Menudo was a Puerto Rican boy band which had hit songs in the country, including “I’m going back to the Philippines.” They share a name with a hit dish, Menudo, which is made with pork liver cut into small pieces, and cuts of pork meat in tomato sauce.

The name Menudo might have come from the Spanish word for tiny: diminuto. But the dish might have roots in a traditional Mexican soup called Menudo that uses tripe and dried maize.

Like other tomato-based Filipino stews, many Menudo recipes include potatoes, carrots, and bell peppers, which gives it a common vegetable base with Kaldereta, Afritada, Mechado, and Pochero.

Unlike Menudo the band, Menudo the dish doesn’t contain Ricky Martin (who was part of Menudo in the 80’s when he was a teenager).

Menudo art print on Society6: https://society6.com/product/menudo-recipe-art_print

What’s the difference between Menudo, Kaldereta, Afritada, and Mechado?

First, what is usually the same?

4 basic ingredients connect the four stews: tomatoes and/or tomato sauce, potatoes, carrots, and bell peppers. Though potatoes and tomato sauce are the most common denominators.

Also, the four dishes have Spanish colonial influence, from the names, ingredients, to the methods of cooking. Mechado has roots in the “mecha” or “wick” of fat used to make tough beef succulent, though the method is used less and less nowadays. Menudo might be from the Spanish word for tiny, but the dish brought over due to colonization might have been a Mexican Menudo.

There are also many other tomato-based dishes such as Pochero, Escabeche, and even Filipino Spaghetti. These stews are so rich in flavor, even vegetable or vegan recipes abound.

And though the debates continue, it means that cooks and chefs are making their own renditions. Together we make these uniquely Filipino stews better and better… and always best for the times, for friends, family, and festivity.

Venn diagram artprint on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1227518945/kaldereta-afritada-mechado-menudo