Pinoy BBQ"s distinctive sweetness and caramelisation comes from two integral, albeit unusual, ingredients: ketchup and soda. These were introduced during the American Commonwealth Era in the mid 1930s and popularised post-World War Two. "Somehow, locals perceived that imported elements such as soda and ketchup would lend "deliciousness" to a dish because they are "imported" and "from America"," explained Ige Ramos, food historian and author of Dila at Bandila: Search for the National Palate of the Philippines.