Cristeta Comerford | The Adobo Chronicles

White House executive chef Comerford. Inset: bangsilog

WASHINGTON, D.C. (The Adobo Chronicles® ) – When Pope Francis visited the Philippines earlier this year, he wanted to try balut, the local delicacy of boiled duck embryo, popular among the Filipinos masses. Unfortunately, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) respectfully declined the request for fear that the Pontiff might not like it.

Today, minutes before the welcoming ceremony at The White House, the visiting Pope Francis arrived at the presidential palace and was treated to a light breakfast with the First Family. Sources close to the Pope know that he loves fish.

So, leave it to the White House executive chief, Filipino-American Cristeta Comerford to orchestrate the breakfast table with the VIP guest.

Comerford knew of the papal disappointment of not being able to partake of balut while in Manila, so she made sure Francis had something that would remind him of his successful pilgrimage to the Philippines.

The Pope was served a combination plate of boneless bangus (milkfish), with fried egg and garlic fried rice. Locally in the Philippines, it is popularly called bangsilog – bang for bangus, si for sinangag (fried rice), and log for itlog (egg).

The verdict? The Pope loved it! Especially with the spicy vinegar dip.

It wasn’t anywhere close to balut. But it couldn’t be any closer to a Filipino breakfast.

How to prepare boneless bangus.

Washington, D.C. (The Adobo Chronicles) – It is common knowledge that Ronald Reagan loved mac n’cheese. Bill Clinton, before his heart bypass, indulged in jalapeño cheeseburgers. How about Barack Obama?

In an exclusive interview with White House executive chef Cristeta Comerford, she indicated that Obama does not have one particular favorite food. “But he loves Filipino cuisine,” she said.

Comerford, a Filipino American, has so far served as executive chef under three U.S. Presidents – George W. Bush, Clinton and Obama. She is the first woman and the first of Asian descent who has served as White House executive chef.

“There are so many Filipino foods that the president likes, but on top of his list is halo-halo, the Filipino version of the Hawaiian shaved ice,” Comerford said. Asked to name the top ten Filipino foods fancied by Obama, Comerford gave us the following list:

1. Halo-Halo (shaved ice)

2. Dinuguan (pork blood stew)

3. Balut (duck embryo)

4. Adidas (chicken feet)

5. Kinilaw na Kambing (ceviche-style goat meat)

6. Tocino (sweet cured pork)

7. Laing (spicy taro leaves)

8. Pinakbet (Filipino version of ratatouille)

9. Crispy Pata (Deep-fried pork knuckles)

10. Kare-Kare (Tripe and vegetables in peanut sauce)

Asked how often Filipino food is served to the Obamas, Comerford, with a wink in her eye, said, “That’s classified information!”

filfoods