Its creation is generally attributed to Ma Mon Luk, a Chineseimmigrant to the Philippines who began selling noodles served with chicken broth and chicken meatinBinondo, Manila in 1920. He originally worked as an ambulant vendor, carrying the food in two metal vats on a pole much like taho vendors. Thus, mami was originally street food, but with the success of his business, Ma eventually opened up an eatery and ultimately a chain of restaurants bearing his name. As a street vendor, Ma originally called his dish "gupit", after the Tagalog word for “cut”, because he would cut the noodles and chicken with scissors. He later decided to call the dish "Ma mi" (simplified Chinese: 马面; traditional Chinese: 馬麵; Cantonese Yale: Máh-mihn; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Má-mī; lit. 'Ma’s noodles'). However, Ma did not have the name trademarked. Soon, imitation noodle soups sprouted with a name that was, personally, his.[1][2][3][4]
Alternately, mami is thought to come from manok (chicken) and miki (a type of noodle).[1] This is supported by beef or pork mami sometimes being known as bami, from baboy' (pork/pig) or baka (beef/cow).
^ abCordero-Fernando, Gilda (1978). "The Mami King". In Roces, Alfredo (ed.). Filipino Heritage: The Making of a Nation. Vol. 10. Manila: Lahing Pilipino Publishing Inc. pp. 2592–95.
^Rodriguez, Anna Katarina (2012). Southeast Asian Personalities of Chinese Descent: A Biographical Dictionary, Volume 1. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. pp. 736–738. ISBN978-981-4345-21-7.
