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India-Philippines assimilation: How Sepoys introduced bibingka and kare-kare to Filipinos
Sepoys were Indian soldiers brought by the British during their brief occupation of Manila from 1762 to 1764 as part of the Seven Years' War. They mutinied and fled to the outskirts of Manila
- PUBLISHED: Mon 8 Jun 2026, 6:00 AM
Two cities in the Philippines owe their rich heritage to Indian soldiers who refused to continue serving the British colonisers in mid-1700s and chose to build new lives in a faraway archipelagic country. Their contributions are deeply felt to this day.
While the first Indians to arrive in the Philippine islands were merchants, traders, and Hindu-Buddhist missionaries who came via maritime networks between the 9th and 10th centuries, the largest groups of settlers from the subcontinent were soldiers brought over by the British.
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They were called Sepoys.
Who were the Sepoys?
Sepoys were Indian soldiers brought by the British during their brief occupation of Manila from 1762 to 1764 as part of the Seven Years' War, described by Winston Churchill as the true first world war.
Great Britain and its allies were at war with other global powers, including Spain. India was occupied by the British, the Philippines was under the control of the Spanish.The British East India Company deployed hundreds of Indian soldiers to invade Spanish-controlled Manila.
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The British, however, were forced to return the Philippines to Spain under the Treaty of Paris. Many Sepoys mutinied, deserted the British military, and fled to the outskirts of Manila, settling primarily in Cainta and Taytay, now part of the province of Rizal. Today, the two communities are thriving cities whose residents come from all over the Philippines and majority of its residents find employment in Metro Manila.
How did the Sepoys thrive in an archipelago?
The Sepoys have chosen well on where to settle. Cainta and Taytay are lakeside towns that are strategically important for inland trade. It was easily accessible from Manila due to its proximity and waterways, including the lake called Laguna de Bai which drains through the Pasig River where Manila is located.
The towns’ fertile lands allowed the settlers to practice agriculture while the lake was rich fishing grounds for the Sepoys.
They also intermarried with the local women, totally assimilating into the local community. Today, many old-time residents of Cainta and Taytay bear strong resemblance to the Sepoys in physical appearance. Several of their contemporary descendants were beauty title holders, with their round eyes, tall stature, and aquiline noses.
What were the Sepoys’ culinary contributions to the Philippines?
The Sepoys are credited with introducing the local bibingka, the Philippines’ most popular rice cake today. It evolved from the traditional Indian dessert bebinca, earning Cainta the title of the "Bibingka Capital of the Philippines." For sure, there are many kinds of bibingka throughout the Philippines, but the Sepoy-influenced rice cake is simple, filling and had become the hands-down favorite. Rice-cake businesses also contribute to the local economy to this day.
The Sepoys are also credited for the evolution of the Filipino kare-kare, a beef meal with a curry-looking sauce. But while the kare-kare, or even the local chicken curry, looks like an Indian meal, the Filipino palette however does away with most of the spices.
How are the Sepoys’ descendants today?
While many residents of Cainta and Taytay still have some of the physical attributes of their adventurous South Asian ancestors, Sepoy descendants have totally assimilated with the predominantly-Malay Filipinos.
They have also adapted to the Catholic Christian faith, famously participating in Cainta’s famous Lenten traditions, such as the Cenakulo and Penitensya.
As both towns thrive as pulsating and cosmopolitan cities, many old families remember and are proud of their Indian heritage.
The local government of Cainta officially declared May 31 as “Day of the Sepoys,” honoring their historical, cultural, and culinary contributions to the municipality and the country.