Satti: The Red Gravy of Zamboanga
Zamboanga's red-gravy breakfast: grilled skewers, puso rice and a history carried across the Sulu Sea from Malay and Tausug kitchens. Written by Glenn Junsay Pansensoy · Culinary · 15 min read You step into Zamboanga City and a few things strike at once. The barter markets hum with bargaining voices. Sardine cans are stacked in neat rows, like small metallic altars. And there is the musical lilt of Chavacano, that Spanish-born creole that has earned the city its old nickname, Asia's Latin City. But for many who live here, the true introduction comes through the nose. Before the sun has properly cleared the water, a smoky, spicy scent drifts down the street from a satti house, and the day begins to make sense. It is a simple bowl: small skewers of grilled meat, a few chunks of rice, and a flood of red sauce. And yet it carries the map of centuries in its taste. The Morning Ritual The first thing a visitor must learn is that satti is not an evening dish. It i...