Filipinos love to eat. If they are not sleeping or working, you can bet that they are busy eating or preparing something to eat. With more than 80 different provinces across more than 7000 islands, the country has a bountiful variety of amazing culinary delights.
It is this flavorful side of the country we’ll be interested in today as we bring you 10 Filipino dishes worthy of making a trip east:
1. Adobo
When the Spaniards arrived in the archipelago several centuries ago, they found the natives cooking an incredibly tasteful dish. This local recipe was consequently called Adobo, from the Spanish word “adobar” which means marinate.
Its preparation involves cooking pork or/and chicken in soy sauce, vinegar, black pepper, crushed garlic, and a topped with aromatic dried bay laurel leaves. Be sure to pair the delicacy with customary white rice which serves a perfect base to dissipate the rich taste of the adobo.
Like hamburgers to Americans, the Adobo is considered by many Filipinos as the unofficial national dish of the country. The dish has so many different versions depending on the province where it is served and as well as the main ingredient used. There is the “adobong puti” (white adobo), “adobong dilaw” (yellow adobo), squid adobo, water spinach adobo, chicken feet adobo, adobo flakes, adobo fried rice -there is too many to list!
2. Lechon
The Lechon is another of the country’s treasures whose popularity extends beyond its borders and into Spain and even Latin America. The late Anthony Bourdain called it “the best pig ever!” after tasting the dish himself.
The meal simply entails a pig being roasted as is, save for a few parts like the legs which are taken out, and then served almost in one piece. The pig’s organs, especially the liver, is used to make a sauce which is served on a separate container. The pig’s skin which becomes crunchy after being slow-roasted is certainly a favorite among lechon eaters.
This meat-all-you-can dish is often the culinary highlight of feasts, may it be weddings or town fiestas. There is even a festival dedicated to the lechon wherein the roasted pigs are paraded into the streets. In fact, there are several places who celebrates this feast: one of it is the Lechon Festival in Cebu and another is the Lechon Festival in the town of Balayan in Batangas.
If there are any meat and sauce left uneaten at the end of the day, they are preserved by cooking them with vinegar, garlic, onions, and sugar in another delicious dish called Paksiw na lechon. That’s right, nothing goes to waste.
3. Sinigang
Filipinos love stews. And from the country’s many stew dishes, the Sinigang is certainly one of the most beloved both by local and non-local taste buds. It is distinguished by its sour and savory taste created by the use of a flavoring, most popularly tamarind.
What is also great about the Sinigang is its bounty of vegetable ingredients including water spinach, legumes, taro, eggplant, radish, and a couple of finger chilis. There are several versions featuring different main ingredients such as pork, shrimp, and milkfish. This dish is highly recommended to be eaten with steaming white rice and complemented with small amounts of fish sauce or ‘patis’ with calamansi.
4. Sisig
The sisig is a testament that as long as there’s meat on any part of an animal’s body, then that part is still very useful. That’s not to say that the sisig is an afterthought as this dish combines a pig’s liver and head into a finger-licking end product synonymous with traditional festivities. Sisig has strong ties to the city of Angles, so much so that it was declared an intangible part of the town’s heritage in 2017.
This meaty delight is a favorite dish to go with beer or brandy. It best served sizzling on a platter, with a freshly cracked egg on top, some soy sauce, and a drizzle of calamansi.
5. Crispy Pata
Crispy Pata is yet another must-try Filipino food derived from flavor-rich pork cuts. More specifically, it is made from pig knuckles which are deep-fried after boiling to come up with a delicate and juicy meat. If you are familiar with Germany’s Schweinshaxe, then the two dishes aren’t too dissimilar.
Just like the Sisig, this delicacy is also a preferred accompaniment to alcoholic beverages.
6. Chicken Tinola
Simple, easy to cook, and yet downright delicious. Chopped chicken flavored with ginger, garlic, lemongrass, and fish sauce; add a handful or more of young chili plant leaves (some also use horseradish leaves) and small slabs of green papaya fruit and you have one savory chicken tinola.
This classic dish is probably the most popular chicken recipe in the Philippines and for good reasons. The combined flavors of the ingredients create an appetizing soup that is beloved by rice lovers. We highly recommend using bony parts of the chicken such the legs, thighs, and wings.
7. Kare-kare
Another stew dish but offering a different kind of taste and texture, the Kare-kare is also a definite must-try. It is cooked with some very interesting ingredients including oxtail and other beef cuts, and pork tripe. The non-meat elements are even more intriguing. The stew is enriched by a combination of peanuts, toasted ground rice, and annatto. To top it off, the veggies such as eggplant and long beans are added. Kare-kare, however, cannot be enjoyed without a pinch of “bago-ong” or shrimp paste.
Because of the time and attention it requires to prepare the dish, as well as the irregularity of the ingredients, to be served with Kare-kare in any household is a real treat.
8. Bulalo
On the southern region of Luzon island, there is a dish whose name is well-known by every Filipino: the Bulalo. This special stew owes its popularity to the flavor of its soup achieved by prolonged cooking of beef shanks and marrow. The taste is further enhanced by adding onions and garlic, sweet corn, green leafy veggies, and whole peppercorns.
The province of Batangas is particularly famed for its Bulalo as well the neighboring city of Tagaytay where the cool climate makes people want to have a hot bowl of the beloved delicacy all the more. If ever you are in the Philippines during the rainy season, this is one dish you are most likely to eat with the locals.
9. Tapa
Have you ever had a slice of cured or dried meat- could be mutton, beef or deer meat- alongside a fried egg and some fried rice? Because that’s exactly what tapa is. To elevate the flavors, tomato slices, ketchup, pickled green papaya, and vinegar are also factored into the ingredients’ list. Its name might only have four letters but you’ll need a thousand more to perfectly capture the simmering explosion of sweetness.
10. Arroz Caldo
Who knew rice soup would this be tasty? Back in the day, such a meal would require some form of motivation which often came in the way of mother’s threat of a battering should you leave the table with the plate not empty. That would not have been the case with the Arroz Caldo which seamlessly spruces up the dish with flavorful boiled chicken pieces.
Served in a bowl from a steaming hot pot, Arroz Caldo is another favorite meal during the rainy seasons. Don’t eat it just yet though. One of the most enjoying parts of this dish is that you get to mix in flavorings according to your taste: fish sauce, crushed pepper, fried garlic, chilis, green onions, and a semi-boiled egg.
Discover more
While that’s it for our top ten, the list of the must-try Filipino food goes on much further. Other dishes to look for include Bicol express, Balut, Taba ng talangka, Puto at dinuguan, Halo-halo, and much, much more. The Philippines is one culinary adventure we simply cannot serve in one article alone -or maybe even a book! So go on, set your mode to “eat” and discover the country’s rich variety of flavors yourself!
Check out our list of the Top 10 Buffets Within Manila.
