If you life in the Philippines, you’ve probably seen those recent ads from Del Monte telling you to eat more tomatoes or tomato-based/-infused dishes as the lycopene is very good for your heart and may cut down the risk of certain cancers.
Because tomatoes can be such hearty-flavored fruits (yes, by my book they are fruits not vegetables), so they’re usually paired with meat. Thus, we have the usual suspects on the dinner table: spaghetti with meat sauce, caldereta, mechado, afritada, and menudo. Come to think of it, every sinigang recipe I know has a couple ripe tomatoes thrown in for color. But for marinades? Except for some barbecue recipes that call for tomato ketchup, the use of tomatoes for grilled meats in the Philippines is rather rare.
