Mami (pronounced: ) is a popular Filipino

noodle soup Noodle soup refers to a variety of soups with noodles and other ingredients served in a light broth. Noodle soup is a common dish across East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Himalayan states of South Asia. Various types of noodles are used, such as ...

made with

wheat flour Wheat flour is a powder made from the grinding of common wheat used for human consumption. Wheat varieties are called "soft" or "weak" if gluten content is low, and are called "hard" or "strong" if they have high gluten content. Hard flour, or ...

noodles Noodles are a type of food made from unleavened dough which is either rolled flat and cut, stretched, or extruded, into long strips or strings. Noodles are a staple food in many cultures and made into a variety of shapes. The most common noo ...

broth Broth, also known as bouillon (), is a savory liquid made of water in which meat, fish, or vegetables have been simmered for a short period of time. It can be eaten alone, but it is most commonly used to prepare other dishes, such as soups ...

and the addition of meat (

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). Beef can be prepared in various ways; Cut of beef, cuts are often used for steak, which can be cooked to varying degrees of doneness, while trimmings are often Ground beef, grou ...

pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig animal husbandry, husbandry dating back to 8000–9000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooke ...

) or wonton dumplings. It is related to the ''

pancit Pancit ( ), also spelled pansit, is a general term referring to various traditional noodle dishes in Filipino cuisine. There are numerous types of pancit, often named based on the noodles used, method of cooking, place of origin or the ingredi ...

'' class of noodle dishes, and the noodles themselves are sometimes called ''pancit mami''.

Origin and etymology

Its creation is generally attributed to Ma Mon Luk, a Chinese

immigrant Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as permanent residents. Commuters, tourists, and other short- ...

to the Philippines who began selling noodles served with chicken broth and

chicken meat The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...

Binondo Binondo (; ) is a district in Manila and is referred to as the city's Chinatown. Its influence extends beyond to the places of Quiapo, Manila, Quiapo, Santa Cruz, Manila, Santa Cruz, San Nicolas, Manila, San Nicolas and Tondo, Manila, Tondo. ...

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

in 1920. He originally worked as an ambulant vendor, carrying the food in two metal vats on a pole much like ''

taho Tahô () is a Philippine snack food made of fresh Tofu#Varieties, soft/silken tofu, ''arnibal'' (sweetener and flavoring), and Sago, sago pearl (similar to tapioca pearls). This staple comfort food is a signature sweet and tahô peddlers can ...

'' vendors. Thus, mami was originally

street food Street food is food sold by a Hawker (trade), hawker or vendor on a street or at another public place, such as a market, fair, or park. It is often sold from a portable food booth, food cart, or food truck and is meant for immediate consumption ...

, but with the success of his business, Ma eventually opened up an eatery and ultimately a chain of restaurants bearing his name. As a street vendor, Ma originally called his dish "''gupit''", after the Tagalog word for “cut”, because he would cut the noodles and chicken with scissors. He later decided to call the dish "Ma mi" (). However, Ma did not have the name trademarked. Soon, imitation noodle soups sprouted with a name that was, personally, his.Jose Victor Z. Torres, The Legend of Ma Mon Luk
''Rogue'', April 2017 Alternately, ''mami'' is thought to come from ''manok'' (chicken) and ''miki'' (a type of noodle). This is supported by beef or pork ''mami'' sometimes being known as ''bami'', from ''baboy (pork/pig) or ''baka'' (beef/cow). Regardless, the claim that Ma "invented" ''mami'', both the dish itself and the term, is likely untrue. According to linguist Gloria Chan-Yap, ''mami'' is Fujianese in origin, not

Cantonese Cantonese is the traditional prestige variety of Yue Chinese, a Sinitic language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family. It originated in the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) and its surrounding Pearl River Delta. While th ...

; in

Philippine Hokkien Philippine Hokkien is a dialect of the Hokkien language of the Southern Min branch of Min Chinese descended directly from Old Chinese of the Sinitic languages, Sinitic family, primarily spoken vernacularly by Chinese Filipinos in the Philippine ...

literally means "meat noodles" (). Like the siopao, the noodle dish already existed in Filipino-Chinese cuisine before Ma popularized his version.

References

Filipino Chinese cuisine Noodle soups Philippine noodle dishes Philippine soups Street food in the Philippines {{soup-stub

Origin and etymology

See also

References