant the seeds. No dish makes itself, no harvest comes without work. The beauty of this saying is its gentle patience — it tells us not to expect instant results, but to trust the process.

In my own kitchen, it reminds me that slow growth is still growth. When I experiment with traditional ingredients, when I spend seasons learning an old technique or reconnecting with farmers to source local produce, I know that these efforts will eventually bear fruit — in flavour, in connection, in community.

"Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makararating sa paroroonan."

"He who does not look back to where he came from will never reach his destination."

This is a powerful reminder to honour our origins. In food, it’s easy to chase trends and forget tradition. But for me, every dish is a chance to look back while moving forward. Filipino cuisine is layered with history — pre-colonial cooking, the influences of trade, colonization, and migration. To understand our food today, we must understand where it all began.

When I cook, I think of my ancestors, of the wisdom passed down through generations. I think of the hearth fires they cooked over, the wild ingredients they foraged, and the joy of shared meals. These memories fuel my creativity and keep me grounded in purpose.

"Bilog ang mundo, parang kawali."

"The world is round, like a pan."

This proverb always makes me smile because it’s playful but profound. The kawali — our humble pan — is where magic happens. Ingredients meet heat, and transformation unfolds. Likewise, life keeps turning, and what we put into the world eventually circles back to us.

It’s also a reminder of community. In the Philippines, the kitchen is never a solitary space. Friends and family gather around the stove, sharing stories while the aroma of garlic and onions fills the air. In my own events and dinners, I always try to recreate that feeling: the warmth of people coming together around food, sharing not just a meal but a moment.

"Kung ano ang puno, siya ang bunga."

"The fruit does not fall far from the tree."

Heritage is alive in this saying. Just as the quality of fruit reflects the health of its tree, we are reflections of where we come from. This resonates deeply with me as I explore pre-colonial ingredients and methods, and as I work to elevate Filipino cuisine while staying true to its roots.

It also reminds me of my responsibility — to honour my culinary lineage and to pass it on thoughtfully. Whether I’m teaching young chefs or sharing stories through my dishes, I carry the flavours of my heritage with pride. After all, the tree nourished me, and now it’s my turn to bear good fruit.

"Pag may tiyaga, may nilaga."

"If you persevere, you will have stew."

This is such a perfect proverb for anyone who’s ever simmered a pot of nilaga — a dish that embodies patience. You can’t rush a good stew. It takes time for the meat to tenderize, for the broth to deepen, and for all the ingredients to come together in harmony.

Life is much the same. Success, healing, meaningful relationships — these are all slow-cooked, not microwaved. This saying comforts me on days when things feel like they’re moving too slowly, reminding me that persistence will always reward me with something warm, nourishing, and satisfying in the end.

"Ang hindi marunong magmahal sa sariling wika, masahol pa sa malansang isda."

"He who does not love his own language is worse than a smelly fish."

This saying always makes me pause, and then laugh a little — because there’s no mistaking the imagery. A "malansang isda" (smelly fish) is not exactly a compliment. But beneath the humour is a serious message: our language is our identity. Lose it, and you risk losing a part of your soul.

For me, language and food are deeply connected. Recipes passed down from generation to generation come with their own language — not just Tagalog or Visayan, but the language of family stories, regional names for ingredients, and cooking methods that don’t always translate neatly into English.

When I learn an old name for an ingredient or use traditional words to describe a dish, I feel like I’m keeping the spirit of our ancestors alive. And when I share these stories, I hope others feel inspired to do the same. Because our language, much like our food, deserves to be preserved, celebrated, and shared proudly.

Our ancestors were wise to weave life lessons into the language of food. These proverbs remind me daily that cooking is more than a skill — it’s a way of understanding the world. They teach patience, respect for history, appreciation for community, and the joy of perseverance.

So next time you sit down to a Filipino meal, I hope you taste these lessons too. Because every bite is a story, every dish a proverb waiting to be shared.

Kain na tayo!

What about you? I’d love to hear: what’s your favourite Filipino proverb — food-related or otherwise? Share it with me, and let’s keep the conversation (and the wisdom) flowing.