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Filipino cuisine is composed of the cuisines of more than a hundred distinct
ethnolinguistic groups Ethnolinguistics (sometimes called cultural linguistics) is an area of anthropological linguistics that studies the relationship between a language or group of languages and the cultural practices of the people who speak those languages. It exam ...
found throughout the
Philippine archipelago As an archipelago, the Philippines comprises about 7,641 islands clustered into three major island groups: Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao. Only about 2,000 islands are inhabited,
. A majority of mainstream Filipino dishes that comprise Filipino cuisine are from the food traditions of various ethnolinguistic groups and tribes of the archipelago, including the Ilocano,
Pangasinan Pangasinan, officially the Province of Pangasinan (, ; ; ), is a coastal Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region of Luzon. Its capital is Lingayen, Pangasinan, Lingayen while San Carlos, Pangasi ...
,
Kapampangan Kapampangan, Capampañgan or Pampangan may refer to: *Kapampangan people, of the Philippines *Kapampangan language Kapampangan, Capampáñgan, or Pampangan, is an Austronesian language, and one of the eight major languages of the Philippines. ...
,
Tagalog Tagalog may refer to: Language * Tagalog language, a language spoken in the Philippines ** Old Tagalog, an archaic form of the language ** Batangas Tagalog, a dialect of the language * Tagalog script, the writing system historically used for Tagal ...
,
Bicolano Bikol or Bicol usually refers to: * Bicol Region, administrative region of the Philippines Bikol or Bicol may also refer to: Languages and people * Bikol languages, the languages spoken in the Bicol region in the Philippines ** Albay Bikol langu ...
,
Visayan Visayans ( Cebuano: ''mga Bisayà'' ) are a Philippine ethnolinguistic family group or metaethnicity native to the Visayas, to the southernmost islands south of Luzon, and to a significant portion of Mindanao. They are composed of numerous di ...
,
Chavacano Chavacano or Chabacano () is a group of Spanish-based creole language varieties spoken in the Philippines. The variety spoken in Zamboanga City, located in the southern Philippine island group of Mindanao, has the highest concentration of spea ...
, and
Maranao The Maranao people ( Maranao: ''Bangsa'' ''Mëranaw''; Filipino: ''mga'' ''Maranaw''), also spelled Meranaw, Maranaw, and Mëranaw, is a predominantly Muslim Filipino ethnic group native to the region around Lanao Lake in the island of Mi ...
ethnolinguistic groups. The dishes associated with these groups evolved over the centuries from a largely indigenous (largely
Austronesian Austronesian may refer to: *The Austronesian languages *The historical Austronesian peoples The Austronesian people, sometimes referred to as Austronesian-speaking peoples, are a large group of peoples who have settled in Taiwan, maritime Sout ...
) base shared with
maritime Southeast Asia Maritime Southeast Asia comprises the Southeast Asian countries of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and East Timor. The terms Island Southeast Asia and Insular Southeast Asia are sometimes given the same meaning as ...
with varied influences from
Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...
,
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...
, and
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...
cuisines, in line with the major waves of influence that had enriched the cultures of the archipelago, and adapted using indigenous ingredients to meet local preferences.


"Philippine Cuisine."Balitapinoy.net
. Accessed July 2011.
Dishes range from the very simple meal of fried salted fish and rice to curries,
paella Paella (, , , , ; ) is a rice dish originally from the Valencian Community. ''Paella'' is regarded as one of the community's identifying symbols. It is one of the best-known dishes in Spanish cuisine. The dish takes its name from the wide, sha ...
s, and ''
cozido () or ''cozido'' () is a traditional stew eaten as a main dish in Spain, Portugal, Brazil and other Hispanophone and Lusophone countries. Etymology In Spanish, ''cocido'' is the past participle of the verb ''cocer'' ("to boil"), s ...
s'' of Iberian origin made for ''fiestas''. Popular dishes include '' lechón'' (whole roasted pig), ''
longganisa Longaniza (, or ) is a Spanish sausage ( embutido) similar to a chorizo and also closely associated with the Portuguese linguiça. Its defining characteristics are interpreted differently from region to region. It is popular in the cuisines ...
'' (Philippine sausage), ''
tapa Tapa, TAPA, Tapas or Tapasya may refer to: Media *Tapas (website), a webtoon site, formerly known as Tapastic * ''Tapas'' (film), a 2005 Spanish film * ''Tapasya'' (1976 film), an Indian Hindi-language film * ''Tapasya'' (1992 film), a Nepalese f ...
'' (cured beef), ''
torta Torta is a culinary term that can, depending on the cuisine, refer to cakes, pies, flatbreads, sandwiches, or omelettes. Usually, it refers to: * cake or pie in South America, much of Europe, and southern Philippines * flatbread in Spain * a t ...
'' (omelette), ''
adobo or (Spanish language, Spanish: marinade, sauce, or seasoning) is the immersion of food in a stock (or sauce) composed variously of paprika, oregano, Edible salt, salt, garlic, and vinegar to preserve and enhance its flavor. The Portuguese cu ...
'' (vinegar and soy sauce-based stew), ''
kaldereta Kaldereta or caldereta is a goat meat stew from the Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it cons ...
'' (meat stewed in tomato sauce and liver paste), ''
mechado Mechado is a braised beef dish originating from the Philippines inspired by the Mexican dish called Menudo which the Filipinos adopted during the colonial period. Soy sauce and calamansi fruits are key ingredients in the braising liquid. Ety ...
'' (larded beef in soy and tomato sauce), ''
pochero Puchero is a type of stew originally from Spain, prepared in Yucatán Peninsula, Yucatán, Mexico, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Perú, south of Brazil, the Philippines, and Spain, specifically the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous co ...
'' (beef and bananas in tomato sauce), ''
afritada ''Afritada'' is a Philippine dish consisting of Chicken as food, chicken, beef, or pork braised in tomato sauce with carrots, potatoes, and red and green bell peppers. It is served on white rice and is a common Filipino meal. It can also be coo ...
'' (chicken or beef and vegetables simmered in tomato sauce), ''
kare-kare Kare-kare is a Filipino cuisine featuring a thick savory peanut sauce. It is generally made from a base of stewed oxtail, beef tripe, pork hocks, calves' feet, pig's feet or trotters, various cuts of pork, beef stew meat, and occasiona ...
'' (
oxtail Oxtail (occasionally spelled ox tail or ox-tail) is the culinary name for the tail of cattle. While the word once meant only the tail of an ox, today it can also refer to the tails of other cattle. An oxtail typically weighs around and is skin ...
and vegetables cooked in
peanut sauce Peanut sauce, satay sauce (saté sauce), ''bumbu kacang'', ''sambal kacang'', or ''pecel'' is an Indonesian cuisine, Indonesian sauce made from ground roasted or fried peanuts, widely used in Indonesian cuisine and many other dishes throughout t ...
), ''
pinakbet (also called ) is a traditional Filipino cuisine, Filipino vegetable dish that originates from the Ilocos Region of the Philippines. The dish consists of a variety of vegetables and flavored with Bugguong, bugguóng munamón (bagoóng isdâ or ...
'' (kabocha squash, eggplant, beans, okra, bitter melon, and tomato stew flavored with shrimp paste), ''
sinigang ''Sinigang'', sometimes anglicized as sour broth, is a Filipino soup or stew characterized by its sour and savory taste. It is most often associated with tamarind (Filipino language, Filipino: ''sampalok''), although it can use other sour fruit ...
'' (meat or seafood with vegetables in sour broth), ''
pancit Pancit ( ), also spelled pansit, is a general term referring to various traditional noodle dishes in Filipino cuisine. There are numerous types of pancit, often named based on the noodles used, method of cooking, place of origin or the ingredi ...
'' (noodles), and ''
lumpia ''Lumpia'' are various types of spring rolls commonly found in Indonesian cuisine, Indonesian and Filipino cuisine, Filipino cuisines. Lumpia are made of thin paper-like or crêpe-like pastry skin called "lumpia wrapper" enveloping savory or ...
'' (fresh or fried spring rolls).


History

Negrito The term ''Negrito'' (; ) refers to several diverse ethnic groups who inhabit isolated parts of Southeast Asia and the Andaman Islands. Populations often described as Negrito include: the Andamanese peoples (including the Great Andamanese, th ...
s, the first peoples of the Philippine archipelago, were nomadic hunter-gatherers whose diet consisted of foraged wild tubers, seafood, and game meat. Remains of tubers that are identified as probably ube (Dioscorea alata) have been recovered from the
Ille Cave Dewil Valley, located in the northernmost part of Palawan, an island province of the Philippines that is located in the Mimaropa region, is an archaeological landscape composed of dozens of sites, thousands of artifacts and features. According to ...
of
Palawan Palawan (, ), officially the Province of Palawan (; ), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of . The capital and largest c ...
(c. 11,000 BP). This also serves as evidence that ube is native to Island Southeast Asia and evidence that humans from that period already knew to exploit starchy plants. Ube also appears in archaeological records in the
Batanes Islands Batanes, officially the Province of Batanes (; ilocano language, Ilocano: ''Probinsia ti Batanes''; , ), is an archipelagic province in the Philippines, administratively part of the Cagayan Valley regions of the Philippines, region. It is the n ...
by about 3,500 years ago, associated with some of the earliest farming communities in the region. Among the yam species that were cultivated independently within Island Southeast Asia and
New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...
, ube and lesser yams were the only ones regularly cultivated and eaten because the other species were usually considered as famine food due to their higher levels of the toxin
dioscorine Dioscorine is an alkaloid toxin isolated from the tubers of tropical yam on several continents. It has been used as a monkey poison in some African countries, and as an arrow poison to aid in hunting in several parts of Asia. It was first isolate ...
which requires that they be prepared correctly before consumption. The earliest evidence of chicken being fried in the Philippines was found in a Philippine archeological site. Around 6000 BP, subsequent migrations of seafaring
Austronesians The Austronesian people, sometimes referred to as Austronesian-speaking peoples, are a large group of peoples who have settled in Taiwan, maritime Southeast Asia, parts of mainland Southeast Asia, Micronesia, coastal New Guinea, Island Melanesi ...
, whom the majority of contemporary Filipinos descend from, brought new techniques in aquaculture and agriculture, and various domesticated foodstuffs and animals across the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Domesticated pigs came from
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
to northern Luzon around 4500-4000 years ago, which then spread from the Philippines to the
Mariana Islands The Mariana Islands ( ; ), also simply the Marianas, are a crescent-shaped archipelago comprising the summits of fifteen longitudinally oriented, mostly dormant volcanic mountains in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, between the 12th and 21st pa ...
around 3500 years ago, along with red-slipped pottery.


Pre-Colonial period

It is believed that taro cultivation drove the start of terracing in the Cordilleras less than one thousand years. Taro was later replaced by
rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...
around 1600 A.D., which is the predominant crop today. Although there is lack of solid evidence that paddy rice was cultivated in the Philippines earlier than about 700 years ago, the start of rice cultivation was a major development in Filipino cuisine. Using only basic tools, the Ifugao built the
Banaue Rice Terraces The Banaue Rice Terraces () are terraces that were carved into the mountains of Banaue, Ifugao, in the Philippines, by the ancestors of the Igorot people. The terraces were built with minimal equipment, largely by hand. The terraces are l ...
using stone and mud walls to create flat surfaces on the steep mountain slopes, which allowed them to cultivate rice in the highlands. The plains of central and southwestern
Luzon Luzon ( , ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippine archipelago, it is the economic and political ce ...
,
Bicol peninsula The Bicol Region, designated as Region V, is an administrative region of the Philippines. It comprises six provinces, four on the Bicol Peninsula (the southeastern end of Luzon): Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, and Sorsogon, and two ...
, and eastern
Panay Panay is the sixth-largest and fourth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of and a total population of 4,542,926, as of 2020 census. Panay comprises 4.4 percent of the entire population of the country. The City of Il ...
were major producers of rice, exporting surplus elsewhere to the rest of the archipelago. Rice was a symbol of wealth, with many rice-based delicacies used as offerings in important ceremonies. Like much of Asia, rice is a staple of Filipino cuisine. Rice-based dishes are common among all regions, with influences from various countries, e.g.,
arroz caldo ''Arroz caldo'' is a Spanish language, Spanish term meaning "broth rice". It is derived from the Spanish dish arroz caldoso. In Philippine cuisine, it is made of rice and chicken gruel heavily infused with ginger and garnished with toasted ga ...
is similar to Chinese
congee Congee ( , derived from Tamil language, Tamil ), is a form of savoury rice porridge made by boiling rice in a large amount of water until the rice softens. Depending on rice–water ratio, the thickness of congee varies from a Western oatmeal ...
. While the colonial periods brought much influence to the culture and cuisine of the Philippines, the influence of countries surrounding the Philippines before those times as well as the origins of that cuisine within the Philippines itself are also vitally important. Pre-dating their colonization by the Spaniards, the Philippines had frequent enough trade with China in that there were Chinese outposts along some of the coastal cities of the Philippines. The Chinese introduced
rice noodles Rice noodles are noodles made with rice flour and water as the principal ingredients. Sometimes ingredients such as tapioca or corn starch are added in order to improve the transparency or increase the gelatinous and chewy texture of the noodle ...
to the islands, the main ingredient of
pancit Pancit ( ), also spelled pansit, is a general term referring to various traditional noodle dishes in Filipino cuisine. There are numerous types of pancit, often named based on the noodles used, method of cooking, place of origin or the ingredi ...
, and
eggrolls The egg roll is a variety of deep-fried appetizer served in American Chinese restaurants. It is a cylindrical, savory roll with shredded cabbage, chopped meat, or other fillings inside a thickly wrapped wheat flour skin, which is fried in hot ...
; the Philippine version is known as
lumpia ''Lumpia'' are various types of spring rolls commonly found in Indonesian cuisine, Indonesian and Filipino cuisine, Filipino cuisines. Lumpia are made of thin paper-like or crêpe-like pastry skin called "lumpia wrapper" enveloping savory or ...
.


Spanish colonial period

Spanish rule ushered several large changes to the cuisines of much of the archipelago, from the formation of the Manila galleon trade network to domestic agricultural reform. The galleon trade brought two significant culinary influences to the islands:
Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...
and
Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...
. The galleon exchange was mainly between
Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...
and
Acapulco Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , ; ), is a city and Port of Acapulco, major seaport in the Political divisions of Mexico, state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Located on a deep, semicirc ...
, mainland
New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( ; Nahuatl: ''Yankwik Kaxtillan Birreiyotl''), originally the Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain. It was one of several ...
(present-day
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
), hence influence from Mexican cuisine brought a vast array of both New World and Spanish foodstuffs and techniques. Directly from the Americas were primarily crops:
maize Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native American ...
,
chili pepper Chili peppers, also spelled chile or chilli ( ), are varieties of fruit#Berries, berry-fruit plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for their pungency. They are used as a spice to ...
s,
bell pepper The bell pepper (also known as sweet pepper, paprika, pepper, capsicum or, in some parts of the US midwest, mango) is the fruit of plants in the Grossum Group of the species ''Capsicum annuum''. Cultivars of the plant produce fruits in diff ...
s,
tomato The tomato (, ), ''Solanum lycopersicum'', is a plant whose fruit is an edible Berry (botany), berry that is eaten as a vegetable. The tomato is a member of the nightshade family that includes tobacco, potato, and chili peppers. It originate ...
es,
potato The potato () is a starchy tuberous vegetable native to the Americas that is consumed as a staple food in many parts of the world. Potatoes are underground stem tubers of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'', a perennial in the nightshade famil ...
es,
peanut The peanut (''Arachis hypogaea''), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), goober pea, pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics by small and large ...
s,
chocolate Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cocoa beans that can be a liquid, solid, or paste, either by itself or to flavoring, flavor other foods. Cocoa beans are the processed seeds of the cacao tree (''Theobroma cacao''); unprocesse ...
,
pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a Tropical vegetation, tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been culti ...
s, coffee beans, ''jicama'', various
squashes Squash most often refers to: * Squash (sport), the high-speed racquet sport also known as squash racquets * Squash (plant), the fruit of vines of the genus ''Cucurbita'' Squash may also refer to: Sports * Squash (professional wrestling), an extr ...
,
annatto Annatto ( or ) is an orange-red condiment and food coloring derived from the seeds of the achiote tree (''Bixa orellana''), native to tropics, tropical parts of the Americas. It is often used to impart a yellow to red-orange color to foods, but ...
, and
avocado The avocado, alligator pear or avocado pear (''Persea americana'') is an evergreen tree in the laurel family (Lauraceae). It is native to Americas, the Americas and was first domesticated in Mesoamerica more than 5,000 years ago. It was priz ...
s, among others. Mexicans and other Latin Americans also brought various Spanish cooking techniques, including
sofrito (), (), (), (), () or () is a basic preparation in Mediterranean cuisine, Mediterranean, Latin American cuisine, Latin American, Spanish cuisine, Spanish, Italian cuisine, Italian and Portuguese cuisine, Portuguese cooking. It typically ...
, sausage making (''longganisa'', despite more akin to ''chorizos''), bread baking, alongside many dishes giving way to locally adapted
empanada An empanada is a type of baked or fried turnover (food), turnover consisting of pastry and stuffing, filling, common in Culture of Spain, Spain, other Southern European countries, North African countries, South Asian countries, Latin American c ...
s,
paella Paella (, , , , ; ) is a rice dish originally from the Valencian Community. ''Paella'' is regarded as one of the community's identifying symbols. It is one of the best-known dishes in Spanish cuisine. The dish takes its name from the wide, sha ...
s,
omelette An omelette (sometimes omelet in American English; see spelling differences) is a dish made from eggs (usually chicken eggs), fried with butter or oil in a frying pan. It is a common practice for an omelette to include fillings such as chiv ...
s called ''tortas'', and
tamale A tamale, in Spanish language, Spanish , is a traditional Mesoamerican dish made of ''masa'', a dough made from nixtamalization, nixtamalized maize, corn, which is steaming, steamed in a corn husk or Banana leaf, banana leaves. The wrapping ...
s. Likewise, migrating Filipinos brought their culinary techniques, dishes, and produce to the Americas and several Pacific islands also under Spanish rule, notably
Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...
and the
Marianas The Mariana Islands ( ; ), also simply the Marianas, are a crescent-shaped archipelago comprising the summits of fifteen longitudinally oriented, mostly Volcano#Dormant and reactivated, dormant volcanic mountains in the northwestern Pacific Ocean ...
. Rice,
sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...
,
coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, ...
s,
citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the family Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, mandarins, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. ''Citrus'' is nativ ...
es,
mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree '' Mangifera indica''. It originated from the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South and Southeast As ...
es, and
tamarind Tamarind (''Tamarindus indica'') is a Legume, leguminous tree bearing edible fruit that is indigenous to tropical Africa and naturalized in Asia. The genus ''Tamarindus'' is monotypic taxon, monotypic, meaning that it contains only this spe ...
from the Philippine islands were all naturalized in these areas. Within
Mexican cuisine Mexican cuisine consists of the cuisines and associated traditions of the modern country of Mexico. Its earliest roots lie in Mesoamerican Cuisine, Mesoamerican cuisine. Mexican cuisine's ingredients and methods arise from the area's first agr ...
, Filipino influence is particularly prevalent in the west coast of
Guerrero Guerrero, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guerrero, is one of the 32 states that compose the administrative divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Guerrero, 85 municipalities. The stat ...
, which includes ''tuba'' winemaking, ''guinatan'' coconut milk-based dishes, and probably
ceviche Ceviche, cebiche, sebiche, or seviche () is a cold dish consisting of fish or shellfish marinated in citrus and seasonings. Different versions of ceviche are part of the culinary cultures of various Latin American countries along the Pacific O ...
. In Guam, several Filipino dishes like ''pancit'' and ''lumpia'' became regular fare, and dishes like ''
kelaguen ''Kelaguen'' is a Chamorros, Chamorro dish from the Mariana Islands eaten as a side dish or as a main course. Similar to ceviche, a pickling marinade of lemon juice, fresh coconut, scallion, green onions, salt and spicy hot peppers or ''donni' '' ...
'' and '' kalamai'' were local adaptations of Filipino predecessors (respectively, ''
kilawin or Kilawen is a Filipino cuisine, Filipino dish of chopped or sliced meats, poultry, seafood, or vegetables typically eaten as an appetizer before a meal, or as finger food with alcoholic drinks. is commonly associated with the Ilocano peop ...
'' and ''
kalamay ''Kalamay'' (also spelled ''calamay'', literally "sugar") is a sticky sweet delicacy that is popular in many regions of the Philippines. It is made of coconut milk, brown sugar, and ground glutinous rice. It can also be flavored with margarine, ...
'').


American colonial period

The United States emerged as the victor of the
Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...
in 1898, purchasing the Philippines from Spain for $20 million during the Treaty of Paris. The Philippines remained a colony until 1946. Americans introduced Filipinos to fast food, including
hot dog A hot dog is a grilled, steamed, or boiled sausage served in the slit of a partially sliced bun. The term ''hot dog'' can also refer to the sausage itself. The sausage used is a wiener ( Vienna sausage) or a frankfurter ( Frankfurter Würs ...
s,
hamburger A hamburger (or simply a burger) consists of fillings—usually a patty of ground meat, typically beef—placed inside a sliced bun or bread roll. The patties are often served with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, bacon, or chilis ...
s,
ice cream Ice cream is a frozen dessert typically made from milk or cream that has been flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as Chocolate, cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit, such as strawberries or peaches. Food ...
, and American-style
fried chicken Fried chicken, also called Southern fried chicken, is a dish consisting of chicken pieces that have been coated with seasoned flour or batter and pan-fried, deep fried, pressure fried, or air fried. The breading adds a crisp coating or ...
, different from the fried chicken already known in the country since pre-colonial times. They also introduced convenient foods such as
Spam Spam most often refers to: * Spam (food), a consumer brand product of canned processed pork of the Hormel Foods Corporation * Spamming, unsolicited or undesired electronic messages ** Email spam, unsolicited, undesired, or illegal email messages ...
,
corned beef Corned beef, called salted beef in some Commonwealth countries, is a salt-cured brisket of beef. The term comes from the treatment of the meat with large-grained rock salt, also called "corns" of salt. Sometimes, sugar and spices are added to ...
,
instant coffee Instant coffee is a beverage derived from brewed coffee beans that enables people to quickly prepare hot coffee by adding hot water or milk to coffee solids in powdered or crystallized form and stirring. The product was first invented in Inver ...
, and
evaporated milk Evaporated milk, known in some countries as "unsweetened condensed milk", is a shelf-stable canned cow’s milk product for which approximately 60% of the water has been removed from fresh milk. French inventor, Nicolas Appert, the "father of ...
. Today, Spam is a common breakfast item often served with garlic fried rice.


Contemporary period

Filipino cuisine continues to evolve as new techniques and styles of cooking, and ingredients find their way into the country. Traditional dishes both simple and elaborate, indigenous and foreign-influenced, are seen as are more current popular international dishes and
fast food Fast food is a type of Mass production, mass-produced food designed for commercial resale, with a strong priority placed on speed of service. ''Fast food'' is a commercial term, limited to food sold in a restaurant or store with frozen, preheat ...
fare. However, the Filipino diet is higher in total fat,
saturated fat A saturated fat is a type of fat in which the fatty acid chains have all single bonds between the carbon atoms. A fat known as a glyceride is made of two kinds of smaller molecules: a short glycerol backbone, and fatty acids that each cont ...
, and
cholesterol Cholesterol is the principal sterol of all higher animals, distributed in body Tissue (biology), tissues, especially the brain and spinal cord, and in Animal fat, animal fats and oils. Cholesterol is biosynthesis, biosynthesized by all anima ...
than other Asian diets. In 2013, President
Noynoy Aquino Benigno Simeon Aquino III (; born Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III; February 8, 1960 – June 24, 2021), also known as Noynoy Aquino and colloquially as PNoy, was a Filipino politician who served as the 15th president of the Philippines ...
signed Republic Act No. 10611, or the Food Safety Act, to establish safeguards for the Filipino people's diet and health in regards to food quality and consumption. In 2022,
TasteAtlas TasteAtlas is an experiential travel online guide for traditional food that collates authentic recipes, food critic reviews, and research articles about popular ingredients and dishes. Describing itself as "a world atlas of traditional dishes, ...
ranked Filipino cuisine as the 23rd best in the world, while
chicken inasal Chicken inasal, commonly known simply as inasal, is a variant of the Filipino chicken dish known as ''lechon manok''. Chicken inasal is a grilled chicken part, typically the breast (Pecho) or leg (Paa), while a lechon manok is a stuffed whole ...
and
sisig ''Sisig'' ( ) is a Filipino dish made from pork jowl and ears (''maskara''), pork belly, and chicken liver, which is usually seasoned with calamansi, onions, and chili peppers. It originates from the Pampanga region in Luzon. ''Sisig'' is a ...
were ranked one of the best dishes globally. In 2025, the ''
Michelin Guide The ''Michelin Guides'' ( ; ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The ''Guide'' awards up to three Michelin star (classification), stars for excellence to a select few restaurants ...
'' announced that it would release its first selection of restaurants in the
Greater Manila The Greater Manila Area () is the contiguous urbanization region surrounding the Metropolitan Manila area of the Philippines. This built-up zone includes Metro Manila and the neighboring provinces of Bulacan to the north, Cavite and Laguna to t ...
and
Cebu Cebu ( ; ), officially the Province of Cebu (; ), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 surrounding islands and islets. The coastal zone of Cebu is identified as a ...
areas by 2026. This marks the first time that the Philippines will be included in the prestigious international restaurant guide.


Characteristics

Filipino cuisine centres around the combination of sweet (''tamis''), sour (''asim''), and salty (''alat''), although in Bicol, the
Cordilleras A cordillera is a chain or network of mountain ranges, such as those in the west coast of the Americas. The term is borrowed from Spanish, where the word comes from , a diminutive of ('rope'). The term is most commonly used in physical geogra ...
and among
Muslim Filipinos Islam in the Philippines is the second largest religion in the country, and the faith was the first-recorded monotheistic religion in the Philippines. Historically, Islam reached the Philippine archipelago in the 14th century, through contact ...
, spicy (''anghang'') is a base of cooking flavor. Counterpoint is a feature in Filipino cuisine which normally comes in a pairing of something sweet with something salty. Examples include ''
champorado Champorado or tsampuradoVirgilio Almario, Almario, Virgilio, et al. 2010. ''UP Filipino Dictionary, UP Diksiyonaryong Filipino'', 2nd ed. Anvil Publishing, Anvil: Pasig. (from from ''champurrar'' 'to mix') is a sweet chocolate rice porridge i ...
'' (a sweet cocoa rice porridge), being paired with ''
tuyo Tuyo may refer to: * "Tuyo" (Rodrigo Amarante song), 2015 * "Tuyo" (Romeo Santos song), 2017 * ''Tuyo'' (album), a 1985 album by Camilo Sesto * Tuyo, Álava, a hamlet and council in Álava province, Basque Country, Spain * Tuyô ''Daing'', ...
'' (salted, sun-dried fish); ''
dinuguan ''Dinuguan'' () is a Filipino savory stew usually of pork offal (typically lungs, kidneys, intestines, ears, heart and snout) and/or meat simmered in a rich, spicy dark gravy of pig blood, garlic, chili (most often '' siling haba''), and v ...
'' (a savory stew made of pig's blood), paired with '' puto'' (sweet, steamed rice cakes); unripe fruits such as green
mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree '' Mangifera indica''. It originated from the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South and Southeast As ...
es (which are only slightly sweet but very sour), are eaten dipped in salt or ''bagoong''; the use of
cheese Cheese is a type of dairy product produced in a range of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk (usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats or sheep). During prod ...
(which is salty-sweet) in sweetcakes (such as ''
bibingka ''Bibingka'' (; ) is a type of baked rice cake in Filipino cuisine that is cooked in a terracotta oven lined with banana leaves and is usually eaten for breakfast or as merienda (mid-afternoon snack), especially during the Christmas season. I ...
'' and ''puto''), as well as an
ice cream Ice cream is a frozen dessert typically made from milk or cream that has been flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as Chocolate, cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit, such as strawberries or peaches. Food ...
flavoring.


Native ingredients

Filipino cuisine has a variety of native ingredients used. The biota that developed yielded a particular landscape and in turn gave the place local ingredients that enhanced flavors to the dishes.
Kalamansi Calamansi (''Citrus'' × ''microcarpa''), also known as calamondin, Philippine lime, or Philippine lemon, is a citrus hybrid cultivated predominantly in the Philippines. It is native to the Philippines, parts of Indonesia (Borneo, Sumatra, and ...
, a fruit that belongs to the genus citrus, is one of these well known ingredients and is mostly used to contribute sourness to a dish. Another is the
tabon-tabon ''Atuna excelsa'' subsp. ''racemosa'', synonym ''Atuna racemosa'', is a tree in the family Chrysobalanaceae. The epithet ' is from the Latin meaning 'clustered', referring to the inflorescence. The tree is widely known as tabon-tabon in the Phili ...
, a tropical fruit used by pre-colonial Filipinos as an anti-bacterial ingredient, especially in
Kinilaw ''Kinilaw'' ( or , literally "eaten raw") is a raw seafood dish and preparation method native to the Philippines. It is more accurately a cooking process that relies on vinegar and acidic fruit juices (usually citrus) to denature the ingredi ...
dishes. The country also cultivates different type of nuts and one of them is the
pili nut Pili may refer to: Common names of plants * ''Canarium ovatum'', a Philippine tree that is a source of the pili nut * ''Heteropogon contortus'', a Hawaiian grass used to thatch structures Places * Pili, Camarines Sur, is a municipality in th ...
, of which the Philippines is the only known exporter of edible varieties. It is usually made as a merienda or is incorporated in other desserts to enhance the flavor due to the milky texture it gives off as it melts in the mouth.
Vinegar Vinegar () is an aqueous solution of diluted acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains from 5% to 18% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting ...
is a common ingredient. ''
Adobo or (Spanish language, Spanish: marinade, sauce, or seasoning) is the immersion of food in a stock (or sauce) composed variously of paprika, oregano, Edible salt, salt, garlic, and vinegar to preserve and enhance its flavor. The Portuguese cu ...
'' is popular not solely for its simplicity and ease of preparation, but also for its ability to be stored for days without spoiling, and even improve in flavor with a day or two of storage. ''
Tinapa Tinapa ''Tinapa'', a Filipino term, is fish cooked or preserved through the process of smoking. It is a native delicacy in the Philippines and is often made from blackfin scad (''Alepes melanoptera'', known locally as ''galunggong''), or from ...
'' is a smoke-cured fish while ''tuyo'', ''daing'', and ''dangit'' are corned, sun-dried fish popular because they can last for weeks without spoiling, even without refrigeration.


Cooking, serving and consumption

Cooking and eating in the Philippines has traditionally been an informal and communal affair centered around the family kitchen. Food tends to be served all at once and not in courses. Filipino dining culture still draws from traditional skills, but modern fast food restaurants such as Jollibee, mix local and foreign flavors. Because Jollibee serves meals like Chickenjoy and Jolly Spaghetti, it is important to many people since it links traditional Filipino recipes with fast food suitable for big cities. ''Kamayan'' is also used in the "
boodle fight Boodle is a slang term for money derived from the Dutch word 'boedel' meaning property or estate. Afrikaans inherited the word and its meaning from the Dutch, which probably accounts for its widespread use for money amongst English-speaking Sou ...
" concept, a style of dining popularized by the
Philippine Army The Philippine Army (PA) () is the main, oldest and largest branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), responsible for ground warfare. , it had an estimated strength of 143,100 soldiers The service branch was established on December ...
which utilizes banana leaves spread out on the table as the main serving platter, upon which is laid out portions of rice and a variety of Filipino dishes for friendly, filial or communal feasting. The use of spoons and forks, however, is still the norm.


Meals of the day

Filipinos traditionally eat three main meals a day: '' almusal'' or '' agahan'' (breakfast), '' tanghalían'' (lunch), and '' hapunan'' (dinner) plus morning and an afternoon snack called '' meryenda'' (also called ''minandál'' or ''minindál''). A traditional Filipino breakfast (''almusal'') might include ''
pandesal Pandesal, also written as pan de sal (, lit. "salt bread"), is a staple bread roll in the Philippines commonly eaten for breakfast. It is made of flour, yeast, sugar, oil, and salt. Description ''Pandesal'' is a popular yeast-raised bread in th ...
'' (small bread rolls), ''
kesong puti ''Kesong puti'' is a Philippines, Filipino soft, unaged, white cheese made from unskimmed carabao milk and salt curdled with vinegar, citrus juices, or sometimes rennet. It can also be made with goat milk, goat or cow milk. It has a mild salty ...
'' (fresh, unripened, white Filipino cheese, traditionally made from carabao's milk) ''
champorado Champorado or tsampuradoVirgilio Almario, Almario, Virgilio, et al. 2010. ''UP Filipino Dictionary, UP Diksiyonaryong Filipino'', 2nd ed. Anvil Publishing, Anvil: Pasig. (from from ''champurrar'' 'to mix') is a sweet chocolate rice porridge i ...
'' (chocolate rice porridge), ''
silog ''Silog'' is a class of Filipino breakfast dishes containing ''sinangag'' ( garlic fried rice) and ''itlog'' ("egg"; in context, fried egg "sunny side up"). They are served with various accompanying savory dishes (), usually fried meat dishes suc ...
'' which is ''sinangag'' ( garlic fried rice) or sinaing, with
fried egg A fried egg is a cooked dish made from one or more eggs which are removed from their shells and placed into a frying pan and cooked. They are traditionally eaten for breakfast or brunch in many countries but may also be served at other times o ...
and meat—such as ''
tapa Tapa, TAPA, Tapas or Tapasya may refer to: Media *Tapas (website), a webtoon site, formerly known as Tapastic * ''Tapas'' (film), a 2005 Spanish film * ''Tapasya'' (1976 film), an Indian Hindi-language film * ''Tapasya'' (1992 film), a Nepalese f ...
'', ''
longganisa Longaniza (, or ) is a Spanish sausage ( embutido) similar to a chorizo and also closely associated with the Portuguese linguiça. Its defining characteristics are interpreted differently from region to region. It is popular in the cuisines ...
'', ''
tocino Tocino is bacon in Spanish, typically made from the pork belly and often formed into cubes in Spain. In Caribbean countries, such as Puerto Rico and Cuba, ''tocino'' is made from pork fatback and is neither cured nor smoked but simply fried un ...
'', '' karne norte'' (corned beef), or fish such as ''daing na bangus'' (salted and dried
milkfish The milkfish (''Chanos chanos'') is a widespread species of ray-finned fish found throughout the Indo-Pacific. It is the sole living species in the family Chanidae, and the only living member of the genus ''Chanos''. The repeating scientific na ...
)—or ''itlog na pula'' (
salted duck egg A salted duck egg is an East Asian preserved food product made by soaking duck eggs in brine or packing each egg in damp, salted charcoal. In Asian supermarkets across the Western world, these eggs are sometimes sold covered in a thick layer of ...
s). Coffee is also commonly served, particularly ''
kapeng barako ''Kapeng barako'' (), also known as Barako coffee or Batangas coffee, is a coffee varietal grown in the Philippines, particularly in the provinces of Batangas and Cavite. It belongs to the species ''Coffea liberica.'' The term is also used to ...
'', a variety of coffee produced in the mountains of Batangas noted for having a strong flavor. Certain
portmanteau In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together.
s in Filipino have come into use to describe popular combinations of items in a Filipino breakfast. An example of such a combination order is ''kankamtuy'': an order of ''kanin'' (rice), ''kamatis'' (tomatoes) and ''tuyo'' (dried fish). Another is ''tapsi'': an order of ''tapa'' and ''sinangág'' or ''sinaing''. Other examples include variations using a ''
silog ''Silog'' is a class of Filipino breakfast dishes containing ''sinangag'' ( garlic fried rice) and ''itlog'' ("egg"; in context, fried egg "sunny side up"). They are served with various accompanying savory dishes (), usually fried meat dishes suc ...
'' suffix, usually some kind of meat served with ''sinangág'' or ''sinaing'', and ''itlog'' (egg). The three most commonly seen ''silogs'' are ''
tapsilog ''Tapa'' is dried or cured beef, pork, mutton, venison or horse meat, although other meat or even fish may be used. Filipinos prepare ''tapa'' by using thin slices of meat and curing these with salt and spices as a preservation method. ''Tapa ...
'' (having ''tapa'' as the meat portion), (having tocino as the meat portion), and (having longganisa as the meat portion). Other ''silogs'' include ''hotsilog'' (with a
hot dog A hot dog is a grilled, steamed, or boiled sausage served in the slit of a partially sliced bun. The term ''hot dog'' can also refer to the sausage itself. The sausage used is a wiener ( Vienna sausage) or a frankfurter ( Frankfurter Würs ...
), ''bangsilog'' (with ''bangus'' (milkfish)), ''dangsilog'' (with ''danggit'' (rabbitfish)), ''spamsilog'' (with
spam Spam most often refers to: * Spam (food), a consumer brand product of canned processed pork of the Hormel Foods Corporation * Spamming, unsolicited or undesired electronic messages ** Email spam, unsolicited, undesired, or illegal email messages ...
), ''adosilog'' (with adobo), ''chosilog'' (with
chorizo ''Chorizo'' ( , ; ; see #Names, below) is a type of pork sausage originating from the Iberian Peninsula. It is made in many national and regional varieties in several countries on different continents. Some of these varieties are quite differe ...
), ''chiksilog'' (with chicken), ''cornsilog'' (with
corned beef Corned beef, called salted beef in some Commonwealth countries, is a salt-cured brisket of beef. The term comes from the treatment of the meat with large-grained rock salt, also called "corns" of salt. Sometimes, sugar and spices are added to ...
), and ''litsilog'' (with Manila lechon" (or "Luzon lechon"). ''Pankaplog'' is slang for a breakfast consisting of ''
pandesal Pandesal, also written as pan de sal (, lit. "salt bread"), is a staple bread roll in the Philippines commonly eaten for breakfast. It is made of flour, yeast, sugar, oil, and salt. Description ''Pandesal'' is a popular yeast-raised bread in th ...
'', ''
kape Kape or KAPE may refer to: * KAPE, a radio station (1550 AM) in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, United States * Kape Alamid, coffee made from berries which have passed through the digestive tract of the Asian Palm Civet *Kape Barako ''Kapeng barako ...
'' (coffee), and ''itlog'' (egg). An establishment that specializes in such meals is called a ''tapsihan'' or ''tapsilugan''. A typical Filipino lunch (''tanghalian'') is composed of a food variant (or two for some) and rice, sometimes with soup. Whether grilled, stewed, or fried, rice is eaten with everything. Due to the tropical climate of the Philippines, the preference is to serve ice-cold water, juices, or soft drinks with meals. Dinner, while still the main meal, is smaller than in other countries. Typical meals in a Filipino dinner are usually leftover meals from lunch. Filipino dinner is usually served in the time period between 6–8 pm, though dinner is served much earlier in the countryside.


Merienda

''
Merienda Merienda is a light meal in southern Europe, particularly Spain (''merenda'' in Galician, ''berenar'' in Catalan), Portugal (''lanche'' or ''merenda'') and Italy (''merenda''), whence the word spread to Serbo-Croatian in, according to dictiona ...
'' is taken from the Spanish, and is a light meal or snack especially in the afternoon, similar to the concept of afternoon
tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of south-western China and nor ...
. If the meal is taken close to dinner, it is called ''merienda cena'', and may be served instead of dinner. Filipinos have a number of options to take with ''kapé'', which is the Filipino pronunciation of café (
coffee Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially a ...
): breads and pastries like ''
pandesal Pandesal, also written as pan de sal (, lit. "salt bread"), is a staple bread roll in the Philippines commonly eaten for breakfast. It is made of flour, yeast, sugar, oil, and salt. Description ''Pandesal'' is a popular yeast-raised bread in th ...
'', '' ensaymada'' (buttery ''
brioche Brioche (, also , , ) is a bread of French origin whose high egg and butter content gives it a rich and tender crumb. Chef Joël Robuchon described it as "light and slightly puffy, more or less fine, according to the proportion of butter and e ...
'' covered in grated cheese and sugar), '' hopia'' (pastries similar to
mooncake A mooncake () is a Chinese bakery product traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋節). The festival is primarily about the harvest while a legend connects it to moon watching, and mooncakes are regarded as a delicacy. ...
s filled with
mung bean paste The mung bean or green gram (''Vigna radiata'') is a plant species in the legume family.Brief Introduction of Mung Bean. Vigna Radiata Extract Green Mung Bean Extract Powder Phaseolus aureus Roxb Vigna radiata L R Wilczek. MDidea-Extracts P ...
) and
empanada An empanada is a type of baked or fried turnover (food), turnover consisting of pastry and stuffing, filling, common in Culture of Spain, Spain, other Southern European countries, North African countries, South Asian countries, Latin American c ...
(savoury, meat-filled
pasties Pasties (singular pasty or pastie) are patches that cover a person's nipples and areolae, typically self-adhesive or affixed with adhesive. They are usually worn in pairs. They originated as part of burlesque shows, allowing dancers to perform ...
). Also popular are ''kakanín'', or traditional pastries made from sticky rice like ''
kutsinta ''Puto cuchinta'' or ''kutsinta'' is a type of steamed rice cake ('' puto'') found throughout the Philippines. It is made from a mixture of tapioca or rice flour, brown sugar, and lye, enhanced with yellow food coloring or annatto extract, a ...
'', ''
sapin-sapin Sapin-sapin is a layered glutinous rice and coconut dessert in Philippine cuisine. It is made from rice flour, coconut milk, sugar, water, flavoring, and coloring. It is usually sprinkled with latik or grated coconut among other toppings. The d ...
'' (multicoloured, layered pastry), ''
palitaw Palitaw (from ''litaw'', the Tagalog word for "float" or "rise") is a small, flat, sweet rice cake eaten in the Philippines. They are made from '' galapong'' - washed, soaked, and ground malagkit (sticky rice). After excess water is let out f ...
'', '' biko'', ''
suman Suman may refer to: Given name * Suman (actor), Indian actor * Suman Bala (born 1981), Indian field hockey player * Suman Chakraborty, Indian engineer * Suman Deodhar (born 1930), Indian badminton player * Suman Ghosh (born 1967), Indian classica ...
'', ''
bibingka ''Bibingka'' (; ) is a type of baked rice cake in Filipino cuisine that is cooked in a terracotta oven lined with banana leaves and is usually eaten for breakfast or as merienda (mid-afternoon snack), especially during the Christmas season. I ...
'', and ''
pitsi-pitsî Pichi-pichi, also spelled pitsi-pitsi, is a Filipino dessert made from steamed cassava flour balls mixed with sugar and lye. It is also commonly flavored with pandan leaves. It is served rolled in freshly grated coconut, cheese, or latik (co ...
'' (served with desiccated coconut). Savoury dishes often eaten during ''merienda'' include ''
pancit Pancit ( ), also spelled pansit, is a general term referring to various traditional noodle dishes in Filipino cuisine. There are numerous types of pancit, often named based on the noodles used, method of cooking, place of origin or the ingredi ...
canton'' (stir-fried noodles), ''
palabok Pancit ( ), also spelled pansit, is a general term referring to various traditional noodle dishes in Filipino cuisine. There are numerous types of pancit, often named based on the noodles used, method of cooking, place of origin or the ingredi ...
'' (rice noodles with a shrimp-based sauce), ''
tokwa't baboy ''Tokwa't baboy'' ( Tagalog for "tofu and pork") is a typical Philippine appetizer. It consists of pork ears, pork belly and deep-fried tofu, and is served in a mixture of soy sauce, pork broth, vinegar, chopped white onions, scallions and re ...
'' (fried tofu with boiled pork ears in a garlic-flavored soy sauce and vinegar dressing), and ''
dinuguan ''Dinuguan'' () is a Filipino savory stew usually of pork offal (typically lungs, kidneys, intestines, ears, heart and snout) and/or meat simmered in a rich, spicy dark gravy of pig blood, garlic, chili (most often '' siling haba''), and v ...
'' (a spicy stew made of pork blood), which is often served with '' puto'' (steamed rice flour cakes).
Dim sum Dim sum () is a large range of small Chinese dishes that are traditionally enjoyed in restaurants for brunch. Most modern dim sum dishes are commonly associated with Cantonese cuisine, although dim sum dishes also exist in other Chinese cu ...
and dumplings, brought to the islands by Fujianese migrants, have been given a Filipino touch and are also popular ''merienda'' fare. Street food, such as
squid A squid (: squid) is a mollusc with an elongated soft body, large eyes, eight cephalopod limb, arms, and two tentacles in the orders Myopsida, Oegopsida, and Bathyteuthida (though many other molluscs within the broader Neocoleoidea are also ...
balls and fish balls, are often skewered on
bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...
sticks and consumed with soy sauce and the sour juice of the
calamondin Calamansi (''Citrus'' × ''microcarpa''), also known as calamondin, Philippine lime, or Philippine lemon, is a citrus hybrid cultivated predominantly in the Philippines. It is native to the Philippines, parts of Indonesia (Borneo, Sumatra, and ...
as condiments.


Pulutan

''Pulutan'' (from the Filipino word which literally means "to pick up") is a term roughly analogous to the English term "finger food" or Spanish
tapas Tapas () are appetisers or snacks in Spanish cuisine. They can be combined to make a full meal and are served cold (such as mixed olives and cheese) or hot (such as , which are battered, fried baby squid; or , spicy potatoes). In some bars ...
. Originally, it was a snack accompanied with liquor or beer but has found its way into Filipino cuisine as
appetizer An hors d'oeuvre ( ; ), appetiser, appetizer or starter is a small dish served before a meal in European cuisine. Some hors d'oeuvres are served cold, others hot. Hors d'oeuvres may be served at the dinner table as a part of the meal, or th ...
s or, in some cases, main dishes, as in the case of ''
sisig ''Sisig'' ( ) is a Filipino dish made from pork jowl and ears (''maskara''), pork belly, and chicken liver, which is usually seasoned with calamansi, onions, and chili peppers. It originates from the Pampanga region in Luzon. ''Sisig'' is a ...
''. Deep-fried ''pulutan'' include '' chicharon'' (less commonly spelled ''tsitsaron''),
pork rind Pork rind is the culinary term for the skin of a pig. It can be used in many different ways. It can be rendered, fried in fat, baked, or roasted to produce a kind of pork cracklings (US), crackling (UK), or scratchings (UK); these are ...
s that have been boiled and then twice fried, the second frying gives the crunchiness and golden color; ''chicharong bituka'', pig intestines that have been deep-fried to a crisp; ''chicharong bulaklak'', similar to ''chicharong bituka'' it is made from
mesenteries In human anatomy, the mesentery is an organ that attaches the intestines to the posterior abdominal wall, consisting of a double fold of the peritoneum. It helps (among other functions) in storing fat and allowing blood vessels, lymphatics, a ...
of pig intestines and has an appearance roughly resembling a flower, hence the name; and , chicken skin that has been deep fried until crisp. Other examples of deep-fried pulutan are crispy crablets, crispy frog legs, or fish skin cracklings, and or deep-fried pork fat (also known as ''pinaigi''). Examples of grilled foods include ''isaw,'' or chicken or pig intestines
skewered A skewer is a thin metal or wood stick used to hold pieces of food together. The word may sometimes be used as a metonym, to refer to the entire food item served on a skewer, as in "chicken skewers". Skewers are used while grilling or roasting ...
and then grilled; ''inihaw na tenga'', pig ears that have been
skewered A skewer is a thin metal or wood stick used to hold pieces of food together. The word may sometimes be used as a metonym, to refer to the entire food item served on a skewer, as in "chicken skewers". Skewers are used while grilling or roasting ...
and then grilled; and pork barbecue, skewered pork
marinated Marinating is the process of soaking foods in a seasoned, often acidic, liquid before cooking. This sauce, called the marinade, can be either acidic (made with ingredients such as vinegar, lemon juice, or wine), or enzymatic (made with ingredien ...
in a sweet soy-garlic blend and then grilled. There is also ''
sisig ''Sisig'' ( ) is a Filipino dish made from pork jowl and ears (''maskara''), pork belly, and chicken liver, which is usually seasoned with calamansi, onions, and chili peppers. It originates from the Pampanga region in Luzon. ''Sisig'' is a ...
'', a popular ''pulutan'' made from the pig's cheek skin, ears, and liver that is initially boiled, then charcoal-grilled and afterwards minced and cooked with chopped onions, chillies, and spices. Smaller snacks such as ''mani'' (
peanut The peanut (''Arachis hypogaea''), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), goober pea, pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics by small and large ...
s) are often sold steamed in the shell, salted, spiced, or flavored with garlic by street vendors in the Philippines. Another snack is '' kropeck'', fish crackers. ''Tokwa't baboy'' is fried
tofu or bean curd is a food prepared by Coagulation (milk), coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into solid white blocks of varying softness: ''silken'', ''soft'', ''firm'', and ''extra (or super) firm''. It originated in Chin ...
with boiled pork marinated in a garlic-flavored
soy sauce Soy sauce (sometimes called soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of China, Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermentation (food), fermented paste of soybeans, roasted cereal, grain, brine, and ''Aspergillus oryzae'' or ''A ...
or vinegar dip. It is also served as a side dish to '' pancit luglog'' or ''
pancit palabok Pancit ( ), also spelled pansit, is a general term referring to various traditional noodle dishes in Filipino cuisine. There are numerous types of pancit, often named based on the noodles used, method of cooking, place of origin or the ingredi ...
''. Also, ''tuhog-tuhog'' is accompanied by sweet or spicy sauce. This includes
fish balls Fish balls are balls made from fish paste which are then boiled or deep-fried. Similar in composition to fishcake, fish balls are often made from fish mince or surimi, salt, and a culinary binder such as tapioca flour, corn, or potato star ...
, kikiam, squid balls, and other snacks.


Fiesta food

For festive occasions, people band together and prepare more sophisticated dishes. Tables are often laden with expensive and labor-intensive treats requiring hours of preparation. In Filipino celebrations, ''
lechon A suckling pig is a piglet fed on its mother's milk (i.e., a piglet which is still a " suckling"). In culinary contexts, a suckling pig is slaughtered between the ages of two and six weeks. It is traditionally cooked whole, often roasted, in ...
'' (less commonly spelled ''litson'') serves as the centerpiece of the dinner table. It is usually a whole roasted pig, but suckling pigs (''lechonillo'', or ''lechon de leche'') or cattle calves () can also be prepared in place of the popular adult pig. It is typically served with ''lechon'' sauce, which is traditionally made from the roasted pig's liver. Other dishes include ''hamonado'' (honey-cured beef, pork or chicken), ''relleno'' (stuffed chicken or milkfish), ''
mechado Mechado is a braised beef dish originating from the Philippines inspired by the Mexican dish called Menudo which the Filipinos adopted during the colonial period. Soy sauce and calamansi fruits are key ingredients in the braising liquid. Ety ...
'', ''afritada'', ''caldereta'', ''puchero'',
paella Paella (, , , , ; ) is a rice dish originally from the Valencian Community. ''Paella'' is regarded as one of the community's identifying symbols. It is one of the best-known dishes in Spanish cuisine. The dish takes its name from the wide, sha ...
, '' menudo'', ''morcon'', ''embutido'' (referring to a meatloaf dish, not a sausage as understood elsewhere), ''suman'' (a savory rice and
coconut milk Coconut milk is a plant milk extracted from the grated pulp of mature coconuts. The opacity and rich taste of the milky-white liquid are due to its high oil content, most of which is saturated fat. Coconut milk is a traditional food ingred ...
concoction steamed in leaves such as banana), and ''
pancit Pancit ( ), also spelled pansit, is a general term referring to various traditional noodle dishes in Filipino cuisine. There are numerous types of pancit, often named based on the noodles used, method of cooking, place of origin or the ingredi ...
canton''. The table may also have various sweets and pastries such as ''
leche flan Leche (Spanish: "milk") may refer to: * Leche (surname) * ''Leche'' (Fobia album), 1993 * ''Leche'' (Illya Kuryaki and the Valderramas album), 1999 * ''Leche'', a 2010 album by Gregory and the Hawk * Leche frita, a Spanish sweet See also * ...
'', '' ube'', ''sapin-sapin'', ''sorbetes'' (ice cream), ''totong'' or ''sinukmani'' (a rice, coconut milk and mongo bean pudding), ''ginataan'' (a coconut milk pudding with various root vegetables and
tapioca pearls A tapioca pearl, also known as tapioca ball, is an edible translucent sphere produced from tapioca, a starch made from the cassava root . They originated as a cheaper alternative to sago in Southeast Asian cuisine. When used as an ingredient in ...
), and ''
gulaman ''Gulaman'', in Filipino cuisine, is a bar, or powdered form, of dried agar or carrageenan extracted from edible seaweed used to make jelly-like desserts. In common usage, it also usually refers to the refreshment '' sago't gulaman'', somet ...
'' (an
agar Agar ( or ), or agar-agar, is a jelly-like substance consisting of polysaccharides obtained from the cell walls of some species of red algae, primarily from " ogonori" and " tengusa". As found in nature, agar is a mixture of two components, t ...
jello-like ingredient or dessert). Christmas Eve, known as '' Noche Buena'', is the most important feast. During this evening, the star of the table is the Christmas
ham Ham is pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet or dry curing, with or without smoking."Bacon: Bacon and Ham Curing" in '' Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 39. As a processed meat, the term '' ...
and
Edam cheese Edam ( ) is a semi-hard cheese that originated in the Netherlands, and is named after the town of Edam in the province of North Holland. Edam is traditionally sold in flat-ended spheres with a pale yellow interior and a coat, or rind, of red pa ...
(''queso de bola''). Supermarkets are laden with these treats during the Christmas season and are popular giveaways by Filipino companies in addition to red wine, brandy, groceries, or pastries. Available mostly during the Christmas season and sold in front of churches along with ''
bibingka ''Bibingka'' (; ) is a type of baked rice cake in Filipino cuisine that is cooked in a terracotta oven lined with banana leaves and is usually eaten for breakfast or as merienda (mid-afternoon snack), especially during the Christmas season. I ...
'', ''puto bumbong'' is purple colored ground sticky rice steamed vertically in small bamboo tubes. More common at celebrations than in everyday home meals, '' lumpiang sariwa'', or fresh lumpia, is a fresh spring roll that consists of a soft crepe wrapped around a filling that can include strips of ''kamote'' (sweet potato), ''singkamas'' (
jicama ''Pachyrhizus erosus'', commonly known as ''jícama'' ( or ; ; from ) or Mexican turnip, is a native Mesoamerican vine, although the name ''jícama'' most commonly refers to the plant's edible tuberous root. It is in the pea family (Fabaceae) ...
), bean sprouts, green beans, cabbage, carrots and meat (often pork). It can be served warm or cold and typically with a sweet peanut and garlic sauce. ''Ukoy'' is shredded papaya combined with small shrimp (and occasionally bean sprouts) and fried to make shrimp patties. It is often eaten with vinegar seasoned with garlic, salt and pepper. Both ''lumpiang sariwa'' and ''ukoy'' are often served together in Filipino parties. ''Lumpiang sariwa'' has
Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...
origins, having been derived from
popiah Popiah (, Peng'im, Teochew Peng'im: boh⁸ bian²) is a Fujianese cuisine, Fujianese/Teochew cuisine, Teochew-style fresh spring roll filled with an assortment of fresh, dried, and cooked ingredients, eaten during the Qingming Festival and othe ...
.


Staples

As in most Asian countries, the staple food in the Philippines is
rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...
. It is most often steamed and always served with meat, fish and vegetable dishes. Leftover rice is often fried with garlic to make ''
sinangag ''Sinangag'' (), also called garlic fried rice or garlic rice, is a Filipino fried rice dish cooked by stir-frying pre-cooked rice with garlic. The rice used is preferably stale, usually leftover cooked rice from the previous day, as it result ...
'', which is usually served at breakfast together with a fried egg and
cured meat Curing is any of various food preservation and flavoring processes of foods such as meat, fish and vegetables, by the addition of salt, with the aim of drawing moisture out of the food by the process of osmosis. Because curing increases the solu ...
or sausages. Rice is often enjoyed with the sauce or broth from the main dishes. In some regions, rice is mixed with salt, condensed milk, cocoa, or coffee. Rice flour is used in making sweets, cakes and other pastries. Sticky rice with cocoa, also called ''champorado'' is also a common dish served with ''
daing ''Daing'', ''tuyô'', ''buwad'', or ''bilad'' () are dried fish from the Philippines. Fish prepared as ''daing'' are usually split open (though they may be left whole), gutted, salted liberally, and then sun and air-dried. There are also "bonel ...
'' (dried herring). Rice and coconuts as staples throughout the archipelago as in the rest of Southeast Asia meant similar or adopted dishes and methods based on these crops. Some of these are evident in the infusion of
coconut milk Coconut milk is a plant milk extracted from the grated pulp of mature coconuts. The opacity and rich taste of the milky-white liquid are due to its high oil content, most of which is saturated fat. Coconut milk is a traditional food ingred ...
particularly in the renowned '' laing'' and ''sinilihan'' (popularized as
Bicol express Bicol express, known natively in Bikol as ''sinilihan'' (), is a popular Filipino dish which was popularized in the district of Malate, Manila, but made in traditional Bicolano style. It is a stew made from long chili peppers ('' siling h ...
) of Bicol. Other regional variants of stews or soups commonly tagged as or "with coconut milk" also abound Filipino kitchens and food establishments. A dish from the
Visayas The Visayas ( ), or the Visayan Islands (Bisayan languages, Visayan: ''Kabisay-an'', ; Filipino language, Filipino: ''Kabisayaan'' ), are one of the three Island groups of the Philippines, principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, a ...
simmered in coconut water, ideally in bamboo, is the ''
binakol ''Binakol'', also spelled ''binakoe'', is a Filipino chicken soup made from chicken cooked in coconut water with grated coconut, green papaya (or chayote), leafy vegetables, garlic, onion, ginger, lemongrass, and '' patis'' (fish sauce). It c ...
'' usually with chicken as the main ingredient. A variety of
fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...
s and
vegetable Vegetables are edible parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. This original meaning is still commonly used, and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including edible flower, flo ...
s are often used in cooking. Plantains (also called ''
saba Saba may refer to: Places * Saba (island), an island of the Netherlands located in the Caribbean Sea * Sabá, a municipality in the department of Colón, Honduras * Șaba or Șaba-Târg, the Romanian name for Shabo, a village in Ukraine * Saba, ...
'' in Filipino),
kalamansi Calamansi (''Citrus'' × ''microcarpa''), also known as calamondin, Philippine lime, or Philippine lemon, is a citrus hybrid cultivated predominantly in the Philippines. It is native to the Philippines, parts of Indonesia (Borneo, Sumatra, and ...
,
guava Guava ( ), also known as the 'guava-pear', is a common tropical fruit cultivated in many tropical and subtropical regions. The common guava '' Psidium guajava'' (lemon guava, apple guava) is a small tree in the myrtle family (Myrtaceae), nativ ...
s (''bayabas''),
mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree '' Mangifera indica''. It originated from the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South and Southeast As ...
es,
papaya The papaya (, ), papaw, () or pawpaw () is the plant species ''Carica papaya'', one of the 21 accepted species in the genus '' Carica'' of the family Caricaceae, and also the name of its fruit. It was first domesticated in Mesoamerica, within ...
s, and
pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a Tropical vegetation, tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been culti ...
s lend a distinctly tropical flair in many dishes, but mainstay green leafy vegetables like water spinach (''kangkong''), Chinese cabbage (''petsay''), Napa cabbage (''petsay wombok''), cabbage (''repolyo'') and other vegetables like eggplants (''talong'') and yard-long beans (''sitaw'') are just as commonly used.
Coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, ...
s are ubiquitous. Coconut meat is often used in desserts,
coconut milk Coconut milk is a plant milk extracted from the grated pulp of mature coconuts. The opacity and rich taste of the milky-white liquid are due to its high oil content, most of which is saturated fat. Coconut milk is a traditional food ingred ...
(''kakang gata'') in sauces, and
coconut oil Coconut oil (or coconut fat) is an edible oil derived from the kernels, meat, and milk of the coconut palm fruit. Coconut oil is a white solid fat below around , and a clear thin liquid oil at higher temperatures. Unrefined varieties have a disti ...
for frying. Abundant harvests of root crops like potatoes, carrots,
taro Taro (; ''Colocasia esculenta'') is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, stems and Petiole (botany), petioles. Taro corms are a ...
(''gabi''),
cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava, manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America, from Brazil, Paraguay and parts of the Andes. Although ...
(''kamoteng kahoy''), purple yam ('' ube''), and
sweet potato The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant in the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its sizeable, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a root vegetable, which is a staple food in parts of ...
(''kamote'') make them readily available. The combination of tomatoes (''kamatis''), garlic (''bawang''), and onions (''sibuyas'') is found in many dishes. Meat staples include
chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...
,
pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig animal husbandry, husbandry dating back to 8000–9000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooke ...
,
beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). Beef can be prepared in various ways; Cut of beef, cuts are often used for steak, which can be cooked to varying degrees of doneness, while trimmings are often Ground beef, grou ...
, and
fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...
.
Seafood Seafood is any form of Marine life, sea life regarded as food by humans, prominently including Fish as food, fish and shellfish. Shellfish include various species of Mollusca, molluscs (e.g., bivalve molluscs such as clams, oysters, and mussel ...
is popular as a result of the bodies of water surrounding the archipelago. Popular catches include
tilapia Tilapia ( ) is the common name for nearly a hundred species of cichlid fish from the coelotilapine, coptodonine, heterotilapine, oreochromine, pelmatolapiine, and tilapiine tribes (formerly all were "Tilapiini"), with the economically mos ...
,
catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order (biology), order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Catfish are common name, named for their prominent barbel (anatomy), barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, though not ...
(''hito''),
milkfish The milkfish (''Chanos chanos'') is a widespread species of ray-finned fish found throughout the Indo-Pacific. It is the sole living species in the family Chanidae, and the only living member of the genus ''Chanos''. The repeating scientific na ...
(''bangus''),
grouper Groupers are a diverse group of marine ray-finned fish in the family Epinephelidae, in the order Perciformes. Groupers were long considered a subfamily of the seabasses in Serranidae, but are now treated as distinct. Not all members of this f ...
(''lapu-lapu''),
shrimp A shrimp (: shrimp (American English, US) or shrimps (British English, UK)) is a crustacean with an elongated body and a primarily Aquatic locomotion, swimming mode of locomotion – typically Decapods belonging to the Caridea or Dendrobranchi ...
(''hipon''), prawns (''sugpo''),
mackerel Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of pelagic fish, mostly from the family Scombridae. They are found in both temperate and tropical seas, mostly living along the coast or offshore in the oceanic environment. ...
(''galunggong'', ''hasa-hasa''), swordfish (''isdang-ispada''), oysters (''talaba''),
mussel Mussel () is the common name used for members of several families of bivalve molluscs, from saltwater and Freshwater bivalve, freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other ...
s (''tahong''),
clam Clam is a common name for several kinds of bivalve mollusc. The word is often applied only to those that are deemed edible and live as infauna, spending most of their lives halfway buried in the sand of the sea floor or riverbeds. Clams h ...
s (''halaan'' and ''tulya''), large and small
crabs Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura (meaning "short tailed" in Greek), which typically have a very short projecting tail-like abdomen, usually hidden entirely under the thorax. Their exoskeleton is often thickened and ha ...
(''alimango'' and ''alimasag'' respectively),
game fish Game fish, sport fish or quarry refer to popular fish species pursued by recreational fishing, recreational fishers (typically angling, anglers), and can be freshwater fish, freshwater or saltwater fish. Game fish can be fish as food, eaten aft ...
, sablefish, tuna,
cod Cod (: cod) is the common name for the demersal fish genus ''Gadus'', belonging to the family (biology), family Gadidae. Cod is also used as part of the common name for a number of other fish species, and one species that belongs to genus ''Gad ...
(''bakalaw''),
blue marlin ''Makaira'' (Latin via Greek: ''μαχαίρα'' "sword") is a genus of marlin in the family Istiophoridae. It includes the Atlantic blue and Indo-Pacific blue marlins. In the past, the black marlin was also included in this genus, but today i ...
, and
squid A squid (: squid) is a mollusc with an elongated soft body, large eyes, eight cephalopod limb, arms, and two tentacles in the orders Myopsida, Oegopsida, and Bathyteuthida (though many other molluscs within the broader Neocoleoidea are also ...
/
cuttlefish Cuttlefish, or cuttles, are Marine (ocean), marine Mollusca, molluscs of the order (biology), suborder Sepiina. They belong to the class (biology), class Cephalopoda which also includes squid, octopuses, and nautiluses. Cuttlefish have a unique ...
(both called ''pusit''). Also popular are
seaweeds Seaweed, or macroalgae, refers to thousands of species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae. The term includes some types of ''Rhodophyta'' (red), '' Phaeophyta'' (brown) and ''Chlorophyta'' (green) macroalgae. Seaweed species such as ...
(''damong dagat''),
abalone Abalone ( or ; via Spanish , from Rumsen language, Rumsen ''aulón'') is a common name for any small to very large marine life, marine gastropod mollusc in the family (biology), family Haliotidae, which once contained six genera but now cont ...
, and
eel Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 20 families, 164 genera, and about 1000 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage ...
(''igat''). The most common way of having fish is to have it salted, pan-fried or deep-fried, and then eaten as a simple meal with rice and vegetables. It may also be cooked in a sour broth of tomatoes or
tamarind Tamarind (''Tamarindus indica'') is a Legume, leguminous tree bearing edible fruit that is indigenous to tropical Africa and naturalized in Asia. The genus ''Tamarindus'' is monotypic taxon, monotypic, meaning that it contains only this spe ...
as in ''pangat'', prepared with vegetables and a souring agent to make ''
sinigang ''Sinigang'', sometimes anglicized as sour broth, is a Filipino soup or stew characterized by its sour and savory taste. It is most often associated with tamarind (Filipino language, Filipino: ''sampalok''), although it can use other sour fruit ...
'', simmered in vinegar and peppers to make ''paksiw'', or roasted over hot charcoal or wood (''
inihaw Inihaw ( ), also known as sinugba or inasal, are various types of grilled or spit-roasted barbecue dishes from the Philippines. They are usually made from pork or chicken and are served on bamboo skewers or in small cubes with a soy sauce and ...
''). Other preparations include ''
escabeche __NOTOC__ Escabeche is the name for several dishes in Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, Filipino and Hispanic American cuisines, consisting of marinated fish, meat or vegetables, cooked or pickled in an acidic sauce (usually with vine ...
'' (sweet and sour), ''relleno'' (deboned and stuffed), or "
kinilaw ''Kinilaw'' ( or , literally "eaten raw") is a raw seafood dish and preparation method native to the Philippines. It is more accurately a cooking process that relies on vinegar and acidic fruit juices (usually citrus) to denature the ingredi ...
" (similar to ceviche; marinated in vinegar or
kalamansi Calamansi (''Citrus'' × ''microcarpa''), also known as calamondin, Philippine lime, or Philippine lemon, is a citrus hybrid cultivated predominantly in the Philippines. It is native to the Philippines, parts of Indonesia (Borneo, Sumatra, and ...
). Fish can be preserved by being smoked (''
tinapa Tinapa ''Tinapa'', a Filipino term, is fish cooked or preserved through the process of smoking. It is a native delicacy in the Philippines and is often made from blackfin scad (''Alepes melanoptera'', known locally as ''galunggong''), or from ...
'') or sun-dried (''tuyo'' or ''daing''). Food is often served with various
dipping sauce A dip or dipping sauce is a common condiment for many types of food. Dips are used to add flavor or texture to a food, such as pita bread, dumplings, crackers, chopped raw vegetables, fruits, seafood, cubed pieces of meat and cheese, potato ch ...
s. Fried food is often dipped either in
vinegar Vinegar () is an aqueous solution of diluted acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains from 5% to 18% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting ...
with onions,
soy sauce Soy sauce (sometimes called soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of China, Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermentation (food), fermented paste of soybeans, roasted cereal, grain, brine, and ''Aspergillus oryzae'' or ''A ...
with juice squeezed from ''
kalamansi Calamansi (''Citrus'' × ''microcarpa''), also known as calamondin, Philippine lime, or Philippine lemon, is a citrus hybrid cultivated predominantly in the Philippines. It is native to the Philippines, parts of Indonesia (Borneo, Sumatra, and ...
'' (Philippine lime or ''calamansi''). ''Patis'' (
fish sauce Fish sauce is a liquid condiment made from fish or krill that have been coated in salt and fermented for up to two years. It is used as a staple seasoning in East Asian cuisine and Southeast Asian cuisine, particularly Myanmar, Cambodia, L ...
) may be mixed with ''kalamansi'' as dipping sauce for most seafood or mixed with a stew called
nilaga Nilaga (also written as nilagà) is a traditional meat stew or soup from the Philippines, made with boiled beef (nilagang baka) or pork (nilagang baboy) mixed with various vegetables such as sweet corn, potatoes, kale, and bok choy. It is t ...
.
Fish sauce Fish sauce is a liquid condiment made from fish or krill that have been coated in salt and fermented for up to two years. It is used as a staple seasoning in East Asian cuisine and Southeast Asian cuisine, particularly Myanmar, Cambodia, L ...
, fish paste (''
bagoong ''Bagoóng'' (; ) is a Philippine condiment partially or completely made of either fermented fish (''bagoóng isdâ'') or krill or shrimp paste (''bagoóng alamáng'') with salt. The fermentation process also produces fish sauce known as ''pat ...
''),
shrimp paste Shrimp paste or prawn sauce is a Fermentation, fermented condiment commonly used in Southeast Asian cuisine, Southeast Asian and Coastal Chinese cuisines. It is primarily made from finely crushed Shrimp and prawn as food, shrimp or krill mixed ...
(''bagoong alamang'') and crushed
ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is an herbaceous perennial that grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of l ...
root (''luya'') are
condiment A condiment is a preparation that is added to food, typically after cooking, to enhance the Flavoring, flavour, to complement the dish or to impart a specific flavor. Such specific flavors generally add sweetness or pungency, or sharp or piquant ...
s that are often added to dishes during the cooking process or when served.


Main dishes

''
Adobo or (Spanish language, Spanish: marinade, sauce, or seasoning) is the immersion of food in a stock (or sauce) composed variously of paprika, oregano, Edible salt, salt, garlic, and vinegar to preserve and enhance its flavor. The Portuguese cu ...
'' is one of the most popular Filipino dishes and is considered unofficially by many as the national dish. It usually consists of pork or chicken, sometimes both, stewed or braised in a sauce usually made from vinegar, cooking oil, garlic, bay leaf, peppercorns, and soy sauce. It can also be prepared "dry" by cooking out the liquid and concentrating the flavor. '' Bistek'', also known as "Filipino beef steak," consists of thinly sliced beef marinated in
soy sauce Soy sauce (sometimes called soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of China, Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermentation (food), fermented paste of soybeans, roasted cereal, grain, brine, and ''Aspergillus oryzae'' or ''A ...
and calamansi and then fried in a skillet that is typically served with onions. Some well-known stews are ''
kare-kare Kare-kare is a Filipino cuisine featuring a thick savory peanut sauce. It is generally made from a base of stewed oxtail, beef tripe, pork hocks, calves' feet, pig's feet or trotters, various cuts of pork, beef stew meat, and occasiona ...
'' and ''
dinuguan ''Dinuguan'' () is a Filipino savory stew usually of pork offal (typically lungs, kidneys, intestines, ears, heart and snout) and/or meat simmered in a rich, spicy dark gravy of pig blood, garlic, chili (most often '' siling haba''), and v ...
''. In ''kare-kare'', also known as "peanut stew",
oxtail Oxtail (occasionally spelled ox tail or ox-tail) is the culinary name for the tail of cattle. While the word once meant only the tail of an ox, today it can also refer to the tails of other cattle. An oxtail typically weighs around and is skin ...
or ox
tripe Tripe is a type of edible lining from the stomachs of various farm animals. Most tripe is from cattle and sheep. Types Beef Beef tripe is made from the muscle wall (the interior mucosal lining is removed) of a cow's stomach chambers: th ...
is the main ingredient and is cooked with vegetables in a peanut-based preparation. It is typically served with ''bagoong'' (fermented
shrimp paste Shrimp paste or prawn sauce is a Fermentation, fermented condiment commonly used in Southeast Asian cuisine, Southeast Asian and Coastal Chinese cuisines. It is primarily made from finely crushed Shrimp and prawn as food, shrimp or krill mixed ...
). In ''
dinuguan ''Dinuguan'' () is a Filipino savory stew usually of pork offal (typically lungs, kidneys, intestines, ears, heart and snout) and/or meat simmered in a rich, spicy dark gravy of pig blood, garlic, chili (most often '' siling haba''), and v ...
'', pig's blood, entrails, and meat are cooked with vinegar and seasoned with chili peppers, usually ''
siling mahaba ''Siling haba'' ("long chili"), ''espada'' ("sword" in Spanish), ''siling mahaba'', ''siling pangsigang'' ("chili for ''sinigang''"), ''siling Tagalog'' ("Tagalog chili"), and sometimes called green chili, finger chili or long pepper, is one of ...
''. ''
Paksiw ''Paksiw'' () is a Filipino style of cooking, whose name means "to cook and simmer in vinegar". Common dishes bearing the term, however, can vary substantially depending on what is being cooked. '' Pinangat na isda'' may sometimes also be r ...
'' refers to different vinegar-based stews that differ greatly from one another based on the type of meat used. ''Paksiw na isda'' uses fish and usually includes the addition of ginger, fish sauce, and maybe ''siling mahaba'' and vegetables. ''Paksiw na baboy'' is a ''paksiw'' using pork, usually pork hocks, and often sees the addition of sugar, banana blossoms, and water so that the meat is stewed in a sweet sauce. A similar Visayan dish called ''
humba ''Humbà'', also spelled ''hombà'', is a Filipino cuisine, Filipino braised pork dish from the Visayas, Philippines. It traditionally uses fatty cuts of pork belly slow-cooked until very tender in soy sauce, vinegar, black peppercorns, garlic ...
'' adds fermented black beans. Both dishes are probably related to ''pata tim'' which is of Chinese origin. ''Paksiw na lechon'' is made from ''lechon'' meat and features the addition of ground liver or liver spread. This adds flavor and thickens the sauce so that it starts to caramelize around the meat by the time dish is finished cooking. Although some versions of ''paksiw'' dishes are made using the same basic ingredients as ''adobo'', they are prepared differently, with other ingredients added and the proportions of ingredients and water being different. In ''crispy pata'',
pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig animal husbandry, husbandry dating back to 8000–9000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooke ...
knuckles (known as ''pata'') are marinated in garlic-flavored vinegar then deep fried until crisp and golden brown, with other parts of the pork leg prepared in the same way. ''Lechon manok'' is the Filipino take on
rotisserie Rotisserie, also known as spit-roasting, is a style of roasting where meat is skewered on a spit – a long, solid rod used to hold food while it is being cooked over a fire in a fireplace or over a campfire, or roasted in an oven. This meth ...
chicken. Available in many hole-in-the-wall stands or restaurant chains (e.g. Andok's, Baliwag, Toto's Sr. Pedro's, G.S. Pagtakhan's), it is typically a specially seasoned chicken roasted over a charcoal flame served with "''sarsa''" or ''lechon'' sauce made from mashed pork liver, starch, sugar, and spices. ''
Mechado Mechado is a braised beef dish originating from the Philippines inspired by the Mexican dish called Menudo which the Filipinos adopted during the colonial period. Soy sauce and calamansi fruits are key ingredients in the braising liquid. Ety ...
'', ''
kaldereta Kaldereta or caldereta is a goat meat stew from the Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it cons ...
'', and ''afritada'' are Spanish influenced tomato sauce-based dishes that are somewhat similar to one another. In these dishes meat is cooked in tomato sauce, minced garlic, and onions. ''Mechado'' gets its name from the pork fat that is inserted in a slab of beef making it look like a wick (''mitsa'') coming out of a beef "candle". The larded meat is then cooked in a seasoned tomato sauce and later sliced and served with the sauce it was cooked in. ''
Kaldereta Kaldereta or caldereta is a goat meat stew from the Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it cons ...
'' can be beef but is also associated with goat. Chunks of meat are cooked in tomato sauce, minced garlic, chopped onions, peas, carrots, bell peppers and potatoes to make a stew with some recipes calling for the addition of soy sauce, fish sauce, vinegar, chilies, ground liver or some combination thereof. ''Afritada'' tends to be the name given to the dish when chicken and pork is used. Another similar dish said to originate from the Rizal area is ''waknatoy''. Pork or beef sirloin is combined with potatoes and cut sausages and cooked in a tomato-based sauce sweetened with pickles. ''
Puchero Puchero is a type of stew originally from Spain, prepared in Yucatán, Mexico, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Perú, south of Brazil, the Philippines, and Spain, specifically the autonomous communities of Andalusia and the Canary Islands. The S ...
'' is derived from the Spanish ''
cocido () or ''cozido'' () is a traditional stew eaten as a main dish in Spain, Portugal, Brazil and other Hispanophone and Lusophone countries. Etymology In Spanish, ''cocido'' is the past participle of the verb ''cocer'' ("to boil"), s ...
''; it is a sweeter stew that has beef and banana or plantain slices simmered in tomato sauce. Filipinos also eat ''
tocino Tocino is bacon in Spanish, typically made from the pork belly and often formed into cubes in Spain. In Caribbean countries, such as Puerto Rico and Cuba, ''tocino'' is made from pork fatback and is neither cured nor smoked but simply fried un ...
'' and ''
longganisa Longaniza (, or ) is a Spanish sausage ( embutido) similar to a chorizo and also closely associated with the Portuguese linguiça. Its defining characteristics are interpreted differently from region to region. It is popular in the cuisines ...
''. ''
Tocino Tocino is bacon in Spanish, typically made from the pork belly and often formed into cubes in Spain. In Caribbean countries, such as Puerto Rico and Cuba, ''tocino'' is made from pork fatback and is neither cured nor smoked but simply fried un ...
'' is a sweetened cured meat made with either chicken or pork and is marinated and cured for a number of days before being fried. ''
Longganisa Longaniza (, or ) is a Spanish sausage ( embutido) similar to a chorizo and also closely associated with the Portuguese linguiça. Its defining characteristics are interpreted differently from region to region. It is popular in the cuisines ...
'' is a sweet or spicy sausage, typically made from pork though other meats can also be used, and are often colored red traditionally through the use of the
annatto Annatto ( or ) is an orange-red condiment and food coloring derived from the seeds of the achiote tree (''Bixa orellana''), native to tropics, tropical parts of the Americas. It is often used to impart a yellow to red-orange color to foods, but ...
seed but also artificial food coloring. Filipino soups tend to be very hearty and stew-like containing large chunks of meat and vegetables or noodles. They are usually intended to be filling and not meant to be a light preparatory introduction for the main course. They tend to be served with the rest of the meal and eaten with rice when they are not meals unto themselves. They are often referred to on local menus under the heading ''sabaw'' (broth). ''
Sinigang ''Sinigang'', sometimes anglicized as sour broth, is a Filipino soup or stew characterized by its sour and savory taste. It is most often associated with tamarind (Filipino language, Filipino: ''sampalok''), although it can use other sour fruit ...
'' is a popular dish in this category distinguished by its sourness that often vies with ''adobo'' for consideration as the national dish. It is typically made with either pork, beef, chicken or seafood and made sour with tamarind or other suitable souring ingredients. Some seafood variants for example can be made sour by the use of
guava Guava ( ), also known as the 'guava-pear', is a common tropical fruit cultivated in many tropical and subtropical regions. The common guava '' Psidium guajava'' (lemon guava, apple guava) is a small tree in the myrtle family (Myrtaceae), nativ ...
fruit or
miso is a traditional Japanese seasoning. It is a thick paste produced by fermenting soybeans with salt and kōji (the fungus ''Aspergillus oryzae''), and sometimes rice, barley, seaweed, or other ingredients. It is used for sauces and spreads; p ...
. Another dish is ''
tinola Tinola is a Filipino soup usually served as a main course with white rice. Traditionally, the dish is cooked with chicken or fish, wedges of papaya and/or chayote, and leaves of the siling labuyo chili pepper in broth flavored with ginger, o ...
''. It has large chicken pieces and green
papaya The papaya (, ), papaw, () or pawpaw () is the plant species ''Carica papaya'', one of the 21 accepted species in the genus '' Carica'' of the family Caricaceae, and also the name of its fruit. It was first domesticated in Mesoamerica, within ...
/
sayote Chayote (; previously placed in the obsolete genus ''Sechium''), also known as christophine, mirliton, güisquil, and choko, is an edible plant belonging to the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. This fruit was first cultivated in Mesoamerica between ...
slices cooked with chili, spinach, and
moringa Moringa may refer to: * ''Moringa'' (genus), a genus of plants * ''Moringa oleifera ''Moringa oleifera'' is a short-lived, fast-growing, drought-resistant tree of the family Moringaceae, native to northern India and used extensively in South ...
leaves in a ginger-flavored broth. ''Nilagang baka'' is a beef stew made with cabbages and other vegetables. ''Binacol'' is a warm chicken soup cooked with coconut water and served with strips of coconut meat. ''La Paz
batchoy Batchoy, alternatively spelled batsoy (), is a Filipino noodle soup of pork offal, crushed pork cracklings, chicken stock, beef loin, and round noodles. The original and most popular variant, La Paz batchoy, traces its roots to the Iloilo City ...
'' is a noodle soup garnished with pork innards, crushed pork
cracklings Cracklings (American English), crackling (British English), also known as scratchings, are the solid material that remains after Rendering (animal products), rendering animal fat and skin to produce lard, tallow, or schmaltz, or as the result of ro ...
, chopped vegetables, and topped with a raw egg. Another dish with the same name uses
misua ''Misua'' (also spelled ''mee sua'' or ''miswa''; zh, t=, poj=mī-sòaⁿ), also known as wheat vermicelli, is a very thin variety of salted noodles made from wheat flour. It originated in Fujian, China. The noodles differ from '' mifen'' (ri ...
, beef heart, kidneys and intestines, but does not contain eggs or vegetables. ''
Mami Mami may refer to: People *Cheb Mami (born 1966), Algerian raï singer *Mami (given name), a Japanese feminine given name *Mami (goddess), a goddess in the Babylonian epic ''Atra-Hasis'' *Mami Wata, a pantheon of ancient water spirits or deities ...
'' is a
noodle soup Noodle soup refers to a variety of soups with noodles and other ingredients served in a light broth. Noodle soup is a common dish across East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Himalayan states of South Asia. Various types of noodles are used, such as ...
made from chicken, beef, pork, wonton dumplings, or intestines (called ''laman-loob'').
Ma Mon Luk Ma Mon Luk ( ), was a Chinese immigrant best known in the Philippines for his eponymous restaurant, and for being the popularizer and alleged creator of mami (a noodle soup) and popularizer of siopao (a steamed bun based on the cha siu bao). Ear ...
was known for it. Another
chicken noodle soup Chicken soup is a soup made from Chicken (food), chicken, simmered in water, usually with various other ingredients. The classic chicken soup consists of a clear broth, chicken broth, often with pieces of chicken or vegetables; common addition ...
is ''sotanghon'', consisting of
cellophane noodles Glass noodles, or fensi (), sometimes called cellophane noodles, are a type of transparent noodle made from starch (such as mung bean starch, potato starch, sweet potato starch, tapioca, or canna (plant), canna starch) and water. They originated ...
(also called ''sotanghon'' and from whence the name of the dish is derived), chicken, and sometimes mushrooms. Noodle dishes are generally called ''
pancit Pancit ( ), also spelled pansit, is a general term referring to various traditional noodle dishes in Filipino cuisine. There are numerous types of pancit, often named based on the noodles used, method of cooking, place of origin or the ingredi ...
''. ''
Pancit Pancit ( ), also spelled pansit, is a general term referring to various traditional noodle dishes in Filipino cuisine. There are numerous types of pancit, often named based on the noodles used, method of cooking, place of origin or the ingredi ...
'' recipes primarily consist of noodles, vegetables, and slices of meat or shrimp with variations often distinguished by the type of noodles used. Some ''pancit'', such as ''mami'' and La Paz-styled ''batchoy'', are noodle soups while the "dry" varieties are comparable to ''
chow mein ''Chow mein'' ( and , ; Cantonese Yale: ''cháaumihn'', Pinyin: ''chǎomiàn'') is a dish of Chinese stir-fried noodles with vegetables and sometimes meat or tofu. Over the centuries, variations of ''chǎomiàn'' were developed in many reg ...
'' in preparation. Then there is spaghetti or in the local parlance that is a modified version of
spaghetti bolognese Bolognese sauce, known in Italian as or (called in Bologna, ''ragó'' in Bolognese dialect), is the main variety of ragù in Italian cuisine. It is associated with the city of Bologna. is a slowly cooked meat-based sauce, and its preparat ...
. It is sometimes made with banana ketchup instead of tomato sauce, sweetened with sugar and topped with hot dog slices. There are several rice porridges that are popular in the Philippines. One is ''
arroz caldo ''Arroz caldo'' is a Spanish language, Spanish term meaning "broth rice". It is derived from the Spanish dish arroz caldoso. In Philippine cuisine, it is made of rice and chicken gruel heavily infused with ginger and garnished with toasted ga ...
'', which is a rice porridge cooked with chicken, ginger and sometimes saffron, garnished with spring onions (chives), toasted garlic, and coconut milk to make a type of
gruel Gruel is a food consisting of some type of cereal—such as ground oats, wheat, rye, or rice—heated or boiled in water or milk. It is a thinner version of porridge that may be more often drunk rather than eaten. Historically, gruel has been a ...
. Another variant is ''goto'' which is an ''arroz caldo'' made with ox
tripe Tripe is a type of edible lining from the stomachs of various farm animals. Most tripe is from cattle and sheep. Types Beef Beef tripe is made from the muscle wall (the interior mucosal lining is removed) of a cow's stomach chambers: th ...
. There is also another much different rice porridge called ''
champorado Champorado or tsampuradoVirgilio Almario, Almario, Virgilio, et al. 2010. ''UP Filipino Dictionary, UP Diksiyonaryong Filipino'', 2nd ed. Anvil Publishing, Anvil: Pasig. (from from ''champurrar'' 'to mix') is a sweet chocolate rice porridge i ...
'' which is sweet and flavored with chocolate and often served at breakfast paired with ''tuyo'' or ''daing''. Another rice-based dish is ''arroz a la valenciana'', a Spanish
paella Paella (, , , , ; ) is a rice dish originally from the Valencian Community. ''Paella'' is regarded as one of the community's identifying symbols. It is one of the best-known dishes in Spanish cuisine. The dish takes its name from the wide, sha ...
named after the Spanish region
Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...
that has been incorporated into the local cuisine. ''Bringhe'' is a local rice dish with some similarities to paella but using glutinous rice, coconut milk, and turmeric. ''Kiampong'' a type of fried rice topped with pork pieces,
chive Chives, scientific name ''Allium schoenoprasum'', is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaryllidaceae. A perennial plant, ''A. schoenoprasum'' is widespread in nature across much of Eurasia and North America. It is the only spec ...
s and
peanut The peanut (''Arachis hypogaea''), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), goober pea, pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics by small and large ...
s. It can be found in Chinese restaurants in
Binondo Binondo (; ) is a district in Manila and is referred to as the city's Chinatown. Its influence extends beyond to the places of Quiapo, Manila, Quiapo, Santa Cruz, Manila, Santa Cruz, San Nicolas, Manila, San Nicolas and Tondo, Manila, Tondo. ...
and
Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...
. '' Camaron rebosado con jamon'' has been described as a classic dish in the Binondo district of Manila, the city's
Chinatown Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...
. For vegetarians, there is ''
dinengdeng Dinengdéng (also called inabraw) is an Ilocano soup-like, vegetable-based dish from the Northern Luzon, Philippines. It is flavored with '' bugguóng munamón'' (bagoong isda or fermented anchovies) and is characterized by its earthy flavor, ...
'', a dish consisting of
moringa Moringa may refer to: * ''Moringa'' (genus), a genus of plants * ''Moringa oleifera ''Moringa oleifera'' is a short-lived, fast-growing, drought-resistant tree of the family Moringaceae, native to northern India and used extensively in South ...
leaves (''
malunggay ''Moringa oleifera'' is a short-lived, fast-growing, drought-resistant tree of the family Moringaceae, native to northern India and used extensively in South and Southeast Asia. Common names include moringa, drumstick tree (from the long, slen ...
'') and slices of
bittermelon ''Momordica charantia'' (commonly called bitter melon, cerassee, goya, bitter apple, bitter gourd, bitter squash, balsam-pear, karela, karavila and many more names listed below) is a tropical and subtropical vine of the family Cucurbitaceae, w ...
. There is also ''
pinakbet (also called ) is a traditional Filipino cuisine, Filipino vegetable dish that originates from the Ilocos Region of the Philippines. The dish consists of a variety of vegetables and flavored with Bugguong, bugguóng munamón (bagoóng isdâ or ...
'', stewed vegetables heavily flavored with ''
bagoong ''Bagoóng'' (; ) is a Philippine condiment partially or completely made of either fermented fish (''bagoóng isdâ'') or krill or shrimp paste (''bagoóng alamáng'') with salt. The fermentation process also produces fish sauce known as ''pat ...
''. A type of seafood salad known as ''
kinilaw ''Kinilaw'' ( or , literally "eaten raw") is a raw seafood dish and preparation method native to the Philippines. It is more accurately a cooking process that relies on vinegar and acidic fruit juices (usually citrus) to denature the ingredi ...
'' is made up of raw seafood such as fish or shrimp cooked only by steeping in local vinegar, sometimes with coconut milk, onions, spices and other local ingredients. It is comparable to the Peruvian
ceviche Ceviche, cebiche, sebiche, or seviche () is a cold dish consisting of fish or shellfish marinated in citrus and seasonings. Different versions of ceviche are part of the culinary cultures of various Latin American countries along the Pacific O ...
.


Side dishes

''Itlog na pula'' (red eggs) are duck eggs that have been cured in brine or a mixture of clay and salt for a few weeks, making them salty. They are later hard-boiled and dyed with red food coloring (hence the name) to distinguish them from chicken eggs before they are sold over the shelves. They are often served mixed in with diced tomatoes. ''
Atchara ''Atchara'' (also spelled ''achara'' or ''atsara'') is a pickle made from grated unripe papaya originating from the Philippines. This dish is often served as a side dish for fried or grilled foods like pork barbecue. History The name '' ...
'' is a side dish of pickled papaya strips similar to
sauerkraut Sauerkraut (; , ) is finely cut raw cabbage that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria. It has a long shelf life and a distinctive sour flavor, both of which result from the lactic acid formed when the bacteria ferment the sugar ...
. It is a frequent accompaniment to fried dishes like ''tapa'' or ''daing''. ''
Nata de coco ''Nata de coco'', also marketed as coconut gel, is a chewy, translucent, jelly-like food produced by the fermentation of coconut water, which gels through the production of microbial cellulose by '' Komagataeibacter xylinus''. Originating i ...
'' is a chewy, translucent, jelly-like food product produced by the fermentation of coconut water and can be served with ''pandesal''. ''Kesong puti'' is a soft white cheese made from
carabao Carabaos () are a genetically distinct population of swamp-type water buffaloes ('' Bubalus bubalis kerabau'') from the Philippines.FAO 2013''Philippine Carabao/Philippines''In: Domestic Animal Diversity Information System. Food and Agriculture ...
milk (although
cow Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are called co ...
milk is also used in most commercial variants). Grated mature coconut (''niyog'') is normally served with sweet rice-based desserts.


Bread and pastries

In a typical Filipino bakery, ''
pandesal Pandesal, also written as pan de sal (, lit. "salt bread"), is a staple bread roll in the Philippines commonly eaten for breakfast. It is made of flour, yeast, sugar, oil, and salt. Description ''Pandesal'' is a popular yeast-raised bread in th ...
'', '' monay'' and '' ensaymada'' are often sold. ''Pandesal'' comes from the Spanish ''pan de sal'' (literally, bread of salt), and is a ubiquitous breakfast fare, normally eaten with (and sometimes even dipped in) coffee. It typically takes the form of a bread roll, and is usually baked covered in bread crumbs. Contrary to what its name implies, ''pandesal'' is not particularly salty as very little salt is used in baking it. ''Monay'' is a firmer slightly denser heavier bread. '' Ensaymada'', from the Spanish ''ensaimada'', is a pastry made using butter and often topped with sugar and shredded cheese that is especially popular during Christmas. It is sometimes made with fillings such as '' ube'' (purple yam) and ''
macapuno Macapuno, also called coconut sport, is a naturally occurring coconut cultivar that has an abnormal development of the endosperm. The result of this abnormal development is a soft translucent jelly-like flesh that fills almost the entire central ...
'' (a variety of coconut, the meat of which is often cut into strings, sweetened, preserved, and served in desserts). Also commonly sold in Filipino bakeries is ''
pan de coco Pan de coco, literally "coconut bread" in Spanish, is a Filipino rich sweet roll that uses sweetened shredded coconut meat (''bukayo'') as filling. It is one of the most popular types of bread in the Philippines, usually part of the "Filipino ...
'', a
sweet roll A sweet bread roll, roll or sweet bun refers to any of a number of sweet, baked, Baker's yeast, yeast-Leavening agent, leavened breakfast or dessert foods. They may contain spiced bun, spices, nut roll, nuts, fruit bun, candied fruits, etc., and ...
filled with shredded coconut mixed with molasses. ''Putok'' (also known in some localities as "star bread" or "pinagong"), which literally means "explode", refers to a small, hard bread roll whose cratered surface is glazed with sugar. ''Kababayan'' (Filipino muffins) is a small, sweet gong-shaped muffin that has a moist consistency. ''Spanish bread'' (nothing to do with the Spanish bread of Spain – ''Pan de Horno'') refers to a rolled pastry which looks like a croissant prior to being given a crescent shape, and has a filling consisting of sugar and butter. There are also rolls like '' pianono'', which is a chiffon roll flavored with different fillings. ''
Brazo de mercedes ''Brazo de Mercedes'' is a traditional Filipino meringue roll with a custard filling typically dusted with powdered sugar. It is a type of '' pianono''. Origins Although popularly simply translated as "Mercedes' Arm", it actually means "Arm o ...
'', a rolled cake or jelly roll, is made from a sheet of
meringue Meringue ( , ) is a type of dessert or candy, of French cuisine, French origin, traditionally made from Whisk, whipped egg whites and sugar, and occasionally an acid, acidic ingredient such as lemon, vinegar, or potassium bitartrate, cream of t ...
rolled around a custard filling. Similar to the previous dessert, it takes on a layered presentation instead of being rolled and typically features caramelized sugar and nuts for ''
sans rival Sans rival is a Filipino dessert cake made of layers of buttercream, meringue, and chopped cashews. Its name means "without rival" in French. The cake may be decorated, left plain, or garnished with pistachios. The cake's origins are dispute ...
''. '' Silvañas'' are large, oval-shaped, cookie-sized desserts, with a thin meringue on either side of a buttercream filling and dusted with crumbed cookies. Not overly sweet, they are rich, crisp, chewy, and buttery all at the same time. ''
Barquillo Barquillo is a crispy rolled wafer pastry originating in Spain. It is made from the basic cookie ingredients of flour, sugar, egg whites and butter rolled out thinly and then shaped into a hollow cylinder or a cone. It was traditionally sold by r ...
s'' use sweet thin crunchy wafers rolled into tubes that can be sold hollow or filled with '' polvoron'' (sweetened and toasted flour mixed with ground nuts).
Meringue Meringue ( , ) is a type of dessert or candy, of French cuisine, French origin, traditionally made from Whisk, whipped egg whites and sugar, and occasionally an acid, acidic ingredient such as lemon, vinegar, or potassium bitartrate, cream of t ...
s are also present in the Philippines, due to the Spanish influence, but they are called ''merengue'' – with all the vowels pronounced. ''
Leche flan Leche (Spanish: "milk") may refer to: * Leche (surname) * ''Leche'' (Fobia album), 1993 * ''Leche'' (Illya Kuryaki and the Valderramas album), 1999 * ''Leche'', a 2010 album by Gregory and the Hawk * Leche frita, a Spanish sweet See also * ...
'' is a type of caramel custard made with eggs and milk similar to the French creme caramel. ''Leche flan'' (the local term for the original Spanish ''flan de leche'', literally "milk flan") is a heavier version of the Spanish flan made with condensed milk and more egg yolks. ''Leche flan'' is usually steamed over an open flame or stove top, although on rare occasions it can also be seen baked. ''Leche flan'' is a staple in celebratory feasts. A heavier version of ''leche flan'', '' tocino del cielo'', is similar, but has significantly more egg yolks and sugar. The ''egg pie'' with a very rich egg custard filling is a mainstay in local bakeries. It is typically baked so that the exposed custard on top is browned. ''Buko'' pie is made with a filling made from young coconut meat and dairy. Mini pastries like '' turrones de casuy'' are made up of cashew
marzipan Marzipan is a confectionery, confection consisting primarily of sugar and almond meal (ground almonds), sometimes augmented with almond oil or extract. It is often made into Confectionery, sweets; common uses are chocolate-covered marzipan and ...
wrapped with a wafer made to resemble a candy wrapper but take on a miniature look of a pie in a size of about a quarter. There is also '' napoleones'' – again with all the vowels pronounced – a
mille-feuille A (; ),The name is also written as and . also known by the names Napoleon in North America, vanilla slice in the United Kingdom, and custard slice, is a French dessert made of puff pastry layered with pastry cream. Its modern form was influ ...
pastry stuffed with a sweet milk-based filling. There are hard pastries like '' biskotso'' a crunchy, sweet, twice-baked bread. Another baked goody is ''sinipit'' which is a sweet pastry covered in a crunchy sugar glaze, made to resemble a length of rope. Similar to ''sinipit'' is a snack eaten on roadsides colloquially called ''shingaling''. It is hollow but crunchy with a salty flavor. For a softer treat there is '' mamon'' a chiffon-type cake sprinkled with sugar, its name derived from a slang Spanish term for breast. There's also ''
crema de fruta ''Crema de fruta'' () is a traditional Philippine cuisine, Filipino fruitcake made with layers of sponge cake, sweet custard or whipped cream, gelatin or ''gulaman'' (agar), and various preserved or fresh fruits, including mango, mangoes, pine ...
'', which is an elaborate sponge cake topped in succeeding layers of cream, custard, candied fruit, and gelatin. Similar to a sponge cake is ''mamoncillo'' which generally refers to slices taken from a large ''mamon cake'', but it is unrelated to the
fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...
of the same name. Sandwich pastries like ''
inipit ''Inipit'' is a Filipino flat pastry made of flour, milk, lard, and sugar that have various filling sandwiched in between two sheets of the pastry. The name ''inipit'' means "pressed in between" or "sandwiched" in Tagalog. Originally, the fil ...
'' are made with two thin layers of chiffon sandwiching a filling of custard that is topped with butter and sugar. Another ''mamon'' variant is ''mamon tostada'', basically ''mamoncillo'' toasted to a crunchy texture. Stuffed pastries that reflect both Western and Eastern influence are common. One can find
empanada An empanada is a type of baked or fried turnover (food), turnover consisting of pastry and stuffing, filling, common in Culture of Spain, Spain, other Southern European countries, North African countries, South Asian countries, Latin American c ...
s, a turnover-type pastry filled with a savory-sweet meat filling. Typically filled with ground meat and raisins, it can be deep fried or baked. ''
Siopao ''Siopao'' (), is a Philippine steamed bun with various fillings. It is the indigenized version of the Fujianese ''baozi'', introduced to the Philippines by Hokkien immigrants during the Spanish colonial period. It is a popular snack in the P ...
'' is the local version of Chinese
baozi Baozi (), or simply bao, is a type of yeast-leavened filled bun in various Chinese cuisines. There are many variations in fillings (meat or vegetarian) and preparations, though the buns are most often steaming, steamed. They are a variation of ...
. ''Buchi'' is another snack that is likely of Chinese origin. Bite-sized, ''buchi'' is made of deep-fried dough balls (often from rice flour) filled with a sweet mung bean paste, and coated on the outside with sesame seeds; some variants also have '' ube'' as the filling. There are also many varieties of the mooncake-like '' hopia'', which come in different shapes (from a flat, circular stuffed form, to cubes), and have different textures (predominantly using flaky pastry, but sometimes like the ones in
mooncake A mooncake () is a Chinese bakery product traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋節). The festival is primarily about the harvest while a legend connects it to moon watching, and mooncakes are regarded as a delicacy. ...
s) and fillings.


Cooking methods

The Filipino words commonly used for cooking methods and terms are listed below: *
Adobo or (Spanish language, Spanish: marinade, sauce, or seasoning) is the immersion of food in a stock (or sauce) composed variously of paprika, oregano, Edible salt, salt, garlic, and vinegar to preserve and enhance its flavor. The Portuguese cu ...
(''inadobo'') − cooked in vinegar, oil, garlic and soy sauce. *
Afritada ''Afritada'' is a Philippine dish consisting of Chicken as food, chicken, beef, or pork braised in tomato sauce with carrots, potatoes, and red and green bell peppers. It is served on white rice and is a common Filipino meal. It can also be coo ...
– braised in tomato sauce. * Babad (''binabad'', ''ibinabad'') − to marinate. * Banli (''binanlian'', ''pabanli'') − to blanch. * Bagoong (''binagoongan'', ''sa bagoong'') − fermented or cooked with fermented fish/shrimp paste (''
bagoong ''Bagoóng'' (; ) is a Philippine condiment partially or completely made of either fermented fish (''bagoóng isdâ'') or krill or shrimp paste (''bagoóng alamáng'') with salt. The fermentation process also produces fish sauce known as ''pat ...
'') *
Bibingka ''Bibingka'' (; ) is a type of baked rice cake in Filipino cuisine that is cooked in a terracotta oven lined with banana leaves and is usually eaten for breakfast or as merienda (mid-afternoon snack), especially during the Christmas season. I ...
– baked cakes, traditionally
glutinous rice Domestication syndrome refers to two sets of phenotypic traits that are common to either domesticated plants or domesticated animals. Domesticated animals tend to be smaller and less aggressive than their wild counterparts; they may also hav ...
. * Binalot – literally "wrapped". This generally refers to dishes wrapped in banana leaves, pandan leaves, or even aluminum foil. The wrapper is generally inedible (in contrast to ''
lumpia ''Lumpia'' are various types of spring rolls commonly found in Indonesian cuisine, Indonesian and Filipino cuisine, Filipino cuisines. Lumpia are made of thin paper-like or crêpe-like pastry skin called "lumpia wrapper" enveloping savory or ...
''—see below). * Buro (''binuro'') − fermented, pickled, or preserved in salt or vinegar. Synonymous with '' tapay'' in other Philippine languages when referring to fermented rice. * Daing (, ) − salted and dried, usually fish or seafood. Synonymous with ''tuyô'', ''bulad'' or ''buwad'' in other Philippine languages * Giniling – ground meat. Sometimes used as a synonym for
picadillo Picadillo (, "mince") is a traditional dish in many Latin American countries including Mexico and Cuba, as well as the Philippines. It is made with ground meat (most commonly beef), tomatoes (tomato sauce may be used as a substitute), and also ra ...
, especially in ''
arroz a la cubana Arroz a la cubana () ("Cuban-style rice") or arroz cubano is a rice dish popular in Spain, the Philippines, and parts of Latin America. Its defining ingredients are rice and a fried egg. A fried banana ( plantain or other cooking bananas) and tom ...
''. *
Guinataan ''Ginataan'' (pronounced: ), alternatively spelled ''guinataan'', is a Filipino term which refers to food cooked with ''gatâ'' (coconut milk). Literally translated, ''ginataan'' means "done with coconut milk". Due to the general nature of the ...
(''sa gata'') − cooked with coconut milk. * Guisa (''guisado'', ''ginuisa'') − sautéed with garlic and onions. Also spelled ''gisa'', ''gisado'', ''ginisa''. *
Hamonado ''Hamonado'' (Spanish: ''jamonado''), or ''hamonada'', is a Filipino dish consisting of meat marinated and cooked in a sweet pineapple sauce. It is a popular dish during Christmas in Philippine regions where pineapples are commonly grown. ''H ...
(''endulsado'') – marinated or cooked in a sweet pineapple sauce. Sometimes synonymous with ''pininyahan'' or ''minatamis'' * Halabos (''hinalabos'') – mostly for shellfish. Steamed in their own juices and sometimes carbonated soda. *
Halo-halo ''Haluhalo'' is a popular cold dessert in the Philippines made with crushed ice, evaporated milk or coconut milk, and various ingredients including side dishes such as ube jam (ube halaya), sweetened kidney beans or garbanzo beans, coco ...
- made up of crushed ice, evaporated milk or condensed milk, and various ingredients including, ube, sweetened beans, coconut strips, sago (pearls), gulaman (gelatin), pinipig rice, boiled taro or soft yams in cubes, fruit slices, flan, and topped with a scoop of ube ice cream. * Hilaw (''sariwa'') – unripe (for fruits and vegetables), raw (for meats). Also used for uncooked food in general (as in ''
lumpia ''Lumpia'' are various types of spring rolls commonly found in Indonesian cuisine, Indonesian and Filipino cuisine, Filipino cuisines. Lumpia are made of thin paper-like or crêpe-like pastry skin called "lumpia wrapper" enveloping savory or ...
ng sariwa''). * Hinurno – baked in an oven (''pugon'') or roasted. * Ihaw (''inihaw'') − grilled over coal. In Visayas, it is also known as ''sinugba''; ''inasal'' refers to grilling meat on sticks. *
Kinilaw ''Kinilaw'' ( or , literally "eaten raw") is a raw seafood dish and preparation method native to the Philippines. It is more accurately a cooking process that relies on vinegar and acidic fruit juices (usually citrus) to denature the ingredi ...
or
Kilawin or Kilawen is a Filipino cuisine, Filipino dish of chopped or sliced meats, poultry, seafood, or vegetables typically eaten as an appetizer before a meal, or as finger food with alcoholic drinks. is commonly associated with the Ilocano peop ...
− fish or seafood marinated in
vinegar Vinegar () is an aqueous solution of diluted acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains from 5% to 18% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting ...
or
calamansi Calamansi (''Citrus'' × ''microcarpa''), also known as calamondin, Philippine lime, or Philippine lemon, is a citrus hybrid cultivated predominantly in the Philippines. It is native to the Philippines, parts of Indonesia (Borneo, Sumatra, and ...
juice along with
garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to central and south Asia, str ...
,
onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' , from Latin ), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus '' Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion which was classifie ...
s,
ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is an herbaceous perennial that grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of l ...
,
cucumber The cucumber (''Cucumis sativus'') is a widely-cultivated creeping vine plant in the family Cucurbitaceae that bears cylindrical to spherical fruits, which are used as culinary vegetables.peppers Pepper(s) may refer to: Food and spice * Piperaceae or the pepper family, a large family of flowering plants ** Black pepper ** Long pepper ** Kampot pepper * ''Capsicum'' or pepper, a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae ...
. Also means to eat raw or fresh, cognate of ''Hilaw''. * Lechon (''nilechon'') − roasted on a spit. Also spelled ''litson''. * Lumpia – savory food wrapped with an edible wrapper. * Minatamis (''minatamisan'') − sweetened. Similar to ''
hamonado ''Hamonado'' (Spanish: ''jamonado''), or ''hamonada'', is a Filipino dish consisting of meat marinated and cooked in a sweet pineapple sauce. It is a popular dish during Christmas in Philippine regions where pineapples are commonly grown. ''H ...
''. * Nilaga (''laga'', ''palaga'') − boiled/braised. * Nilasing − cooked with an alcoholic beverage like wine or beer. * Paksiw (''pinaksiw'') − cooked in vinegar. *
Pancit Pancit ( ), also spelled pansit, is a general term referring to various traditional noodle dishes in Filipino cuisine. There are numerous types of pancit, often named based on the noodles used, method of cooking, place of origin or the ingredi ...
(''pansit'', ''fideo'') – noodle dishes, usually of
Chinese Filipino Chinese Filipinos (sometimes referred as Filipino Chinese or Chinoy/Tsinoy in the Philippines) are Filipinos of Chinese descent with ancestry mainly from Fujian, but are typically born and raised in the Philippines. Chinese Filipinos are one ...
origin. * Pangat (''pinangat'') − boiled in salted water/brine with fruit such as tomatoes or ripe mangoes. * Palaman (''pinalaman'', ''pinalamanan'') − "filled" as in ''siopao'', though "palaman" also refers to the filling in a sandwich. *
Pinakbet (also called ) is a traditional Filipino cuisine, Filipino vegetable dish that originates from the Ilocos Region of the Philippines. The dish consists of a variety of vegetables and flavored with Bugguong, bugguóng munamón (bagoóng isdâ or ...
(''pakbet'') − to cook with vegetables usually with ''sitaw'' (
yardlong beans The asparagus bean (''Vigna unguiculata'' subsp. ''sesquipedalis'') is a legume cultivated for its edible green pods containing immature seeds, like the green bean. It is also known as yardlong bean, pea bean, long-podded cowpea, Chinese long ...
),
calabaza Calabaza is the generic name in the Spanish language for any type of winter squash. Within an English-language context it specifically refers to the West Indian pumpkin, a winter squash typically grown in the West Indies, tropical America, and t ...
, ''talong'' (eggplant), and ''ampalaya'' (
bitter melon ''Momordica charantia'' (commonly called bitter melon, cerassee, goya, bitter apple, bitter gourd, bitter squash, balsam-pear, karela, karavila and many more #Uses, names listed below) is a tropical and subtropical vine of the family Cucurbitac ...
) among others and ''
bagoong ''Bagoóng'' (; ) is a Philippine condiment partially or completely made of either fermented fish (''bagoóng isdâ'') or krill or shrimp paste (''bagoóng alamáng'') with salt. The fermentation process also produces fish sauce known as ''pat ...
''. * Pinakuluan – boiled. * Pininyahan – marinated or cooked with pineapples. Sometimes synonymous with ''hamonado''. * Prito (''pinirito'') − fried or deep fried. From the Spanish ''frito''. * Puto – steamed cakes, traditionally glutinous rice. * Relleno (''relyeno'') – stuffed. * Sarza (''sarciado'') – cooked with a thick sauce. * Sinangag – garlic fried rice. * Sisig - is a traditional food of Filipino specially partnered with beer. It made by different parts of pig. * Sigang (''sinigang'') − boiled in a sour broth usually with a
tamarind Tamarind (''Tamarindus indica'') is a Legume, leguminous tree bearing edible fruit that is indigenous to tropical Africa and naturalized in Asia. The genus ''Tamarindus'' is monotypic taxon, monotypic, meaning that it contains only this spe ...
base. Other common souring agents include
guava Guava ( ), also known as the 'guava-pear', is a common tropical fruit cultivated in many tropical and subtropical regions. The common guava '' Psidium guajava'' (lemon guava, apple guava) is a small tree in the myrtle family (Myrtaceae), nativ ...
, raw
mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree '' Mangifera indica''. It originated from the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South and Southeast As ...
es, calamansi also known as
calamondin Calamansi (''Citrus'' × ''microcarpa''), also known as calamondin, Philippine lime, or Philippine lemon, is a citrus hybrid cultivated predominantly in the Philippines. It is native to the Philippines, parts of Indonesia (Borneo, Sumatra, and ...
. *
Tapa Tapa, TAPA, Tapas or Tapasya may refer to: Media *Tapas (website), a webtoon site, formerly known as Tapastic * ''Tapas'' (film), a 2005 Spanish film * ''Tapasya'' (1976 film), an Indian Hindi-language film * ''Tapasya'' (1992 film), a Nepalese f ...
or
Tinapa Tinapa ''Tinapa'', a Filipino term, is fish cooked or preserved through the process of smoking. It is a native delicacy in the Philippines and is often made from blackfin scad (''Alepes melanoptera'', known locally as ''galunggong''), or from ...
– dried and smoked. ''Tapa'' refers to meat treated in this manner, mostly marinated and then dried and fried afterwards. ''Tinapa'' meanwhile is almost exclusively associated with
smoked fish Smoked fish is fish that has been cured by smoking. Foods have been smoked by humans throughout history. Originally this was done as a preservative. In more recent times, fish is readily preserved by refrigeration and freezing and the smoking o ...
. * Tapay – fermented with
yeast Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom (biology), kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are est ...
, usually rice, traditionally in
tapayan ''Tapáyan'' or ''tempayan'' (also known as ''balanga'', ''belanga'', or ''bangâ'') are large wide-mouthed earthenware or stoneware jars found in various Austronesian cultures in island Southeast Asia. Their various functions include fermentin ...
jars. Synonymous with ''buro'' in early phases. Can also refer to various products of fermented rice, including
rice wine Rice wine is an alcoholic beverage fermentation, fermented from rice, traditionally consumed in East Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia, where rice is a quintessential staple crop. Rice wine is made by the fermentation of rice starch, during wh ...
s. A very briefly fermented glutinous rice version is known as '' galapong'', which is an essential ingredient in Filipino ''
kakanin A rice cake may be any kind of food item made from rice that has been shaped, condensed, or otherwise combined into a single object. A wide variety of rice cakes exist in many different cultures in which rice is eaten. Common variations include ...
'' (rice cakes). Cognate of ''tinapay'' (
leavened Bread is a baked food product made from water, flour, and often yeast. It is a staple food across the world, particularly in Europe and the Middle East. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cu ...
bread Bread is a baked food product made from water, flour, and often yeast. It is a staple food across the world, particularly in Europe and the Middle East. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cu ...
). * Tosta (''tinosta'', ''tostado'') – toasted. *
Torta Torta is a culinary term that can, depending on the cuisine, refer to cakes, pies, flatbreads, sandwiches, or omelettes. Usually, it refers to: * cake or pie in South America, much of Europe, and southern Philippines * flatbread in Spain * a t ...
(''tinorta'', ''patorta'') – in the northern Philippines, to cook with eggs in the manner of an
omelette An omelette (sometimes omelet in American English; see spelling differences) is a dish made from eggs (usually chicken eggs), fried with butter or oil in a frying pan. It is a common practice for an omelette to include fillings such as chiv ...
. In the southern Philippines, a general term for a small cake.


Beverages


Chilled drinks and shakes

Chilled drinks are popular due to the tropical climate. Stands selling cold fruit drinks and fruit shakes are common in many of the city areas, where some are based on green mandarin orange (''dalandan'' or ''dalanghita''),
pomelo The pomelo ( ; or pummelo, ''Citrus maxima''), also known as a shaddock, is the largest citrus fruit. It is an ancestor of several cultivated citrus species, including the bitter orange and the grapefruit. It is a natural, non-hybrid citrus fr ...
(''suha''),
pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a Tropical vegetation, tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been culti ...
(''pinya''),
banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large treelike herbaceous flowering plants in the genus '' Musa''. In some countries, cooking bananas are called plantains, distinguishing the ...
(''saging''), and
soursop Soursop (also called graviola, guyabano, and in Latin America ) is the fruit of ''Annona muricata'', a broadleaf, flowering, evergreen tree. It is native to the Tropics, tropical regions of the Americas and the Caribbean and is widely propag ...
(''guyabano''). The shakes usually contain crushed ice, evaporated or condensed milk, and fruits like
mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree '' Mangifera indica''. It originated from the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South and Southeast As ...
,
avocado The avocado, alligator pear or avocado pear (''Persea americana'') is an evergreen tree in the laurel family (Lauraceae). It is native to Americas, the Americas and was first domesticated in Mesoamerica more than 5,000 years ago. It was priz ...
,
cantaloupe The cantaloupe ( ) is a type of true melon (''Cucumis melo'') with sweet, aromatic, and usually orange flesh. Originally, ''cantaloupe'' refers to the true cantaloupe or European cantaloupe with non- to slightly netted and often ribbed rind. ...
,
durian The durian () is the edible fruit of several tree species belonging to the genus ''Durio''. There are 30 recognized species, at least nine of which produce edible fruit. ''Durio zibethinus'', native to Borneo and Sumatra, is the only species ...
,
papaya The papaya (, ), papaw, () or pawpaw () is the plant species ''Carica papaya'', one of the 21 accepted species in the genus '' Carica'' of the family Caricaceae, and also the name of its fruit. It was first domesticated in Mesoamerica, within ...
,
strawberry The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown Hybrid (biology), hybrid plant cultivated worldwide for its fruit. The genus ''Fragaria'', the strawberries, is in the rose family, Rosaceae. The fruit ...
and
watermelon The watermelon (''Citrullus lanatus'') is a species of flowering plant in the family Cucurbitaceae, that has a large, edible fruit. It is a Glossary of botanical terms#scandent, scrambling and trailing vine-like plant, and is plant breeding ...
, to name a few. Other chilled drinks include ''sago't gulaman,'' a flavored ice drink of pre-Hispanic Malay origin (Malay: ''
gula melaka Palm sugar is a sweetener derived from any variety of palm tree. Palm sugar may be qualified by the type of palm, as in coconut palm sugar. While sugars from different palms may have slightly different compositions, all are processed similarl ...
'') with
sago Sago () is a starch extracted from the pith, or spongy core tissue, of various tropical palm stems, especially those of ''Metroxylon sagu''. It is a major staple food for the lowland peoples of New Guinea and the Maluku Islands, where it is c ...
and
agar Agar ( or ), or agar-agar, is a jelly-like substance consisting of polysaccharides obtained from the cell walls of some species of red algae, primarily from " ogonori" and " tengusa". As found in nature, agar is a mixture of two components, t ...
gelatin Gelatin or gelatine () is a translucent, colorless, flavorless food ingredient, commonly derived from collagen taken from animal body parts. It is brittle when dry and rubbery when moist. It may also be referred to as hydrolyzed collagen, coll ...
with banana extract sometimes added to the accompanying syrup; fresh ''buko'' or
coconut juice Coconut water (also coconut juice) is the clear liquid inside young coconuts (fruits of the coconut palm). In early development, it serves as a suspension for the endosperm of the coconut during the nuclear phase of development. As developm ...
, the water or juice straight out of a young
coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, ...
via an inserted straw, a less fresh variation of which is from bottled coconut juice, scraped coconut flesh, sugar, and water; and kalamansi juice, the juice of
kalamansi Calamansi (''Citrus'' × ''microcarpa''), also known as calamondin, Philippine lime, or Philippine lemon, is a citrus hybrid cultivated predominantly in the Philippines. It is native to the Philippines, parts of Indonesia (Borneo, Sumatra, and ...
or Philippine limes usually sweetened with honey, syrup or sugar.


Brewed beverages

The Philippines is a predominantly coffee-drinking nation. One of the most popular variants of coffee coming from the mountains of
Batangas Batangas, officially the Province of Batangas ( ), is a first class province of the Philippines located in the southwestern part of Luzon in the Calabarzon region. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 2,908,494 people, making ...
is known as ''
kapeng barako ''Kapeng barako'' (), also known as Barako coffee or Batangas coffee, is a coffee varietal grown in the Philippines, particularly in the provinces of Batangas and Cavite. It belongs to the species ''Coffea liberica.'' The term is also used to ...
''. Another well-known variant of coffee is the ''
civet coffee Kopi luwak, also known as civet coffee, is a coffee that consists of partially digested coffee cherries, which have been eaten and defecated by the Asian palm civet (''Paradoxurus hermaphroditus''). The cherries are fermented as they pass throu ...
''. It is called ''kape motit'' in the Cordilleras, ''kape alamid'' in Tagalog region, and ''kape musang'' in Mindanao. The Kalinga coffee known for its organic production is also rapidly gaining popularity. Highlands coffee, or Benguet coffee, is a blend of Robusta and Excelsa beans. Even before the establishment of coffeehouses in the Philippines, coffee has been part of the Filipino meal. Carinderias would often serve them along with meals. The opening of
Starbucks Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational List of coffeehouse chains, chain of coffeehouses and Starbucks Reserve, roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It was founded in 1971 by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gor ...
in 1997 paved the way for other
coffee shops A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café (), is an establishment that serves various types of coffee, espresso, latte, americano and cappuccino, among other hot beverages. Many coffeehouses in West Asia offer ''shisha'' (actually called ''nargile ...
.
Tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of south-western China and nor ...
consumption in the Philippines is driven primarily by growing health consciousness amongst middle- to high-income consumers. Tea is commonly prepared using Philippine wild tea or tea tree. There are several known variations of tea using different additives. Pandan iced tea is one of these, made with pandan leaves and
lemongrass ''Cymbopogon'', also known as lemongrass, barbed wire grass, silky heads, oily heads, Cochin grass, Malabar grass, citronella grass or fever grass, is a genus of Asian, African, Australian, and tropical island plants in the grass family. Some ...
(locally known as ''tanglad''). ''Salabat'', sometimes called ginger tea, is brewed from
ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is an herbaceous perennial that grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of l ...
root and usually served during the cold months, and when illnesses such as flu or sore throat strikes. The late 2010s saw the opening of teahouses in major cities, and with a glass of milk tea being more affordable than the usual cold designer coffee, it paved the way into making tea a well-known food trend. Notable teahouse chains in the Philippines are
Chatime Chatime () is a Taiwanese global Franchising, franchise teahouse, teahouse chain based in Zhubei. Chatime is the largest teahouse franchise in the world. Its expansion and growth model is through franchising. It operates 2500+ outlets in 38 coun ...
and Serenitea. ''
Tsokolate ''Tsokolate'' ( ), also spelled ''chocolate'', is a native Filipino thick hot chocolate drink. It is made from ''tabliya'' or ''tablea'', tablets of pure ground roasted cacao beans, dissolved in water and milk. Like in Spanish and Mexican ver ...
'' is the Filipino style of hot chocolate. It is traditionally made with ''tablea'', which are pure cacao beans that are dried, roasted, ground and then formed into tablets. It is also popular during
Christmas season The Christmas season or the festive season, also known as the holiday season or the holidays, is an annual period generally spanning from November or December to early January. Incorporating Christmas Day and New Year's Day, the various celebrat ...
, particularly among children.


Alcoholic beverages

There are a wide variety of alcoholic drinks in the Philippines manufactured by local breweries and distilleries.
Red Horse Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineer (RED HORSE) squadrons are the United States Air Force's heavy-construction units. Their combat engineering capabilities are similar to those of the U.S. Navy Seabees and U ...
is one of the most popular beer. ; Traditional drinks ''
Tuba The tuba (; ) is the largest and lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece (brass), mouthpiece. It first appeared in th ...
'' (toddy) is a type of hard liquor made from fresh drippings extracted from a cut young stem of palm. The cutting of the palm stem usually done early in the morning by a ''mananguete'', a person who climbs palm trees and extracts the ''tuba'' to supply to customers later in the day. The morning's accumulated palm juice or drippings are then harvested by noon, and brought to buyers then prepared for consumption. Sometimes this is done twice a day so that there are two harvests of ''tuba'' occurring first at noon-time and then in the late-afternoon. Normally, ''tuba'' has to be consumed right after the ''mananguete'' brings it over, or it becomes too sour to be consumed as a drink. Any remaining unconsumed ''tuba'' is then often stored in jars to ferment for several days and become palm vinegar. ''Tuba'' can be distilled to produce ''
lambanog Lambanóg is a traditional Philippines, Filipino distilled palm wine, palm liquor made from the naturally fermented sap (tubâ) of the coconut palm. It originates from Luzon and the Visayas Islands (where it was historically known as ''dalisay ...
'' (arrack), a neutral liquor often noted for its relatively high alcohol content. Lambanog is an alcoholic beverage commonly described as coconut wine or coconut vodka. The drink is distilled from the sap of the unopened coconut flower, and is known for its potency and high alcohol content (80 and 90 proof). Most of the Lambanog distilleries are in the Quezon province of Luzon, Philippines. Constant efforts at standardizing lambanog production has led to its better quality. Presently, lambanog is being exported to other countries and continues to win foreign customers over due to its natural ingredients as well as its potency. ''
Tapuy ''Tapuy'', also spelled ''tapuey'' or ''tapey'', is a rice wine produced in the Philippines. It is a traditional beverage and originated from Banaue and Mountain Province, where it is used for important occasions like weddings, rice harvesting ...
'' is a traditional Philippine alcoholic drink made from fermented ''
glutinous rice Domestication syndrome refers to two sets of phenotypic traits that are common to either domesticated plants or domesticated animals. Domesticated animals tend to be smaller and less aggressive than their wild counterparts; they may also hav ...
''. It is a clear wine of luxurious alcoholic taste, moderate sweetness and lingering finish. Its average alcohol content is 14% or 28 proof, and it does not contain any preservatives or sugar. To increase the awareness of ''tapuy'', the
Philippine Rice Research Institute The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) is a government corporate entity attached to the Department of Agriculture created through Executive Order 1061 on November 5, 1985 (as amended) to help develop high-yielding and cost-reducing te ...
has created a cookbook containing recipes and cocktails from famous Filipino chefs and bartenders, featuring ''tapuy'' as one of the ingredients. ; Modern drinks
Beer Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grain—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), rice, and oats are also used. The grain is mashed to convert starch in the ...
or ''serbesa'' (from the Spanish "cerveza") is the most widely available alcoholic drink in the Philippines. San Miguel Pale Pilsen is the most popular and widely sold brand. Together with associated San Miguel beer brands such as San Mig Light and Gold Eagle Beer the company holds an aggregate market share of 92.7%. Beer na Beer produced by local conglomerate
Asia Brewery Asia Brewery, Inc. is a Philippines-based diversified beverage company owned by LT Group, Inc. (), a publicly listed holding company of Lucio Tan. History Asia Brewery, Inc. was established by Lucio Tan on January 27, 1982, with the inaugur ...
is another widely sold pale Pilsner style beer. Asia Brewery also produces under license and distributes a number of other mass market beers such as Colt 45, Asahi Super Dry, Heineken and Tiger Beer. Other beer labels include
Red Horse Beer Red Horse Beer is an extra-strong lager brewed by San Miguel Brewery that originated in the Philippines. Overview Red Horse is the first extra-strong beer brand in the Philippines. It is a high-alcohol lager of the San Miguel Brewery, with an a ...
, Lone Star, Lone Star Light, Lone Star Ultra, Carlsberg, Coors Light, San Miguel Superdry, San Mig Strong Ice, and just recently, Manila Beer. Echoing trends in international markets, bars in urban areas have also begun to serve locally produced and imported craft beers in a variety of styles.
Rum Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, a clear liquid, is often aged in barrels of oak. Rum originated in the Caribbean in the 17th century, but today it is produced i ...
is often associated with
Tanduay Tanduay Distillers, Inc. () is a Philippine alcoholic beverage company founded in 1854. It is a subsidiary of LT Group, a conglomerate owned by Filipino business magnate Lucio Tan. As of 2021, it is the world's largest rum brand. History ...
. Several
gin Gin () is a distilled alcoholic drink flavoured with juniper berries and other botanical ingredients. Gin originated as a medicinal liquor made by monks and alchemists across Europe. The modern gin was modified in Flanders and the Netherlands ...
s, both local varieties like
Ginebra San Miguel Ginebra San Miguel, Inc. (; GSMI), formerly La Tondeña Distillers, Inc., is a Philippines-based diversified beverage company majority-owned by San Miguel Food and Beverage, Inc. History La Tondeña was established in 1902 by Carlos T. Pal ...
(as well as GSM Blue and GSM Premium Gin) and imported brands like Gilbey's, are commonly found. Some people refer to gin by the shape of the bottle: ''bilog'' for a circular bottle and ''kwatro kantos'' (literally meaning four corners) for a square or rectangular bottle. Gin is sometimes combined with other ingredients to come up with variations.


Desserts

As the Philippines is a tropical country, many desserts are made from rice and coconuts. One often seen dessert is ''
bibingka ''Bibingka'' (; ) is a type of baked rice cake in Filipino cuisine that is cooked in a terracotta oven lined with banana leaves and is usually eaten for breakfast or as merienda (mid-afternoon snack), especially during the Christmas season. I ...
'', a hot
rice cake A rice cake may be any kind of food item made from rice that has been shaped, condensed, or otherwise combined into a single object. A wide variety of rice cakes exist in many different cultures in which rice is eaten. Common variations include ...
optionally topped with a pat of butter, slices of ''
kesong puti ''Kesong puti'' is a Philippines, Filipino soft, unaged, white cheese made from unskimmed carabao milk and salt curdled with vinegar, citrus juices, or sometimes rennet. It can also be made with goat milk, goat or cow milk. It has a mild salty ...
'' (white cheese), ''itlog na maalat'' (salted duck eggs), and sometimes grated coconut. There are also glutinous rice sweets called '' biko'' made with sugar, butter, and coconut milk. In addition, there is a dessert known as ''bitsu-bitsu,'' also known as a Pinoy donut, made with fried rice flour which is then coated with
muscovado Muscovado is a type of partially refined to unrefined sugar with a strong molasses content and flavour, and dark brown in colour. It is technically considered either a non-centrifugal cane sugar or a centrifuged, partially refined sugar accord ...
sugar syrup. There is also ''karioka'', made from glutinous rice flour, coconut, and coconut milk, fried and skewered and slathered with a brown sugar glaze. Another brown
rice cake A rice cake may be any kind of food item made from rice that has been shaped, condensed, or otherwise combined into a single object. A wide variety of rice cakes exist in many different cultures in which rice is eaten. Common variations include ...
is ''
kutsinta ''Puto cuchinta'' or ''kutsinta'' is a type of steamed rice cake ('' puto'') found throughout the Philippines. It is made from a mixture of tapioca or rice flour, brown sugar, and lye, enhanced with yellow food coloring or annatto extract, a ...
''. '' Puto'' is another well-known example of sweet steamed rice cakes prepared in many different sizes and colors. ''
Sapin-sapin Sapin-sapin is a layered glutinous rice and coconut dessert in Philippine cuisine. It is made from rice flour, coconut milk, sugar, water, flavoring, and coloring. It is usually sprinkled with latik or grated coconut among other toppings. The d ...
'' (sapin means layer) are three-layered, tri-colored sweets made with rice flour, purple yam, and coconut milk characterized by its gelatinous appearance. ''
Palitaw Palitaw (from ''litaw'', the Tagalog word for "float" or "rise") is a small, flat, sweet rice cake eaten in the Philippines. They are made from '' galapong'' - washed, soaked, and ground malagkit (sticky rice). After excess water is let out f ...
'' are rice patties that are covered with sesame seeds, sugar, and coconut; and '' pitsi-pitsi'' are
cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava, manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America, from Brazil, Paraguay and parts of the Andes. Although ...
patties coated with cheese or coconut. ''Tibok-tibok'' is based on carabao milk, being similar to
maja blanca ''Maja blanca'' () is a Filipino dessert with a gelatin-like consistency made primarily from coconut milk. Also known as coconut pudding, it is usually served during '' fiestas'' and during the holidays, especially Christmas. Description ''Ma ...
. As a snack, ''
binatog ''Binatog'', also known as ''bualaw'' or ''kinulti'', is a Filipino boiled corn dessert topped with freshly grated coconut, butter, and salt or sugar. It is commonly sold as street food in the northern Philippines by vendors known as ''magbibin ...
'' is made with corn kernels with shredded coconut. Packaged snacks may be wrapped in banana or palm leaves then steamed. ''
suman Suman may refer to: Given name * Suman (actor), Indian actor * Suman Bala (born 1981), Indian field hockey player * Suman Chakraborty, Indian engineer * Suman Deodhar (born 1930), Indian badminton player * Suman Ghosh (born 1967), Indian classica ...
'' is made from sticky rice and steamed. For chilled desserts there is ''
halo-halo ''Haluhalo'' is a popular cold dessert in the Philippines made with crushed ice, evaporated milk or coconut milk, and various ingredients including side dishes such as ube jam (ube halaya), sweetened kidney beans or garbanzo beans, coco ...
'', a dessert made with shaved ice, milk, and sugar, with additional ingredients like coconut, ''
ube halaya ''Ube halaya'' or ''halayang ube'' (also spelled ''halea'', ''haleya''; ) is a Filipino cuisine, Filipino dessert made from boiled and mashed purple yam (''Dioscorea alata'', locally known as ''ube''). Ube halaya is the main base in ube/purple ...
'' (mashed purple yam) or
ube ice cream Ube ice cream is a Filipino cuisine, Filipino ice cream flavor prepared using Dioscorea alata, ube (purple yam, not to be confused with taro/purple sweet potato) as the main ingredient. The ice cream is often used in the making of the dessert h ...
, ''leche flan'', plantains,
jackfruit The jackfruit or ''nangka'' (''Artocarpus heterophyllus'') is a species of tree in the Common fig, fig, mulberry, and breadfruit family (Moraceae). The jackfruit is the largest tree fruit, reaching as much as in weight, in length, and in d ...
, red beans,
tapioca Tapioca (; ) is a starch extracted from the tubers of the cassava plant (''Manihot esculenta,'' also known as manioc), a species native to the North Region, Brazil, North and Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast regions of Brazil, but which has ...
and ''
pinipig ''Pinipig'' is a flattened rice ingredient from the Philippines. It is made of immature grains of glutinous rice pounded until flat before being toasted. It is commonly used as toppings for various desserts in Filipino cuisine, but can also b ...
''. Other similar treats made with shaved ice include '' saba con yelo'' which is shaved ice served with milk; ''
minatamis na saging ''Minatamis na saging'' (literally "sweetened banana") is a Filipino cuisine, Filipino dessert made with chopped saba bananas cooked in a sweet syrup (''arnibal'') made with muscovado sugar and water. Some recipes also add a little bit of salt ...
'', ripe plantains chopped and caramelized with brown sugar; ''mais con yelo'' shaved ice served with steamed corn kernels, sugar, and milk; and ''buko pandan'', sweetened grated strips of coconut with ''
gulaman ''Gulaman'', in Filipino cuisine, is a bar, or powdered form, of dried agar or carrageenan extracted from edible seaweed used to make jelly-like desserts. In common usage, it also usually refers to the refreshment '' sago't gulaman'', somet ...
'', milk, and the juice or extract from pandan leaves. ''
Sorbetes Sorbetes in the Philippines refers to a traditional ice cream originating in the country, uniquely characterized by the use of coconut milk and/or carabao milk. It is distinct from the similarly named sorbet and Sherbet (frozen dessert), sherbe ...
'' (ice cream) is popular, as well, with some local versions utilizing coconut milk instead of cow milk. Ice candy is a popular frozen snack usually made from fruit juice,
chocolate Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cocoa beans that can be a liquid, solid, or paste, either by itself or to flavoring, flavor other foods. Cocoa beans are the processed seeds of the cacao tree (''Theobroma cacao''); unprocesse ...
or local ingredients such as mung beans and ube. It can be various flavors depending on the producer, chocolate and ''buko'' (coconut) flavored are two of the most popular. Another dessert, often served during Christmas and New Year's Eve, is mango float, a dessert composed of graham crackers, mangoes, cream and milk, layered together in a dish and then refrigerated or blast chilled.


Regional dishes

The Philippine islands are home to various ethnic groups resulting in varied regional cuisines.


Luzon

Ilocano people, Ilocanos from the mountainous Ilocos Region commonly have diets heavy in boiled or steamed vegetables and freshwater fish, and they are particularly fond of dishes that are bitter and salty. Many dishes are flavored with ''bagoong monamon'', fermented fish that is often used as a substitute for salt. Ilocanos often season boiled vegetables with such as ''
pinakbet (also called ) is a traditional Filipino cuisine, Filipino vegetable dish that originates from the Ilocos Region of the Philippines. The dish consists of a variety of vegetables and flavored with Bugguong, bugguóng munamón (bagoóng isdâ or ...
''. Local specialties include the soft white larvae of ants and "jumping salad" of tiny live shrimp. The Igorot prefer roasted meats, particularly
carabao Carabaos () are a genetically distinct population of swamp-type water buffaloes ('' Bubalus bubalis kerabau'') from the Philippines.FAO 2013''Philippine Carabao/Philippines''In: Domestic Animal Diversity Information System. Food and Agriculture ...
meat, goat meat, and venison. Due to its mild, sub-tropical climate, Baguio, along with the outlying mountainous regions, is renowned for its produce. Temperate-zone fruits and vegetables (Strawberry, strawberries being a notable example) which would otherwise wilt in lower regions are grown there. It is also known for a snack called ''sundot-kulangot'' which literally means "poke the booger." It is a sticky kind of sweet made from milled glutinous rice flour mixed with molasses, and served inside ''pitogo'' shells, and with a stick to "poke" its sticky substance with. Isabela (province), Isabela is known for Pancit Cabagan of Cabagan, Inatata & Binallay of Ilagan City are rice cakes prepared year-round in the city and both famous delicacies specially during the lenten season. Cagayan for its famous Carabao Milk Candy in the town Alcala, Cagayan, Alcala and Tuguegarao City for Pancit Batil Patung and Buko Roll. The town of Calasiao in Pangasinan is known for its ''Puto Calasiao, puto'', a type of steamed rice cake. Kapampangan cuisine makes use of all the produce in the region available to the native cook. Among the treats produced in Pampanga are ''Longanisa#Philippines, longganisa'' (original sweet and spicy sausages), ''calderetang kambing'' (savory goat stew), and ''
tocino Tocino is bacon in Spanish, typically made from the pork belly and often formed into cubes in Spain. In Caribbean countries, such as Puerto Rico and Cuba, ''tocino'' is made from pork fatback and is neither cured nor smoked but simply fried un ...
'' (sweetened cured pork). Combining pork cheeks and offal, Kapampangans make ''
sisig ''Sisig'' ( ) is a Filipino dish made from pork jowl and ears (''maskara''), pork belly, and chicken liver, which is usually seasoned with calamansi, onions, and chili peppers. It originates from the Pampanga region in Luzon. ''Sisig'' is a ...
''. The cuisine of the Tagalog people varies by province. Bulacan is popular for Chicharrón (
pork rind Pork rind is the culinary term for the skin of a pig. It can be used in many different ways. It can be rendered, fried in fat, baked, or roasted to produce a kind of pork cracklings (US), crackling (UK), or scratchings (UK); these are ...
s) and steamed rice and tuber cakes like ''puto''. It is a center for ''panghimagas'' or desserts, like brown
rice cake A rice cake may be any kind of food item made from rice that has been shaped, condensed, or otherwise combined into a single object. A wide variety of rice cakes exist in many different cultures in which rice is eaten. Common variations include ...
or ''kutsinta'', ''sapin-sapin'', ''suman (food), suman'',
cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava, manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America, from Brazil, Paraguay and parts of the Andes. Although ...
cake, ''ube halaya'' and the king of sweets, in San Miguel, Bulacan, San Miguel, Bulacan, the famous
carabao Carabaos () are a genetically distinct population of swamp-type water buffaloes ('' Bubalus bubalis kerabau'') from the Philippines.FAO 2013''Philippine Carabao/Philippines''In: Domestic Animal Diversity Information System. Food and Agriculture ...
milk candy ''pastillas de leche'', with its ''pabalat'' wrapper. Cainta, in Rizal (province), Rizal province east of
Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...
, is known for its Filipino
rice cake A rice cake may be any kind of food item made from rice that has been shaped, condensed, or otherwise combined into a single object. A wide variety of rice cakes exist in many different cultures in which rice is eaten. Common variations include ...
s and puddings. These are usually topped with ''latik'', a mixture of coconut milk and brown sugar, reduced to a dry crumbly texture. A more modern, and time saving alternative to ''latik'' are coconut flakes toasted in a frying pan. Antipolo, straddled mid-level in the mountainous regions of the Philippine Sierra Madre (Philippines), Sierra Madre, is a town known for its ''suman'' and cashew products. Laguna (province), Laguna is known for ''buko pie'' (coconut pie) and ''panutsa'' (peanut brittle).
Batangas Batangas, officially the Province of Batangas ( ), is a first class province of the Philippines located in the southwestern part of Luzon in the Calabarzon region. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 2,908,494 people, making ...
is home to Taal Lake, a body of water that surrounds Taal Volcano. The lake is home to 75 species of freshwater fish, including landlocked marine species that have since adapted to the Taal lake environment. Eight of these species are of high commercial value. These include a population of giant trevally locally known as ''maliputo'' which is distinguished from their marine counterparts which are known as ''talakitok''. Another commercially important species is the ''tawilis'', the only known freshwater sardine and endemic to the lake.
Batangas Batangas, officially the Province of Batangas ( ), is a first class province of the Philippines located in the southwestern part of Luzon in the Calabarzon region. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 2,908,494 people, making ...
is also known for its special coffee, ''
kapeng barako ''Kapeng barako'' (), also known as Barako coffee or Batangas coffee, is a coffee varietal grown in the Philippines, particularly in the provinces of Batangas and Cavite. It belongs to the species ''Coffea liberica.'' The term is also used to ...
''. Quezon, especially the town of Lucban, is also known for its culinary dishes, with Lucban longganisa, pancit habhab, and hardinera being the most notable. The influence of coconut milk dishes, such as laing (called ''tinuto'' in some places in Quezon) and sinantol, is also felt in the province because of its proximity to Bicol. ''Suman'' is also a notable food in the province, especially in the town of Infanta, Quezon, Infanta and the city of Tayabas, though having the same ingredients as the one in Antipolo, the things that makes Infanta and Tayabas suman unique is its packaging and size; Infanta's suman is smaller in size and is usually grouped into 20 per pack, while Tayabas' suman is also unique in packaging, with a long tail that makes it look like a lit candle, in connection to its tradition of throwing ''suman'' during the feast of the city's patron, Isidore the Laborer. Bicol is noted for its gastronomic appetite for the fiery or chili-hot dishes. Perhaps the most well-known Bicolano dish is the very spicy
Bicol express Bicol express, known natively in Bikol as ''sinilihan'' (), is a popular Filipino dish which was popularized in the district of Malate, Manila, but made in traditional Bicolano style. It is a stew made from long chili peppers ('' siling h ...
. The region is also the well-known home of ''Natong (food), natong'' also known as ''laing'' or ''Laing (food), pinangat'' (pork or fish stew in
taro Taro (; ''Colocasia esculenta'') is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, stems and Petiole (botany), petioles. Taro corms are a ...
leaves). Kinunot na Isdang Tuna (w:en: Bikol languages, Bikol word "kunot" - flaking, shred) is a traditional w:en:Bicolano people, Bicolano Bicol Region, cuisine with a combination of w:en:Yellowfin tuna, yellowfin tuna, w:en:Moringa oleifera, malunggay, w:en: Siling labuyo, siling labuyo and w:en: Coconut milk, coconut milk).


Visayas

In Visayas, another souring agent in dishes in the form of ''batuan'' (''Garcinia binucao'') is used. It is a fruit that is greenish, yellowish, somewhat rounded, and four centimeters or more in diameter. They have a firm outer covering and contain a very acid pulp and several seeds. Tultul, a type of rock salt, is another ingredient made only in Guimaras, where it is sprinkled on cooked rice to serve as a side dish. The salt is an assortment of reeds, twigs and small pieces of bamboo carried to the shore by the sea tide where they have been soaked in seawater for some time and is then burned in large quantities while continually being doused with salt water on a daily basis. The ashes then is strained continuously by and are then cooked in pans. Bacolod is the capital of Negros Occidental. There are a plethora of restaurants in Bacolod that serve delicious local dishes which are popular with visitors. It is known for ''inasal'' which literally translates to "cooked over fire". The "chicken ''inasal''" is a local version of chicken barbecue. It is cooked with red achuete or annatto seeds giving it a reddish color, and brushed with oil and cooked over the fire. The city is also famous for various delicacies such as ''Piaya (food), piaya'', ''mille foglie, napoleones'' and ''pinasugbo'' (deep-fried and caramelled banana sprinkled with sesame seeds). Leyte (province), Leyte is home to ''Binagol'', Pastillas, Carabao Milk ''Pastillas'', ''Suman Latik'' and Moron (food). Taclobanon cuisine is made unique by the wide use of (grated coconut) and ''hatok'' (coconut milk). It is common to find ''hinatokan'' (dishes integrated in coconut milk) dishes in the city. ''Humba'' is said to have originated from the province since the taste in the region's cuisine distinctly has a slightly sweeter taste than the rest of the country. Because Leyte borders the sea, it is common to find multiple seafood dishes in the province. ''Masag'' (crab), ''tilang'' (scallops) and ''pasayan'' (shrimp) are common sea food in the region. Waray taste varies, allowing each family/''angkan'' (clan) to create unique recipes. Other native delicacies from the province are ''Roscas (Filipino cuisine), Roskas'' (hard cookies made from lard, anise, flour, sugar, butter and eggs) and Bukayo (coconut strip candies). Aklan is synonymous with ''inubarang manok'', chicken cooked with ''ubad'' (banana pith), as well as ''Binakol, binakol na manok'', chicken cooked in coconut water with lemongrass. Of particular interest is ''tamilok'' (shipworm), which is either eaten raw or dipped in an acidic sauce such as vinegar or calamansi. There is a special prevalence of chicken and coconut milk (''gata'') in Akeanon cooking. Iloilo is home of the ''
batchoy Batchoy, alternatively spelled batsoy (), is a Filipino noodle soup of pork offal, crushed pork cracklings, chicken stock, beef loin, and round noodles. The original and most popular variant, La Paz batchoy, traces its roots to the Iloilo City ...
'', derived from "ba-chui" meaning pieces of meat in Hokkien Chinese. The authentic ''batchoy'' contains fresh egg noodles called ''miki'', ''buto-buto'' broth slow-cooked for hours, and beef, pork and ''bulalo'' mixed with the local ''guinamos'' (shrimp paste). Toppings include generous amounts of fried garlic, crushed chicharon, scallions, slices of pork intestines and liver. Another type of
pancit Pancit ( ), also spelled pansit, is a general term referring to various traditional noodle dishes in Filipino cuisine. There are numerous types of pancit, often named based on the noodles used, method of cooking, place of origin or the ingredi ...
which is found in the said province is ''pancit Molo'', an adaptation of wonton soup and is a specialty of the town of Molo, Iloilo City, Molo, a well-known district in Iloilo. Unlike other pancit, ''pancit Molo'' is not dry but soupy and it does not make use of long, thin noodles but instead wonton wrappers made from rice flour. Iloilo is also famous for its two ''Cajanus cajan, kadios'' or pigeon pea-based soups. The first is KBL or ''Kadyos, baboy, kag langka, kadios baboy langka''. As the name implies, the three main ingredients of this dish are ''kadyos'', ''baboy'' (pork), and ''langka'' (unripe jackfruit is used here). Another one is KMU or ''Kadyos, manok, kag ubad, kadios manok ubad''. This dish is composed mainly of ''kadyos'', ''manok'' (preferably free range chicken called ''Bisaya nga manok'' in Iloilo), and ''ubad'' (thinly cut white core of the banana stalk/trunk). Both of these dishes utilize another Ilonggo ingredient as a souring agent. This ingredient is ''batwan'', or ''Garcinia binucao'', a fruit closely related to mangosteen, which is very popular in Western Visayas and neighbouring Negros Island, but is generally unknown to other parts of the Philippines. Roxas, Capiz, Roxas City is another food destination in Western Visayas aside from Iloilo City and Kalibo. This coastal city, about two to three hours by bus from Iloilo City, prides itself as the "Seafood Capital of the Philippines" due to its bountiful rivers, estuaries and seas. Numerous seafood dishes are served in the city's Baybay area such as mussels, oysters, scallops, prawns, seaweeds, clams, fishes and many more.
Cebu Cebu ( ; ), officially the Province of Cebu (; ), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 surrounding islands and islets. The coastal zone of Cebu is identified as a ...
is known for its lechón variant. Lechon prepared "Cebu style" is characterized by a crisp outer skin and a moist juicy meat with a unique taste given by a blend of spices. Cebu is also known for sweets like dried
mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree '' Mangifera indica''. It originated from the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South and Southeast As ...
es and caramel tarts. In Bohol, ''
kalamay ''Kalamay'' (also spelled ''calamay'', literally "sugar") is a sticky sweet delicacy that is popular in many regions of the Philippines. It is made of coconut milk, brown sugar, and ground glutinous rice. It can also be flavored with margarine, ...
'' is popular. In
Palawan Palawan (, ), officially the Province of Palawan (; ), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of . The capital and largest c ...
, crocodile meat is boiled, cured, and turned into ''
tocino Tocino is bacon in Spanish, typically made from the pork belly and often formed into cubes in Spain. In Caribbean countries, such as Puerto Rico and Cuba, ''tocino'' is made from pork fatback and is neither cured nor smoked but simply fried un ...
s''. In Romblon, a specialty dish is pounded and flavored shrimp meat and rice cooked inside banana leaves.


Mindanao

In Mindanao, the southern part of
Palawan Palawan (, ), officially the Province of Palawan (; ), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of . The capital and largest c ...
island, Sulu Province, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi, dishes are richly flavored with the spices common to Southeast Asia: turmeric, coriander, lemon grass, galangal, cumin, zest and/or leaves from varieties of native limes, cinnamon, and chillies—ingredients not commonly used in the rest of Philippine cooking. The cuisine of the indigenous ethnolinguistic nations who are either Christians, Christian, Muslim or Lumad peoples of Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago has much in common with the rich and spice-paste centric Malay cuisines of Malaysian cuisine, Malaysia and Brunei, as well as Indonesian cuisine, Indonesian and Thai cuisine, Thai cuisine, and other Southeast Asian cuisines. Mindanaoan cuisine represents the cultural achievements of prehispanic Philippine cuisine in other most parts of the country immediately prior to Spanish colonization between in the late 16th to early 17th centuries. Hints of similar dishes and flavors can also found in the Bicol region and the Cordilleras, which still prefer a coconut and spice-paste rich palate similar to Mindanao. Well-known Mindanao and Sulu dishes include ''Satay, satti'' (satay) and ''ginataang manok'' (chicken cooked in spiced coconut milk). Certain parts of Mindanao are predominantly Muslim, where pork is rarely consumed, and lamb, mutton, goat and beef are the main red meats of choice. ''Rendang'' is an often-spicy beef curry whose origins derive from the Minangkabau people, Minangkabau people of Sumatra; ''biryani'', ''korma, kulma'', and (pilaf) are dishes originally from the Indian subcontinent , that were given a Mindanaoan touch and served on special occasions. ''Piyanggang manok'' is a Tausug dish made from barbecued chicken marinated in spices, and served with coconut milk infused with toasted coconut meat. ''Chupá culo'' and ''curacha con gatâ'' are examples of Zamboangueño dishes made from shells cooked with coconut milk and crab with sauce blended in coconut milk with spices, respectively. There are other known Zamboangueño dishes like ''estofadong baboy'', ''sicalañg'', ''alfajor'', ''endulzao'', ''tamal'', ''
paella Paella (, , , , ; ) is a rice dish originally from the Valencian Community. ''Paella'' is regarded as one of the community's identifying symbols. It is one of the best-known dishes in Spanish cuisine. The dish takes its name from the wide, sha ...
'', ''arroz a la Valenciana'', ''rebosao'', ''toron'', and more. Popular crops such as cassava root,
sweet potato The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant in the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its sizeable, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a root vegetable, which is a staple food in parts of ...
es, and Yam (vegetable), yams are grown. ''Sambal'', a spicy sauce made with belacan,
tamarind Tamarind (''Tamarindus indica'') is a Legume, leguminous tree bearing edible fruit that is indigenous to tropical Africa and naturalized in Asia. The genus ''Tamarindus'' is monotypic taxon, monotypic, meaning that it contains only this spe ...
, aromatic spices and chilies, is a popular base of many dishes in the region. ''Palapa (condiment), Palapa'', is a popular condiment unique to, and widely used in, Maranao and Maguindanaon cuisines, and consists of a base of shredded old coconut, sakurab (a variant of green onion), ginger, galangal, chillies, salt, pepper, and turmeric. Another popular dish from this region is ''tiyula itum'', a dark broth of beef or chicken lightly flavored with ginger, galangal, chili, turmeric, and toasted coconut flesh (which gives it its dark color). ''Lamaw'' (Buko salad), is a mixture of young coconut, its juice, milk or orange juice, with ice.


Street food and snacks

Aside from pastries and desserts, there are heartier snacks for ''merienda'' that can also serve as either an appetizer or side dish for a meal. ''Siomai'' is the local version'' of Chinese shaomai.'' ''Lumpia'' are spring rolls that can be either fresh or fried. Fresh ''lumpia'' (''lumpiang sariwa'') is usually made for fiestas or special occasions as it can be labor-intensive to prepare, while one version of fried ''lumpia'' (''lumpiang prito''), ''lumpiang shanghai'', is usually filled with ground pork and a combination of vegetables, and served with a sweet and sour dipping sauce. Other variations are filled with minced pork and shrimp and accompanied by a vinegar-based dipping sauce. ''Lumpia'' has been commercialized in frozen food form. Pares (food), Beef pares is a common street food in Manila. Middle Eastern food such as the shawarma became popular in the Philippines in the late 1980s. There is a distinct range of street food available in the Philippines. Some of these are skewered on sticks in the manner of a kebab. One such example is ''banana-cue'', a whole
banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large treelike herbaceous flowering plants in the genus '' Musa''. In some countries, cooking bananas are called plantains, distinguishing the ...
or Plantain (cooking), plantain skewered on a short thin bamboo stick, rolled in brown sugar, and pan-fried. ''Kamote-cue'' is a peeled
sweet potato The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant in the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its sizeable, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a root vegetable, which is a staple food in parts of ...
skewered on a stick, covered in brown sugar and then pan-fried. Fish balls or Fishballs, squid balls, including calamares, are also pan-fried, then skewered on bamboo sticks and given to the customer, who then has a choice of dipping in a sweet or savory sauce. These are commonly sold frozen in markets and peddled by Hawker (trade), street vendors. ''Turon (food), Turon'', a kind of ''
lumpia ''Lumpia'' are various types of spring rolls commonly found in Indonesian cuisine, Indonesian and Filipino cuisine, Filipino cuisines. Lumpia are made of thin paper-like or crêpe-like pastry skin called "lumpia wrapper" enveloping savory or ...
'' consisting of an eggroll or phyllo wrapper commonly filled with sliced Plantain (cooking), plantain and occasionally
jackfruit The jackfruit or ''nangka'' (''Artocarpus heterophyllus'') is a species of tree in the Common fig, fig, mulberry, and breadfruit family (Moraceae). The jackfruit is the largest tree fruit, reaching as much as in weight, in length, and in d ...
, is fried and sprinkled with sugar. ''Taho'' is a warm treat made of soft beancurd which is the ''taho'' itself, dark caramel syrup called ''arnibal'', and
tapioca Tapioca (; ) is a starch extracted from the tubers of the cassava plant (''Manihot esculenta,'' also known as manioc), a species native to the North Region, Brazil, North and Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast regions of Brazil, but which has ...
pearls. It is often sold in neighborhoods by street vendors who yell out "''taho!''" in a manner like that of vendors in the stands at sporting events yelling out "hotdogs" or "peanuts". Sometimes, ''taho'' is served chilled, and flavors have recently been added, such as chocolate or strawberry. ''Taho'' is derived from the original
Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...
snack food known as ''douhua''. There is also ''iskrambol'' (from the English "to scramble"), a kind of iced-based treat similar to a sorbet. The shaved ice is combined with various flavorings and usually topped with chocolate syrup. It is eaten by "scrambling" the contents or mixing them, then drinking with a large straw. It was later modified into ''ice scramble'', or simply ''scramble'', but with added skim milk, chocolate or strawberry syrup, and a choice of toppings such as marshmallows, chocolate or candy sprinkles, rice crispies, or tapioca pearls. Street food featuring eggs include ''kwek-kwek'' which are hard-boiled quail eggs dipped in orange-dyed batter and then deep fried similar to tempura. ''Tokneneng'' is a larger version of ''kwek-kwek'' using chicken or duck eggs. Another Filipino egg snack is ''Balut (egg), balut'', essentially a boiled pre-hatched poultry egg, usually duck or chicken. These fertilized eggs are allowed to develop until the embryo reaches a pre-determined size and are then boiled. They are consumed, usually along with vinegar and salt. There is also another egg item called ''penoy,'' which is basically hard-boiled unfertilized duck eggs that does not contain embryo. Like ''taho'', ''balut'' is advertised by street hawkers calling out their product. ''Okoy,'' also spelled as ''ukoy,'' is another batter-covered, deep-fried street food in the Philippines. Along with the batter, it normally includes bean sprouts, shredded pumpkin and very small shrimps, shells and all. It is commonly dipped in a combination of vinegar and chilli. Among other street food are already mentioned #Pulutan, pulutan like ''isaw'', seasoned hog or chicken intestines skewered onto a stick and grilled; ''betamax'', roasted dried chicken blood cut into and served as small cubes, from which it received its name due to its crude resemblance to a Betamax tape; ''Adidas'', grilled chicken feet named after the popular shoe brand; and ''Proven (food), proven'', the proventriculus of a chicken coated in cornstarch and deep-fried. Fries made from sweet potatoes have also been dubbed "Pinoy fries". Most street foods are usually found near certain schools and universities, one example would be at Metro Manila's University Belt. In addition to the Availability of the 24/7 burgers stands such as Burger Machine (nicknamed "the burger that never sleeps"), Angel's Burger, Franks N' Burgers and Minute Burger across the country. Pagpag is leftover food from restaurants (usually from fast-food restaurants) scavenged from garbage sites and dumps, Pagpag food can also be expired frozen meat, fish, or vegetables discarded by supermarkets and scavenged in garbage trucks where this expired food is collected. eaten by the people suffering from the extreme poverty in the Philippines. Selling pagpag was a profitable business in areas where poor people live. Pagpag is basically more often than not food collected by homeless individuals in day's end from various fastfood local restaurants in the Philippines.


Exotic dishes

Some exotic dishes in the Filipino diet are ''camaro'', which are field crickets cooked in
soy sauce Soy sauce (sometimes called soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of China, Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermentation (food), fermented paste of soybeans, roasted cereal, grain, brine, and ''Aspergillus oryzae'' or ''A ...
, salt, and vinegar, and is popular in Pampanga; ''papaitan,'' which is a stew made of goat or beef innards flavored with bile that gives it its characteristic bitter (''pait'') taste; ''Soup Number Five, Soup No. 5'' (Also spelled as "Soup #5") which is a soup made out of bull's testes, and can be found in restaurants in Ongpin St.,
Binondo Binondo (; ) is a district in Manila and is referred to as the city's Chinatown. Its influence extends beyond to the places of Quiapo, Manila, Quiapo, Santa Cruz, Manila, Santa Cruz, San Nicolas, Manila, San Nicolas and Tondo, Manila, Tondo. ...
, Manila; and ''pinikpikan na manok'' that involves having a chicken beaten to death to tenderize the meat and to infuse it with blood. It is then burned in fire to remove its feathers then boiled with salt and itag (salt/smoke cured pork). The act of beating the chicken in preparation of the dish violates the Philippine Animal Welfare Act of 1998.


Foreign influences


Spanish influences


Chinese influences


American influences


Indian influences

Indian influences can also be noted in rice-based delicacies such as ''
bibingka ''Bibingka'' (; ) is a type of baked rice cake in Filipino cuisine that is cooked in a terracotta oven lined with banana leaves and is usually eaten for breakfast or as merienda (mid-afternoon snack), especially during the Christmas season. I ...
'' (analogous to the Indonesian ''Bibingka#Bibingka in Indonesia, bingka''), '' puto'', and ''puto bumbong'', where the latter two are plausibly derived from the South Indian cuisine, south Indian ''puttu'', which also has variants throughout Maritime Southeast Asia (e.g. ''kue putu'', ''putu mangkok''). The ''
kare-kare Kare-kare is a Filipino cuisine featuring a thick savory peanut sauce. It is generally made from a base of stewed oxtail, beef tripe, pork hocks, calves' feet, pig's feet or trotters, various cuts of pork, beef stew meat, and occasiona ...
'', more popular in Luzon, on the other hand could trace its origins from the Seven Years' War when the British occupation of Manila, British occupied Manila from 1762 to 1764 with a force that included Indian sepoys, who had to improvise Indian dishes given the lack of spices in the Philippines to make curry. This is said to explain the name and its supposed thick, yellow-to-orange
annatto Annatto ( or ) is an orange-red condiment and food coloring derived from the seeds of the achiote tree (''Bixa orellana''), native to tropics, tropical parts of the Americas. It is often used to impart a yellow to red-orange color to foods, but ...
and peanut-based sauce, which alludes to a type of curry.
Atchara ''Atchara'' (also spelled ''achara'' or ''atsara'') is a pickle made from grated unripe papaya originating from the Philippines. This dish is often served as a side dish for fried or grilled foods like pork barbecue. History The name '' ...
originated from the Indian cuisine, Indian ''South Asian pickle, achar'', which was transmitted via the acar of the Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.


Japanese influences

Some authors specifically attribute ''
halo-halo ''Haluhalo'' is a popular cold dessert in the Philippines made with crushed ice, evaporated milk or coconut milk, and various ingredients including side dishes such as ube jam (ube halaya), sweetened kidney beans or garbanzo beans, coco ...
'' to the 1920s or 1930s Japanese in the Philippines, Japanese migrants in the Quinta Market of Quiapo, Manila, due to its proximity to the Insular Ice Plant, which was Quiapo's main ice supply. One of the earliest versions of ''halo-halo'' was a dessert known locally as ''mongo-ya'' in Japanese language, Japanese which consisted of only mung beans (Tagalog language, Tagalog: ''monggo'' or ''munggo'', used in place of red Adzuki bean, azuki beans from Japan), boiled and cooked in syrup (''minatamis na monggo''), served on top of crushed ice with milk and sugar. Over time, more native ingredients were added, resulting in the creation and development of the modern ''halo-halo''. One difference between ''halo-halo'' and its Japanese ancestor is the placement of ingredients mostly under the ice instead of on top of it. The original ''monggo con hielo'' type can still be found today along with similar variations using sweet corn (''maiz con hielo'') or ''Saba banana, saba''
banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large treelike herbaceous flowering plants in the genus '' Musa''. In some countries, cooking bananas are called plantains, distinguishing the ...
s (''saba con hielo''). The name of ''odong'', a Visayans, Visayan
noodle soup Noodle soup refers to a variety of soups with noodles and other ingredients served in a light broth. Noodle soup is a common dish across East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Himalayan states of South Asia. Various types of noodles are used, such as ...
, is derived from the Japanese people, Japanese ''Udon#Philippines, udon'' noodles, although it does not use ''udon'' noodles or bear any resemblance to ''udon'' dishes. It originates from the Davao Region of Mindanao and the Visayas Islands which had a large Japanese migrant community in the early 1900s. The noodles were previously locally manufactured by Okinawans, but modern noodles (which are distinctly yellowish) are imported from China.


Arab influences

The Arab influence on Filipino cuisine is relatively minor. Historically, Arab influence arrived via India to Indonesia and the Philippines. In the earlier days, Arabs traded with Indians, who in turn traded with Southeast Asia. In the later era, with advancement of sea navigation, Arabs also started to trade directly with the Philippines.


Indonesian influences

Several foods in the Philippines have a close relation with foods originating from some regions in Indonesia, such as ''kropek'' which is derived from krupuk. Furthermore, in the southern part of the Philippines, there is rendang made by the Muslim Maranao people of Mindanao and ''satti'', a specialty food in Zamboanga peninsula, Zamboanga that still has close ties to satay, which originates from Java.


Outside the Philippines


United States

Filipino-American cuisine was first brought over to and developed in the United States by History of Filipino Americans, Filipino immigrants in the early twentieth century, creating a distinct style of culinary traditions that were adapted to both the local availability of ingredients as well as American tastes. Many Filipino-owned restaurants and catering services can be found in various Filipino communities, also known as "Little Manila, Little Manilas", located all throughout the United States, primarily concentrated within densely populated cities like Los Angeles and New York City. Many family-owned and chef-owned restaurants in these communities introduced many staple dishes found in the Philippines to the United States, such as Inihaw, inihaw na liempo, Lumpiang Shanghai, lumpiang shanghai,
adobo or (Spanish language, Spanish: marinade, sauce, or seasoning) is the immersion of food in a stock (or sauce) composed variously of paprika, oregano, Edible salt, salt, garlic, and vinegar to preserve and enhance its flavor. The Portuguese cu ...
and
kare-kare Kare-kare is a Filipino cuisine featuring a thick savory peanut sauce. It is generally made from a base of stewed oxtail, beef tripe, pork hocks, calves' feet, pig's feet or trotters, various cuts of pork, beef stew meat, and occasiona ...
. Some modern Filipino-American restaurants have taken these traditional dishes and further adapted them for American tastes through variations in ingredients, preparation, and presentation with restaurants like Bad Saint in Washington D.C., Maharlika in New York, and Lasa in Los Angeles gaining mass popularity and praise for their speciality dishes. Cendrillion, opened in 1995 by Amy Besa and Romy Dorotan in New York, is seen as one of the first breakthrough Filipino-American restaurants that popularized Filipino cuisine with innovative, novel meals such as an adobo made with rabbit and quail or a crème brûlée flavored with ginger and lemongrass. In 2022, Chicago restaurant Kasama (restaurant), Kasama became the world's first Filipino restaurant to be awarded a Michelin star. Tom Cunanan, a James Beard Foundation Award, James Beard award-winning Filipino-American chef and founder of Bad Saint, also opened a restaurant named Pogiboy that further combines American and Filipino cuisine by serving dishes such as sinigang-flavored
fried chicken Fried chicken, also called Southern fried chicken, is a dish consisting of chicken pieces that have been coated with seasoned flour or batter and pan-fried, deep fried, pressure fried, or air fried. The breading adds a crisp coating or ...
and Vigan longganisa, longganisa and
tocino Tocino is bacon in Spanish, typically made from the pork belly and often formed into cubes in Spain. In Caribbean countries, such as Puerto Rico and Cuba, ''tocino'' is made from pork fatback and is neither cured nor smoked but simply fried un ...
-filled
hamburger A hamburger (or simply a burger) consists of fillings—usually a patty of ground meat, typically beef—placed inside a sliced bun or bread roll. The patties are often served with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, bacon, or chilis ...
s. Another restaurant, Señor Sisig, located in the San Francisco area, serves an innovative combination of Filipino and Mexican food through brick-and-mortar restaurants and food trucks. By combining traditional Filipino ingredients and flavor profiles with Mexican dishes like burritos and nachos, Evan Kidera, one of the co-founders of Señor Sisig hopes to better introduce Filipino cuisine to the United States by fusing it with a more familiar cuisine to better suit American palates. Some of these Filipino-American restaurants such as Barkada, Jeepney, Pogiboy and Maharlika have also introduced the ''kamayan'' feast to American diners, a traditional way of eating a variety of Filipino dishes served communal-style using ones hands. Popular Filipino restaurant chains such as Jollibee have also established themselves in the United States, subsequently developing a rapidly-growing fanbase and social media presence. Jollibee, a Filipino fast-food chain well known for their American-influenced food items such as fried chicken and hamburgers, currently has sixty-four franchises in the country with plans to open one hundred and fifty stores within the next five years. The chain also serves Filipino dishes like Pancit, pancit palabok, halo-halo, and an American-inspired peach-mango pie. Other restaurant chains such as Chowking, a Filipino-Chinese inspired fast-food chain, and Red Ribbon Bakeshop, Red Ribbon, a bakery serving Filipino desserts and baked goods have also opened up a smaller amount of various locations within the United States. Ube (yam), Ube, a purple yam traditionally used in many Filipino foods and desserts, has also seen a surge in popularity in the United States as a cooking ingredient in recent years. Traditionally served in desserts such as
ube halaya ''Ube halaya'' or ''halayang ube'' (also spelled ''halea'', ''haleya''; ) is a Filipino cuisine, Filipino dessert made from boiled and mashed purple yam (''Dioscorea alata'', locally known as ''ube''). Ube halaya is the main base in ube/purple ...
or
halo-halo ''Haluhalo'' is a popular cold dessert in the Philippines made with crushed ice, evaporated milk or coconut milk, and various ingredients including side dishes such as ube jam (ube halaya), sweetened kidney beans or garbanzo beans, coco ...
, it can be seen served in a variety of American restaurants and foods (typically desserts) including waffles, coffee cakes, cupcakes, and in doughnuts as well. Ube has also seen popularity as a flavor of beer in American breweries in the states of California and Hawaii. Trader Joe's, an American grocery store chain, also sells ube-flavored ice cream, pancake mix, and shortbread cookies.


See also

* List of Philippine desserts * List of Philippine dishes * List of restaurant chains in the Philippines * Philippine condiments * Indonesian cuisine * Thai cuisine


References


Further reading

* * * * Arroyo, Patricia T. (1974). ''The Science of Philippine food''. Quezon City: Abaniko Enterprises. * * Barreto, Glenda R., Conrad Calalang, Margarita Fores, Myrna Segismundo, Jessie Sincioco, and Claude Tayag. (2008). (Michaela Fenix, Ed.). Manila: Asia Society. . * Bernardino, Minnie. (September 27, 1990)
"Breakfast – 8 Places Off the Beaten-Egg Track – Ethnic fare: Breakfast is many things to many peoples, as L.A.'s restaurants prove. A sampling from the variety available to a.m. adventurers. – Filipino"
''Los Angeles Times''. * Bayhon-Yrastorza, Caren. (December 16, 2010)
Recipe: Chicken relleno for Noche Buena
ABS-CBN News. Retrieved December 24, 2010.
Classic, fail-safe 'Noche Buena' recipes
(December 24, 2009). ABS-CBN News. Retrieved December 24, 2010. * Alan Davidson (food writer), Davidson, Alan and Tom Jaine. (2006)
''The Oxford Companion to Food''
(2nd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. pp
600–601
. * * * Doreen Fernandez, Fernandez, Doreen. (1988)
"Culture Ingested: On the Indigenization of Philippine Food"
In E.N. Alegre & D. G. Fernandez (Eds.) ''Sarap: Essays on Philippine Food''. Manila: Mr. & Ms. Publishing Company, Inc. Retrieved 2010-08-02. * * Gelle, Gerry G. (2008). ''Filipino Cuisine: Recipes from the Islands'' (3rd ed.). Museum of New Mexico Press. . * * * * Orosa, Maria Y. and Helen Orosa del Rosario. (1970). ''Maria Y. Orosa, Her Life and Work'' (Helen Orosa del Rosario, Ed.). [Quezon City:] R. P. Garcia Pub. Co.
Philippine Cuisine
(n.d.). ''Tagalog at NIU''. Retrieved 2011-01-17 from the Northern Illinois University, Center for Southeast Asian Studies, SEAsite Project. * * * * * * * * Acabado, Stephen, and Marlon Martin.
Indigenous Archaeology in the Philippines : Decolonizing Ifugao History
', University of Arizona Press, 2022. ''ProQuest Ebook Central'' * Orquiza, René Alexander D..
Taste of Control : Food and the Filipino Colonial Mentality under American Rule
', Rutgers University Press, 2020. ''ProQuest Ebook Central'' * Florendo, Johnathan G
"Colonizing the Filipino Diet."
''De La Salle University'', De La Salle University, 2019 * Herrera, Dana R
"The Philippines: An Overview of the Colonial Era."
''Association for Asian Studies'', May 28, 2020 * * Ettenberg, Jodi
"Origins of Food We Love: The Cuisine of the Philippines."
''G Adventures Blog'', June 29, 2017, * Lantrip, B. C., & Zarsadiaz, J. (2017). ''The Chinese cultural influence on Filipino cuisine''. University of San Francisco. * Amano, N., Bankoff, G., Findley, D. M., Barretto-Tesoro, G., & RobertsSag, P. (July 16, 2020)
''Archaeological and historical insights into the ecological impacts of ...'' Sage Journals
Retrieved May 2, 2023 * Junker, L. L. (February 1993).
Hunter-gatherer landscapes and lowland trade in the prehispanic Philippines
'. Jstor. Retrieved May 2, 2023


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Philippine Cuisine Filipino cuisine, Southeast Asian cuisine