"Kare-kare's" storied history as a Filipino food goes back hundreds of years. There are three stories as to the origins of kare-kare. The first one is that it came from Pampanga (the province which became known all over the country as the "culinary capital of the Philippines"). The Kapampangan people often have a reputation for cooking to their hearts’ content and coming up with deliciously rich fare. The second comes from the regal dishes of the Moro elite who settled in Manila before the Spanish arrival (in Sulu and Tawi-Tawi, kare-kare remains a popular dish). The third story is from Indian "sepoys" from Southern India that settled in Philippines during the British occupation of Manila. Homesick, they improvised their own cuisine with available materials. They called it "kari-kaari", curry, and now, "kare-kare". Its name derived from the word "kari" from the word "curry". Kare-kare has a similar flavor to satay because of the peanuts in the sauce.