While Philippine cuisine has been deemed unique compared to its neighboring countries, one can't help but notice how its core ingredients and cooking techniques are similar to other Southeast Asian nations.

For example, rice, noodles, ginger, lemongrass, citrus and coconut milk are as widely used in Thailand and Vietnam as in the Philippines. Ditto for techniques such as as denaturing in acid, grilling, steaming, boiling, and fermenting, just to name a few.

This affinity is the heart of the book Table for Ten: Asean Shared Food Traditions. Published by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Studio 5 Design — in celebration of the 25th anniversary celebration of Asean Ladies Foundation (ALF) — the book was written by three of the country's most prolific food writers. They are book author and newspaper columnist Michaela Fenix; award-winning author Bryan Koh; and chef and essayist Datu Shariff Pendatun.

Named after the 10 members of Asean, Table for Ten features 25 recipes and 12 essays that paint the similarity the difference of Asean nations. In its synopsis, the book is described to have 12 chapters, each one exploring different subjects. Each chapter also contains two recipes so that the reader may bring the discussed ideas to life in their own kitchens.