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Filipino cuisine ( fil, lutong Pilipino/pagkaing Pilipino) is composed of the cuisines of more than a hundred distinct
ethnolinguistic groups An ethnolinguistic group (or ethno-linguistic group) is a group that is unified by both a common ethnicity and language. Most ethnic groups share a first language. However, "ethnolinguistic" is often used to emphasise that language is a major bas ...
found throughout the Philippine archipelago. A majority of mainstream Filipino dishes that compose 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 ( pag, Luyag/Probinsia na Pangasinan, ; ilo, Probinsia ti Pangasinan; tl, Lalawigan ng Pangasinan), is a coastal province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region of Luzon. Its cap ...
, Kapampangan,
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 Taga ...
, Bicolano, Visayan,
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 speaker ...
and Maranao ethnolinguistic groups. The styles of preparation and dishes associated with them have evolved over many centuries from a largely indigenous (largely Austronesian) base shared with maritime Southeast Asia with varied influences from Chinese, Spanish 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, pe ...
cuisines, in line with the major waves of influence that had enriched the cultures of the archipelago, as well as others adapted to indigenous ingredients and the local palate.


"Philippine Cuisine."Balitapinoy.net
. Accessed July 2011.
Dishes range from the very simple, like a meal of fried salted fish and rice, to curries, to complex paellas 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"), so it litera ...
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'' (omelette), '' adobo'' (vinegar and soy sauce-based stew ), '' kaldereta'' (meat stewed in tomato sauce and liver paste), '' mechado'' (larded beef in soy and tomato sauce), '' pochero'' (beef and bananas in tomato sauce), '' afritada'' (chicken or beef and vegetables simmered in tomato sauce), '' kare-kare'' ( oxtail and vegetables cooked in
peanut sauce Peanut sauce, satay sauce (saté sauce), ''bumbu kacang'', ''sambal kacang'', or ''pecel '' is an Indonesian sauce made from ground roasted or fried peanuts, widely used in Indonesian cuisine and many other dishes throughout the world. Peanut ...
), ''
pinakbet Pinakbet (also called pakbet or pinak bet) is an indigenous Filipino dish from the northern regions of the Philippines. Pinakbet is made from mixed vegetables sautéed in fish or shrimp sauce. The word is the contracted from the Ilokano w ...
'' (kabocha squash, eggplant, beans, okra, and tomato stew flavored with shrimp paste), '' sinigang'' (meat or seafood in sour broth), '' pancit'' (noodles), and ''
lumpia ''Lumpia'' are various types of spring rolls commonly found in the Philippines and Indonesia. Lumpia are made of thin paper-like or crepe-like pastry skin called "lumpia wrapper" enveloping savory or sweet fillings. It is often served as an ap ...
'' (fresh or fried spring rolls).


History and influences

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, the On ...
s, the first peoples of the Philippine archipelago, were nomadic hunter-gatherers whose diet consisted of foraged wild tubers, seafood, and game meat. Around 6000 BP, subsequent migrations of seafaring
Austronesians The Austronesian peoples, sometimes referred to as Austronesian-speaking peoples, are a large group of peoples in Taiwan, Maritime Southeast Asia, Micronesia, coastal New Guinea, Island Melanesia, Polynesia, and Madagascar that speak Au ...
, whom the majority of contemporary Filipinos descend from, brought new techniques in aquaculture and agriculture, and various domesticated foodstuffs and animals. The plains of central and southwestern
Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...
, Bicol peninsula, and eastern
Panay Panay is the sixth-largest and fourth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of and has 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 o ...
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.


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 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 massive inflow of New World silver into the Philippine colony began to attract thousands of Chinese merchants, particularly
Hoklo The Hoklo people or Hokkien people () are a Han Chinese (also Han Taiwanese) subgroup who speak Hokkien, a Southern Min language, or trace their ancestry to Southeastern Fujian, China and known by various endonyms or other related terms such a ...
from
Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its ...
, every year. Hokkien influence brought noodle dishes ('' pancit'' and various
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 a ...
a), soybean-based products like
soy sauce Soy sauce (also called simply soy in American English and soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermented paste of soybeans, roasted grain, brine, and ''Aspergillus oryzae'' or '' As ...
(''toyo'') and tofu (''tokwa''), and other well known dishes like eggrolls (''
lumpia ''Lumpia'' are various types of spring rolls commonly found in the Philippines and Indonesia. Lumpia are made of thin paper-like or crepe-like pastry skin called "lumpia wrapper" enveloping savory or sweet fillings. It is often served as an ap ...
''), stir-fried rice ('' sinangag''), dumplings ('' siopao'' and ''siomai'') and congee ('' arroz caldo'' and ''goto''). ''Panciterias'' serving noodle fare were formed and became public staples. The galleon exchange was mainly between
Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...
and
Acapulco Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , also , nah, Acapolco), is a city and major seaport in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semicircular bay and has ...
, mainland
New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( es, Virreinato de Nueva España, ), or Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain during the Spanish colonization of the A ...
(present-day
Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...
), 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'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American English, North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous ...
,
chili pepper Chili peppers (also chile, chile pepper, chilli pepper, or chilli), from Nahuatl '' chīlli'' (), are varieties of the berry-fruit of plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for ...
s,
bell pepper The bell pepper (also known as paprika, sweet pepper, pepper, or capsicum ) is the fruit of plants in the Grossum Group of the species ''Capsicum annuum''. Cultivars of the plant produce fruits in different colors, including red, yellow, orange ...
s,
tomato The tomato is the edible berry of the plant ''Solanum lycopersicum'', commonly known as the tomato plant. The species originated in western South America, Mexico, and Central America. The Mexican Nahuatl word gave rise to the Spanish word ...
es,
potato The potato is a starchy food, a tuber of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'' and is a root vegetable native to the Americas. The plant is a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae. Wild potato species can be found from the southern Uni ...
es,
peanut The peanut (''Arachis hypogaea''), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), 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, important to both small an ...
s,
chocolate Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cacao seed kernels that is available as a liquid, solid, or paste, either on its own or as a flavoring agent in other foods. Cacao has been consumed in some form since at least the Olmec ci ...
,
pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a 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 cultivated for many centuri ...
s, ''jicama'', '' chayote'',
annatto Annatto ( or ) is an orange-red condiment and food coloring derived from the seeds of the achiote tree ('' Bixa orellana''), native to tropical America. It is often used to impart a yellow or orange color to foods, but sometimes also for its f ...
, and
avocado The avocado (''Persea americana'') is a medium-sized, evergreen tree in the laurel family ( Lauraceae). It is native to the Americas and was first domesticated by Mesoamerican tribes more than 5,000 years ago. Then as now it was prized for ...
s, among others. Mexicans also brought various Spanish cooking techniques, including
sofrito (Spanish, ), (Catalan), (Italian, ), or (Portuguese, ) is a basic preparation in Mediterranean, Latin American, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese cooking. It typically consists of aromatic ingredients cut into small pieces and sautéed ...
, sausage making (''longganisa'', despite more akin to ''chorizos''), and bread baking. Likewise, from the Philippines brought rice, sugarcane, coconuts, limes, mangoes, and tamarind to the Americas, and Filipino influence on
Mexican cuisine Mexican cuisine consists of the cooking cuisines and traditions of the modern country of Mexico. Its earliest roots lie in Mesoamerican cuisine. Its ingredients and methods begin with the first agricultural communities such as the Olmec and ...
, particularly in
Guerrero Guerrero is one of the 32 states that comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 81 municipalities and its capital city is Chilpancingo and its largest city is Acapulcocopied from article, GuerreroAs of 2020, Guerrero the pop ...
, includes ''tuba'' winemaking, ''guinatan'' coconut milk dishes, and probably ceviche.


Contemporary period


Foreign influences on Filipino cuisine


Direct influence of India

Indian influences can also be noted in rice-based delicacies such as ''
bibingka ''Bibingka'' (; ) commonly refers to a type of baked rice cake from the Philippines that is traditionally cooked in a terracotta oven lined with banana leaves and is usually eaten for breakfast or as merienda (mid-afternoon snack) especially d ...
'' (analogous to the Indonesian '' bingka''), '' puto'', and '' puto bumbong'', where the latter two are plausibly derived from the south Indian '' puttu'', which also has variants throughout Maritime Southeast Asia (e.g. '' kue putu'', '' putu mangkok''). The '' kare-kare'', more popular in Luzon, on the other hand could trace its origins from the
Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754 ...
when the British occupied Manila from 1762 to 1764 with a force that included Indian
sepoy ''Sepoy'' () was the Persian-derived designation originally given to a professional Indian infantryman, traditionally armed with a musket, in the armies of the Mughal Empire. In the 18th century, the French East India Company and its ot ...
s, who had to improvise Indian dishes given the lack of spices in the Philippines to make
curry A curry is a dish with a sauce seasoned with spices, mainly associated with South Asian cuisine. In southern India, leaves from the curry tree may be included. There are many varieties of curry. The choice of spices for each dish in trad ...
. 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 tropical America. It is often used to impart a yellow or orange color to foods, but sometimes also for its f ...
and peanut-based sauce, which alludes to a type of curry. Atchara originated from the
Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...
'' achar'', which was transmitted via the acar of the
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Gui ...
,
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...
, and
Brunei Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely surrounded by th ...
. Not to mention that nasing biringyi is similar to Biryani.


Direct influence of Japan

Halo-halo, also spelled ''haluhalo'', Filipino for "mixed", is a popular cold dessert in the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
made up of crushed ice, evaporated milk or
condensed milk Condensed milk is cow's milk from which water has been removed (roughly 60% of it). It is most often found with sugar added, in the form of ''sweetened condensed milk'' (SCM), to the extent that the terms "condensed milk" and "sweetened condense ...
, and various ingredients including:
ube UBE or Ube may refer to: * Ubiquitin-activating enzyme * Ube, Yamaguchi, a city in Japan * Uniform Bar Examination * Unilateral Biportal Endoscopy * Ube Industries, chemical company * Union bound estimate, a probability theory bound * Union of Bo ...
, sweetened beans, coconut strips, sago, ''
gulaman ''Gulaman'', in Filipino cuisine, is a bar, or powdered form, of dried agar or carrageenan used to make jelly-like desserts. In common usage, it also usually refers to the refreshment ''sago't gulaman'', sometimes referred to as ''samalamig'' ...
'' (
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 (''Gracilaria'') and "tengusa" (''Gelidiaceae''). As found in nature, agar i ...
), pinipig rice, boiled
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, and petioles. Taro corms are a food staple in Afri ...
or soft yams in cubes, slices or portions of fruit preserves and other root crop preserves, flan, and often topped with a scoop of ube ice cream. ''Halo-halo'' is considered to be the unofficial national dessert of the Philippines. The term "''halo-halo''" literally means "mix-mix" in English, it is the more common form of the dessert's name. By extension, this spelling has come to describe any object or situation that is composed of a similar, colorful mélange of ingredients. The origin of ''halo-halo'' is traced to the pre-war Japanese Filipinos and the Japanese '' kakigōri'' class of desserts. One of the earliest versions of ''halo-halo'' was a dessert known locally as ''mongo-ya'' in Japanese which consisted of only
mung bean The mung bean (''Vigna radiata''), alternatively known as the green gram, maash ( fa, ماش٫ )٫ mūng (), monggo, or munggo (Philippines), is a plant species in the Fabaceae, legume family.Brief Introduction of Mung Bean. Vigna Radiata ...
s (
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 Taga ...
: ''monggo'' or ''munggo'', used in place of red
azuki beans ''Vigna angularis'', also known as the adzuki bean , azuki bean, aduki bean, red bean, or red mung bean, is an annual vine widely cultivated throughout East Asia for its small (approximately long) bean. The cultivars most familiar in East Asi ...
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 Sweet corn (''Zea mays'' convar. ''saccharata'' var. ''rugosa''), also called sugar corn and pole corn, is a variety of maize grown for human consumption with a high sugar content. Sweet corn is the result of a naturally occurring recessive muta ...
('' maiz con hielo'') or '' saba''
banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", disting ...
s ('' saba con hielo''). Some authors specifically attribute ''halo-halo'' to the 1920s or 1930s Japanese migrants in the
Quinta Market Quinta Market ( fil, Pamilihang Bayan ng Quinta; es, Mercado de la Quinta), also known as Quiapo Market and officially called the Quinta Market and Fishport since 2017, is a ''palengke'' ( public market) on Carlos Palanca (formerly Echague) Stree ...
of
Quiapo, Manila Quiapo () is a district of the city of Manila, in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. Referred to as the "Old Downtown of Manila", Quiapo is home to the Quiapo Church, where the feast of the Black Nazarene is held with millions of ...
, due to its proximity to the
Insular Ice Plant The Insular Ice and Cold Storage Plant also known simply as the Insular Ice Plant was an ice production and storage facility in Ermita, Manila, Philippines. It was said that the facility was leased or operated between 1933 up until 1943 by San Mi ...
, which was Quiapo's main ice supply. The spelling of "''halo-halo''" is considered to be incorrect by the Commission on the Filipino Language, which prescribes "''haluhalo''". The word is an
adjective In linguistics, an adjective ( abbreviated ) is a word that generally modifies a noun or noun phrase or describes its referent. Its semantic role is to change information given by the noun. Traditionally, adjectives were considered one of the ...
meaning "mixed" in
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 Taga ...
, a reduplication of the
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 Taga ...
verb ''halo'' "to mix".
Odong Odong, also called pancit odong, is a Visayan noodle soup made with noodles, canned smoked sardines ('' tinapa'') in tomato sauce, bottle gourd (), loofah (), chayote, ginger, garlic, red onions, and various other vegetables. It is garn ...
, also called pancit odong, is a 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 a ...
made with noodles, canned smoked sardines (''
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 ...
'') in tomato sauce, bottle gourd (), loofah (), chayote, ginger, garlic, red onions, and various other vegetables. It is garnished and spiced with
black pepper Black pepper (''Piper nigrum'') is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, known as a peppercorn, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit is a drupe (stonefruit) which is about in dia ...
, scallions, toasted garlic,
calamansi Calamansi (''Citrus'' × ''microcarpa''), also known as calamondin, Philippine lime, or Philippine lemon, is an economically important citrus hybrid predominantly cultivated in the Philippines. It is native to the Philippines, Borneo, Sumatra, ...
, or labuyo chilis. The dish is usually prepared as a soup, but it can also be cooked with minimal water, in which case, it is known as odong guisado. It is a common simple and cheap meal in
Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...
(particularly the
Davao Region Davao Region, formerly called Southern Mindanao ( ceb, Rehiyon sa Davao; fil, Rehiyon ng Davao), is an administrative region in the Philippines, designated as Region XI. It is situated at the southeastern portion of Mindanao and comprises fiv ...
) and the Visayas Islands. It is almost always eaten with white rice, rarely on its own. It is named after the round flour noodles called which are closest in texture and taste to the Okinawa soba. These noodles are characteristically sold dried into straight sticks around long. The name is derived from the Japanese ''
udon Udon ( or ) is a thick noodle made from wheat flour, used in Japanese cuisine. It is a comfort food for many Japanese people. There are a variety of ways it is prepared and served. Its simplest form is in a hot soup as with a mild broth called ...
'' noodles, although it does not use ''udon'' noodles or bear any resemblance to ''udon'' dishes. It originates from the
Davao Region Davao Region, formerly called Southern Mindanao ( ceb, Rehiyon sa Davao; fil, Rehiyon ng Davao), is an administrative region in the Philippines, designated as Region XI. It is situated at the southeastern portion of Mindanao and comprises fiv ...
of
Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...
and the Visayas Islands which had a large Japanese migrant community in the early 1900s. The noodles were previously locally manufactured by
Okinawans The Ryukyuan people ( ryu, 琉球民族 (るーちゅーみんずく), Ruuchuu minzuku or ryu, どぅーちゅーみんずく, Duuchuu minzuku, label=none, ja, 琉球民族/りゅうきゅうみんぞく, Ryūkyū minzoku, also Lewchewan or L ...
, but modern noodles (which are distinctly yellowish) are imported from
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
. Because noodles are difficult to find in other regions, they can be substituted with other types of noodles; including ''
misua ''Misua'' (also spelled ''mee sua'' or ''miswa''; ), 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'' (rice vermicelli) and cell ...
'', ''miki'' (
egg noodles Noodles are a type of food made from unleavened dough which is either rolled flat and cut, stretched, or extruded, into long strips or strings. Noodles are a staple food in many cultures (for example, Chinese noodles, Filipino noodles, In ...
), ''
udon Udon ( or ) is a thick noodle made from wheat flour, used in Japanese cuisine. It is a comfort food for many Japanese people. There are a variety of ways it is prepared and served. Its simplest form is in a hot soup as with a mild broth called ...
'', and even
instant noodles Instant noodles, or instant ramen, is a type of food consisting of noodles sold in a precooked and dried block with flavoring powder and/or seasoning oil. The dried noodle block was originally created by flash frying cooked noodles, and this is ...
.


Arab influence via indirect trade

The Arab influence on Filipino cuisine is relatively minor. Historically, Arabs 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.


American colonial and American influence

After the
Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...
in 1899, the United States controlled the Philippines due to the Treaty of Paris. US soldiers introduced Filipinos to hot dogs,
hamburger A hamburger, or simply burger, is a food consisting of fillings—usually a patty of ground meat, typically beef—placed inside a sliced bun or bread roll. Hamburgers are often served with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, bacon, ...
s,
fried chicken Fried chicken, also known as 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 o ...
, and
ice cream Ice cream is a sweetened frozen food typically eaten as a snack or dessert. It may be made from milk or cream and is flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit such as ...
. They also introduced convenient foods such as
spam Spam may refer to: * Spam (food), a canned pork meat product * Spamming, unsolicited or undesired electronic messages ** Email spam, unsolicited, undesired, or illegal email messages ** Messaging spam, spam targeting users of instant messaging ...
,
corned beef Corned beef, or salt beef in some of the Commonwealth of Nations, is 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 ...
,
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. Instant coffee solids (also called sol ...
, and evaporated milk. Today, 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-produced food designed for commercial resale, with a strong priority placed on speed of service. It is a commercial term, limited to food sold in a restaurant or store with frozen, preheated or precooked ingredie ...
fare. However, the Filipino diet is higher in total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol than other Asian diets.


Characteristics


Contrasting combination of base tastes

Filipino cuisine centres around the combination of sweet (''tamis''), sour (''asim''), and salty (''alat''), although in Bicol, the Cordilleras and among Muslim Filipinos, 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'' (a sweet cocoa rice porridge), being paired with '' tuyo'' (salted, sun-dried fish); '' dinuguan'' (a savory stew made of pig's blood and innards), 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 is believed to have originated in the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in Sout ...
es (which are only slightly sweet but very sour), are eaten dipped in salt or ''bagoong''; the use of
cheese Cheese is a dairy product produced in wide ranges 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 productio ...
(which is salty-sweet) in sweetcakes (such as ''
bibingka ''Bibingka'' (; ) commonly refers to a type of baked rice cake from the Philippines that is traditionally cooked in a terracotta oven lined with banana leaves and is usually eaten for breakfast or as merienda (mid-afternoon snack) especially d ...
'' and ''puto''), as well as an
ice cream Ice cream is a sweetened frozen food typically eaten as a snack or dessert. It may be made from milk or cream and is flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit such as ...
flavoring.


Cooking and serving

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.


Eating methods

Like many of their Southeast Asian counterparts Filipinos do not eat with chopsticks. The traditional way of eating is with the hands, especially dry dishes such as ''inihaw'' or ''prito''. The diner will take a bite of the main dish, then eat rice pressed together with their fingers. This practice, known as ''kamayan'' (using the washed left hand for picking the centralized food and the right hand for bringing food to the mouth), is rarely seen in urbanized areas. However, Filipinos tend to feel the spirit of ''kamayan'' when eating amidst nature during out-of-town trips, beach vacations, and town fiestas. ''Kamayan'' is also used in the "
boodle fight Kamayan ( Tagalog for " atingwith the hands"), also known as kinamot or kinamut in Visayan languages, is the traditional Filipino method of eating with the bare hands. It is also used to describe the Filipino communal feast (also called a sa ...
" concept, a style of dining popularized by the
Philippine Army The Philippine Army (PA) (Tagalog: ''Hukbong Katihan ng Pilipinas''; in literal English: ''Army of the Ground of the Philippines''; in literal Spanish: ''Ejército de la Tierra de la Filipinas'') is the main, oldest and largest branch of the ...
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.


Changes in eating method

During the Spanish occupation, which yielded Western influences, Filipinos ate with the paired utensils of spoon and fork. The knife was not used as in other countries, because Spain prohibited them to have knives. Filipinos use the side of the spoon, to "cut" the food. Due to Western influence, food is often eaten using flatware—forks, knives, spoons—but the primary pairing of utensils used at a Filipino dining table is that of spoon and fork, not knife and fork.


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 is the more known of those ingredients, it is a fruit that belongs to the genus citrus. It is mostly used due to the sourness it gives to a dish. Another is the tabon-tabon, a tropical fruit which were used by pre-colonial Filipinos as anti-bacterial ingredient especially in Kinilaw dishes. The country also cultivates different type of nuts and one of them is the pili nut, 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 acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains 5–8% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting simple sugars to eth ...
is a common ingredient. '' Adobo'' 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.


Food for the specific occasions


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'').


''Almusal'' (breakfast)

A traditional Filipino breakfast might include '' pandesal'' (small bread rolls), ''
kesong puti ''Kesong puti'' is a 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 or cow milk. It has a mild salty and tart flavor. When a ...
'' (fresh, unripened, white Filipino cheese, traditionally made from carabao's milk) '' champorado'' (chocolate rice porridge), '' silog'' which is ''sinangag'' ( garlic fried rice) or sinaing, with fried egg and meat—such as ''
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'', ''
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)—or ''itlog na pula'' ( salted duck eggs). Coffee is also commonly served particularly ''
kapeng barako ''Kapeng barako'' ( es, café varraco or café verraco), 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 li ...
'', a variety of coffee produced in the mountains of Batangas noted for having a strong flavor. Certain
portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordssilog'' suffix, usually some kind of meat served with ''sinangág'' or ''sinaing'', and ''itlog'' (egg). The three most commonly seen ''silogs'' are '' tapsilog'' (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), ''bangsilog'' (with ''bangus'' (milkfish)), ''dangsilog'' (with ''danggit'' (rabbitfish)), ''spamsilog'' (with
spam Spam may refer to: * Spam (food), a canned pork meat product * Spamming, unsolicited or undesired electronic messages ** Email spam, unsolicited, undesired, or illegal email messages ** Messaging spam, spam targeting users of instant messaging ...
), ''adosilog'' (with adobo), ''chosilog'' (with
chorizo Chorizo (, from Spanish ; similar to but distinct from Portuguese ) is a type of pork cured meat originating from the Iberian Peninsula. In Europe, chorizo is a fermented, cured, smoked meat, which may be sliced and eaten without cooking, ...
), ''chiksilog'' (with chicken), ''cornsilog'' (with
corned beef Corned beef, or salt beef in some of the Commonwealth of Nations, is 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 ...
), and ''litsilog'' (with lechon/litson). ''Pankaplog'' is slang for a breakfast consisting of '' pandesal'', ''
kape KAPE (1550 AM, "KAPE Radio") is an American radio station licensed to serve the community of Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The station is owned by Withers Broadcasting and the broadcast license is held by Withers Broadcasting Company of Missouri, L ...
'' (coffee), and ''itlog'' (egg), it is also a double entendre meaning to fondle breasts. An establishment that specializes in such meals is called a ''tapsihan'' or ''tapsilugan''.


''Tanghalian'' (lunch)

A typical Filipino lunch 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.


''Hapunan'' (supper)

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 more early in the countryside.


Snacks


Merienda light afternoon meal

''
Merienda Merienda is a light meal in southern Europe, particularly Spain (merenda in Galician, berenar in Catalan), Portugal (lanche or merenda) and Italy (merenda), as well as Hispanic America, Philippines (meryenda/merienda), North Africa (Morocco), ...
'' is taken from the Spanish, and is a light meal or snack especially in the afternoon, similar to the concept of afternoon tea. 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 drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. Seeds of ...
): breads and pastries like '' pandesal'', '' ensaymada'' (buttery '' brioche'' 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 about lunar appreciation and Moon watching, and mooncakes are regarded as a delicacy. Mooncakes are offered between ...
s filled with
mung bean paste The mung bean (''Vigna radiata''), alternatively known as the green gram, maash ( fa, ماش٫ )٫ mūng (), monggo, or munggo (Philippines), is a plant species in the legume family.Brief Introduction of Mung Bean. Vigna Radiata Extract G ...
) and
empanada An empanada is a type of baked or fried turnover consisting of pastry and filling, common in Spanish, other Southern European, Latin American, and Iberian-influenced cultures around the world. The name comes from the Spanish (to bread, i ...
(savoury, meat-filled pasties). Also popular are ''kakanín'', or traditional pastries made from sticky rice like '' kutsinta'', '' sapin-sapin'' (multicoloured, layered pastry), ''
palitaw Palitaw (ᜉᜎᜒᜆᜏ᜔) (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 exces ...
'', '' biko'', '' suman'', ''
Bibingka ''Bibingka'' (; ) commonly refers to a type of baked rice cake from the Philippines that is traditionally cooked in a terracotta oven lined with banana leaves and is usually eaten for breakfast or as merienda (mid-afternoon snack) especially d ...
'', and '' pitsi-pitsî'' (served with desiccated coconut). Savoury dishes often eaten during ''merienda'' include '' pancit canton'' (stir-fried noodles), '' palabok'' (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 red ...
'' (fried tofu with boiled pork ears in a garlic-flavored soy sauce and vinegar dressing), and '' dinuguan'' (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 cuis ...
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 True squid are molluscs with an elongated soft body, large eyes, eight arms, and two tentacles in the superorder Decapodiformes, though many other molluscs within the broader Neocoleoidea are also called squid despite not strictly fittin ...
balls and fish balls, are often skewered on
bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...
sticks and consumed with soy sauce and the sour juice of the calamondin as condiments.


Pulutan accompaniments snack for drinks

''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 A tapa () is an appetizer or snack in Spanish cuisine. Tapas can be combined to make a full meal, and can be cold (such as mixed olives and cheese) or hot (such as ''chopitos'', which are battered, fried baby squid, or patatas bravas). In so ...
. Originally, it was a snack accompanied with liquor or beer but has found its way into Filipino cuisine as
appetizer An hors d'oeuvre ( ; french: hors-d'œuvre ), appetiser 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 m ...
s or, in some cases, main dishes, as in the case of '' sisig''. 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) or scratchings (UK); these are served in small piece ...
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 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; ''pork barbecue,'' skewered pork
marinated Marinating is the process of soaking foods in a seasoned, often acidic, liquid before cooking. The origin of the word alludes to the use of brine (''aqua marina'' or sea water) in the pickling process, which led to the technique of adding flavor b ...
in a sweet soy-garlic blend and then grilled; ''betamax'', salted solidified pork or chicken blood which is then skewered and lightly grilled; ''adidas'' which is grilled or sautéed chicken feet. There is also '' sisig'', 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), 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, important to both small an ...
s) are often sold steamed in the shell, salted, spiced, or flavored with garlic by street vendors in the Philippines. Another snack is '' kropeck'', which is fish crackers. ''Tokwa't baboy'' is fried tofu with boiled pork marinated in a garlic-flavored
soy sauce Soy sauce (also called simply soy in American English and soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermented paste of soybeans, roasted grain, brine, and ''Aspergillus oryzae'' or '' As ...
or vinegar dip. It is also served as a side dish to '' pancit luglog'' or ''
pancit palabok Pancit ( ), also spelled pansít, 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 ing ...
''. Also, "''tuhog-tuhog" is'' accompanied by ''sweet'' or ''spicy sauce.'' This includes ''
Fish balls Fish balls are rounded meat 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 ...
, Kikiam, Squid balls, etc.,'' these are commonly served during a small gathering or in local bars.


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'', ''afritada'', ''caldereta'', ''puchero'', paella, '' menudo'', ''morcon'', ''embutido'' (referring to a meatloaf dish, not a sausage as understood elsewhere), ''suman'' (a savory rice and
coconut milk Coconut milk is an opaque, milky-white liquid extracted from the grated pulp of mature coconuts. The opacity and rich taste of coconut milk are due to its high oil content, most of which is saturated fat. Coconut milk is a traditional food ...
concoction steamed in leaves such as banana), and '' pancit canton''. The table may also be have various sweets and pastries such as ''
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'', ''
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'', ''sapin-sapin'', ''sorbetes'' (ice creams), ''totong'' or ''sinukmani'' (a rice, coconut milk and mongo bean pudding), ''ginataan'' (a coconut milk pudding with various root vegetables and tapioca pearls), and ''
gulaman ''Gulaman'', in Filipino cuisine, is a bar, or powdered form, of dried agar or carrageenan used to make jelly-like desserts. In common usage, it also usually refers to the refreshment ''sago't gulaman'', sometimes referred to as ''samalamig'' ...
'' (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 (''Gracilaria'') and "tengusa" (''Gelidiaceae''). As found in nature, agar i ...
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 and Edam cheese (''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'' (; ) commonly refers to a type of baked rice cake from the Philippines that is traditionally cooked in a terracotta oven lined with banana leaves and is usually eaten for breakfast or as merienda (mid-afternoon snack) especially d ...
'', ''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), 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 origins, having been derived from popiah.


Type of food


Common food

Filipino food is widely shaped by individual traditions and customs, and the same dish may and will differ between households.


Staples

As in most Asian countries, the staple food in the Philippines is
rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...
. It is most often steamed and always served with meat, fish and vegetable dishes. Leftover rice is often fried with garlic to make '' sinangag'', which is usually served at breakfast together with a fried egg and cured meat 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'' (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 an opaque, milky-white liquid extracted from the grated pulp of mature coconuts. The opacity and rich taste of coconut milk are due to its high oil content, most of which is saturated fat. Coconut milk is a traditional food ...
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 hab ...
) of Bikol. 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 ( Visayan: ''Kabisay-an'', ; tl, Kabisayaan ), are one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Luzon and Mindanao. Located in the central part of the archipelago, ...
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 can a ...
'' usually with chicken as the main ingredient. A variety of
fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in partic ...
s and
vegetable Vegetables are parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. The original meaning is still commonly used and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including the edible flower, flowers, ...
s are often used in cooking. Plantains (also called '' saba'' in Filipino), kalamansi,
guava Guava () 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), native to Mexico, Central America, t ...
s (''bayabas''),
mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree '' Mangifera indica''. It is believed to have originated in the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in Sout ...
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. It was first domesticated in Mesoamerica, within modern-day southern Mexico and ...
s, and
pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a 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 cultivated for many centuri ...
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 (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the f ...
s are ubiquitous. Coconut meat is often used in desserts,
coconut milk Coconut milk is an opaque, milky-white liquid extracted from the grated pulp of mature coconuts. The opacity and rich taste of coconut milk are due to its high oil content, most of which is saturated fat. Coconut milk is a traditional food ...
(''kakang gata'') in sauces, and
coconut oil frameless , right , alt = A cracked coconut and a bottle of coconut oil Coconut oil (or coconut butter) is an edible oil derived from the wick, meat, and milk of the coconut palm fruit. Coconut oil is a white solid fat; in warmer climates du ...
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, and petioles. Taro corms are a food staple in Afri ...
(''gabi''),
cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively cultivated ...
(''kamoteng kahoy''), purple yam (''
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''), and
sweet potato The sweet potato or sweetpotato ('' Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the bindweed or morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a root vegetable. The young ...
(''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 junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adu ...
,
pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the domestic pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooked and preserved ...
,
beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). In prehistoric times, humankind hunted aurochs and later domesticated them. Since that time, numerous breeds of cattle have been bred specifically for the quality or quantit ...
, and
fish Fish are Aquatic animal, aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack Limb (anatomy), limbs with Digit (anatomy), digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and Chondrichthyes, cartilaginous and bony fish as we ...
.
Seafood Seafood is any form of sea life regarded as food by humans, prominently including fish and shellfish. Shellfish include various species of molluscs (e.g. bivalve molluscs such as clams, oysters and mussels, and cephalopods such as octopus an ...
is popular as a result of the bodies of water surrounding the archipelago. Popular catches include tilapia,
catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, ...
(''hito''), milkfish (''bangus''),
grouper Groupers are fish of any of a number of genera in the subfamily Epinephelinae of the family Serranidae, in the order Perciformes. Not all serranids are called "groupers"; the family also includes the sea basses. The common name "grouper" ...
(''lapu-lapu''),
shrimp Shrimp are crustaceans (a form of shellfish) with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are ref ...
(''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 habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other edible clams, which ...
s (''tahong''), clams (''halaan'' and ''tulya''), large and small
crab Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (abdomen) ( el, βραχύς , translit=brachys = short, / = tail), usually hidden entirely under the thorax. They live in all th ...
s (''alimango'' and ''alimasag'' respectively),
game fish Game fish, sport fish or quarry refer to popular fish pursued by recreational anglers, and can be freshwater or saltwater fish. Game fish can be eaten after being caught, or released after capture. Some game fish are also targeted commercial ...
, sablefish, tuna, cod (''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 ...
, and
squid True squid are molluscs with an elongated soft body, large eyes, eight arms, and two tentacles in the superorder Decapodiformes, though many other molluscs within the broader Neocoleoidea are also called squid despite not strictly fittin ...
/
cuttlefish Cuttlefish or cuttles are marine molluscs of the order Sepiida. They belong to the class Cephalopoda which also includes squid, octopuses, and nautiluses. Cuttlefish have a unique internal shell, the cuttlebone, which is used for control of ...
(both called ''pusit''). Also popular are
seaweed 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 ...
s (''damong dagat''),
abalone Abalone ( or ; via Spanish , from Rumsen ''aulón'') is a common name for any of a group of small to very large marine gastropod molluscs in the family Haliotidae. Other common names are ear shells, sea ears, and, rarely, muttonfish or mutto ...
, and eel (''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 leguminous tree bearing edible fruit that is probably indigenous to tropical Africa. The genus ''Tamarindus'' is monotypic, meaning that it contains only this species. It belongs to the family Fabacea ...
as in ''pangat'', prepared with vegetables and a souring agent to make '' sinigang'', simmered in vinegar and peppers to make ''paksiw'', or roasted over hot charcoalor wood (''
inihaw Inihaw ( ), also known as sinugba or inasal, are various types of grilled or pit-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'' (sweet and sour), ''relleno'' (deboned and stuffed), or " kinilaw" (similar to ceviche; marinated in vinegar or kalamansi). 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, pot ...
s. Fried food is often dipped either in
vinegar Vinegar is an aqueous solution of acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains 5–8% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting simple sugars to eth ...
with onions,
soy sauce Soy sauce (also called simply soy in American English and soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermented paste of soybeans, roasted grain, brine, and ''Aspergillus oryzae'' or '' As ...
with juice squeezed from '' Kalamansi'' (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, Lao ...
) may be mixed with ''kalamansi'' as dipping sauce for most seafood or mixed with a stew called nilaga.
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, Lao ...
, fish paste (''
bagoong ''Bagoóng'' (; ) is a Philippine condiment partially or completely made of either fermented fish (''bagoóng'') or krill or shrimp paste (''alamáng'') with salt. The fermentation process also produces fish sauce known as ''patís''. The p ...
''), shrimp paste (''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 a herbaceous perennial which grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of ...
root (''luya'') are
condiment A condiment is a preparation that is added to food, typically after cooking, to impart a specific flavor, to enhance the flavor, or to complement the dish. A table condiment or table sauce is more specifically a condiment that is served separat ...
s that are often added to dishes during the cooking process or when served.


Main dishes

'' Adobo'' 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 (also called simply soy in American English and soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermented paste of soybeans, roasted grain, brine, and ''Aspergillus oryzae'' or '' As ...
and calamansi and then fried in a skillet that is typically served with onions. Some well-known stews are '' kare-kare'' and '' dinuguan''. In ''kare-kare'', also known as "peanut stew", oxtail or ox
tripe Tripe is a type of edible lining from the stomachs of various farm animals. Most tripe is from cattle, pigs and sheep. Types of tripe Beef tripe Beef tripe is made from the muscle wall (the interior mucosal lining is removed) of a cow's ...
is the main ingredient and is cooked with vegetables in a peanut-based preparation. It is typically served with ''bagoong'' (fermented shrimp paste). In '' dinuguan'', pig's blood, entrails, and meat are cooked with vinegar and seasoned with chili peppers, usually '' siling mahaba''. '' Paksiw'' 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 braised pork dish originating from the Visayas Islands of the Philippines. It traditionally uses pork belly slow-cooked until very tender in soy sauce, vinegar, black peppercorns, garlic, bay ...
'' 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 domestic pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooked and preserved ...
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'', '' kaldereta'', 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'' 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'' 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"), so it litera ...
''; 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 tropical America. It is often used to impart a yellow or orange color to foods, but sometimes also for its f ...
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'' 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 () 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), native to Mexico, Central America, t ...
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 ...
. Another dish is '' tinola''. 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. It was first domesticated in Mesoamerica, within modern-day southern Mexico and ...
/ sayote slices cooked with chili, spinach, and
moringa Moringa may refer to: * ''Moringa'' (genus), a genus of plants * ''Moringa oleifera'', or just moringa, a plant species native to the Indian subcontinent * ''Moringa stenopetala ''Moringa stenopetala'', commonly known as the African Moringa or ...
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'' is a noodle soup garnished with pork innards, crushed pork
cracklings Cracklings (USA), crackling (British English), also known as scratchings, are the solid material which remains after rendering animal fat and skin to produce lard, tallow, or schmaltz, or as the result of roasting meat. It is often eaten as a snack ...
, chopped vegetables, and topped with a raw egg. Another dish with the same name uses
misua ''Misua'' (also spelled ''mee sua'' or ''miswa''; ), 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'' (rice vermicelli) and cell ...
, beef heart, kidneys and intestines, but does not contain eggs or vegetables. '' Mami'' 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 a ...
made from chicken, beef, pork, wonton dumplings, or intestines (called ''laman-loob''). Ma Mon Luk was known for it. Another chicken noodle soup is ''sotanghon'', consisting of
cellophane noodles Cellophane noodles, or fensi (), sometimes called glass noodles, are a type of transparent noodle made from starch (such as mung bean starch, potato starch, sweet potato starch, tapioca, or canna starch) and water. A stabilizer such as chitosan ...
(also called ''sotanghon'' and from whence the name of the dish is derived), chicken, and sometimes mushrooms. Noodle dishes are generally called '' pancit''. '' Pancit'' 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 , ; Pinyin: ''chǎomiàn'') is a Chinese dish made from stir-fried noodles with vegetables and sometimes meat or tofu. Over the centuries, variations of ''chǎomiàn'' were developed in many regions of China; there are s ...
'' 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 ''ragù alla bolognese'', , ''ragù bolognese'', or simply ''ragù'') is a meat-based sauce in Italian cuisine, typical of the city of Bologna. It is customarily used to dress ''tagliatelle al ragù'' an ...
. 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'', 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, pigs and sheep. Types of tripe Beef tripe Beef tripe is made from the muscle wall (the interior mucosal lining is removed) of a cow's ...
. There is also another much different rice porridge called '' champorado'' 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 named after the Spanish region
Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...
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 that produces edible leaves and flowers. Their close relatives include the common onions, garlic, shallot, leek, scallion, an ...
s and
peanut The peanut (''Arachis hypogaea''), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), 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, important to both small an ...
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, Santa Cruz, San Nicolas and Tondo. It is the oldest Chinatown in the world, established in 1594 by the S ...
and
Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...
. '' Camaron rebosado con jamon'' has been described as a classic dish in the Binondo district of Manila, the city's
Chinatown A Chinatown () is 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, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Aust ...
. For vegetarians, there is ''
dinengdeng Dinengdeng (also called inabraw) is a dish of the Ilocano people of the Philippines, similar to pinakbet. It is classified as a bagoong monamon soup based dish. Unlike pinakbet, ''dinengdeng'' contains fewer vegetables and contains squash an ...
'', a dish consisting of
moringa Moringa may refer to: * ''Moringa'' (genus), a genus of plants * ''Moringa oleifera'', or just moringa, a plant species native to the Indian subcontinent * ''Moringa stenopetala ''Moringa stenopetala'', commonly known as the African Moringa or ...
leaves ('' malunggay'') and slices of bittermelon. There is also ''
pinakbet Pinakbet (also called pakbet or pinak bet) is an indigenous Filipino dish from the northern regions of the Philippines. Pinakbet is made from mixed vegetables sautéed in fish or shrimp sauce. The word is the contracted from the Ilokano w ...
'', stewed vegetables heavily flavored with ''
bagoong ''Bagoóng'' (; ) is a Philippine condiment partially or completely made of either fermented fish (''bagoóng'') or krill or shrimp paste (''alamáng'') with salt. The fermentation process also produces fish sauce known as ''patís''. The p ...
''. A type of seafood salad known as '' kinilaw'' 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.


=Cooking methods of most common dishes

= The Filipino words commonly used for cooking methods and terms are listed below: * Adobo (''inadobo'') − cooked in vinegar, oil, garlic and soy sauce. * Afritada – 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'') or krill or shrimp paste (''alamáng'') with salt. The fermentation process also produces fish sauce known as ''patís''. The p ...
'') *
Bibingka ''Bibingka'' (; ) commonly refers to a type of baked rice cake from the Philippines that is traditionally cooked in a terracotta oven lined with banana leaves and is usually eaten for breakfast or as merienda (mid-afternoon snack) especially d ...
– baked cakes, traditionally
glutinous rice Glutinous rice ('' Oryza sativa var. glutinosa''; also called sticky rice, sweet rice or waxy rice) is a type of rice grown mainly in Southeast and East Asia, and the northeastern regions of South Asia, which has opaque grains, very low amyl ...
. * 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''—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, especially in ''
arroz a la cubana Arroz a la cubana () (Cuban-style rice) or ''arroz cubano'' is a rice dish popular in several Hispanic countries. Its defining ingredients are rice and a fried egg. A plantain or banana, and tomato sauce, are so frequently used as often to be con ...
''. *
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, onions or tomatoes. Also spelled ''gisa'', ''gisado'', ''ginisa''. * Hamonado (''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 - made up of crushed ice, evaporated milk or condensed milk, and various ingredients including, ube, sweetened beans, coconut strips, sago, gulaman (agar), 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 the Philippines and Indonesia. Lumpia are made of thin paper-like or crepe-like pastry skin called "lumpia wrapper" enveloping savory or sweet fillings. It is often served as an ap ...
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 or Kilawin − fish or seafood marinated in
vinegar Vinegar is an aqueous solution of acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains 5–8% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting simple sugars to eth ...
or
calamansi Calamansi (''Citrus'' × ''microcarpa''), also known as calamondin, Philippine lime, or Philippine lemon, is an economically important citrus hybrid predominantly cultivated in the Philippines. It is native to the Philippines, Borneo, Sumatra, ...
juice along with
garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Welsh onion and Chinese onion. It is native to South Asia, Central Asia and northeas ...
,
onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), 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 on ...
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 a herbaceous perennial which grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of ...
,
tomato The tomato is the edible berry of the plant ''Solanum lycopersicum'', commonly known as the tomato plant. The species originated in western South America, Mexico, and Central America. The Mexican Nahuatl word gave rise to the Spanish word ...
, peppers. 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''. * Nilaga (''laga'', ''palaga'') − boiled/braised. * Nilasing − cooked with an alcoholic beverage like wine or beer. * Paksiw (''pinaksiw'') − cooked in vinegar. * Pancit (''pansit'', ''fideo'') – noodle dishes, usually of Chinese Filipino 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 Pinakbet (also called pakbet or pinak bet) is an indigenous Filipino dish from the northern regions of the Philippines. Pinakbet is made from mixed vegetables sautéed in fish or shrimp sauce. The word is the contracted from the Ilokano w ...
(''pakbet'') − to cook with vegetables usually with ''sitaw'' ( yardlong beans),
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 what is also known as the West Indian pumpkin, a winter squash typically grown in the West Indies, ...
, ''talong'' (eggplant), and ''ampalaya'' (
bitter melon ''Momordica charantia'' (commonly called bitter melon; Goya; bitter apple; bitter gourd; bitter squash; balsam-pear; with many more names listed below) is a tropical and subtropical vine of the family Cucurbitaceae, widely grown in Asia, Af ...
) among others and ''
bagoong ''Bagoóng'' (; ) is a Philippine condiment partially or completely made of either fermented fish (''bagoóng'') or krill or shrimp paste (''alamáng'') with salt. The fermentation process also produces fish sauce known as ''patís''. The p ...
''. * 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 Sigang District, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (), alternatively spelled Xigang, is a rural district of about 24,611 residents in Tainan, Taiwan. It is home to two elementary schools, one junior high school, and one hi ...
(''sinigang'') − boiled in a sour broth usually with a
tamarind Tamarind (''Tamarindus indica'') is a leguminous tree bearing edible fruit that is probably indigenous to tropical Africa. The genus ''Tamarindus'' is monotypic, meaning that it contains only this species. It belongs to the family Fabacea ...
base. Other common souring agents include
guava Guava () 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), native to Mexico, Central America, t ...
, raw
mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree '' Mangifera indica''. It is believed to have originated in the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in Sout ...
es, calamansi also known as calamondin. *
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. * Tapay – fermented with
yeast Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to constit ...
, usually rice, traditionally in
tapayan ''Tapayan'' or ''tempayan'' (also known as ''balanga'', ''belanga'', or ''banga'') are large wide-mouthed earthenware or stoneware jars found in various Austronesian cultures in island Southeast Asia. Their various functions include fermenting ...
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 fermented and distilled from rice, traditionally consumed in East Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia. Rice wine is made by the fermentation of rice starch that has been converted to sugars. Microbes are the s ...
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 and are particularly preval ...
'' (rice cakes). Cognate of ''tinapay'' (
leavened Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour (usually wheat) and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made ...
bread Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour (usually wheat) and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made f ...
). * Tosta (''tinosta'', ''tostado'') – toasted. * Torta (''tinorta'', ''patorta'') – in the northern Philippines, to cook with eggs in the manner of an
omelette In cuisine, an omelette (also spelled omelet) is a dish made from beaten eggs, fried with butter or oil in a frying pan (without stirring as in scrambled egg). It is quite common for the omelette to be folded around fillings such as chives ...
. In the southern Philippines, a general term for a small cake. * Turon (''turrones'') – wrapped with an edible wrapper; dessert counterpart of lumpia.


=Bread and pastries

= In a typical Filipino bakery, '' pandesal'', '' 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 UBE or Ube may refer to: * Ubiquitin-activating enzyme * Ube, Yamaguchi, a city in Japan * Uniform Bar Examination * Unilateral Biportal Endoscopy * Ube Industries, chemical company * Union bound estimate, a probability theory bound * Union of Bo ...
'' (purple yam) and ''
macapuno Macapuno or coconut sport is a naturally occurring coconut cultivar which 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 cavity of ...
'' (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'', a
sweet roll A sweet roll or sweet bun refers to any of a number of sweet, baked, yeast-leavened breakfast or dessert foods. They may contain spices, nuts, candied fruits, etc., and are often glazed or topped with icing. Compared to regular bread dough, sw ...
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 Pionono describes different sweet or savory pastries from Granada, Spain, the Caribbean, South America, and the Philippines. It is named after Pope Pius IX's name in Spanish, . By country Spain Piononos are small pastries traditional in Santa ...
'', which is a chiffon roll flavored with different fillings. '' Brazo de mercedes'', a rolled cake or jelly roll, is made from a sheet of meringue 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 "unrivaled” in French. The cake may be decorated, left plain or garnished with pistachios. The cake's origins are disputed. ...
''. ''Silvana (food), 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. ''Barquillos'' use sweet thin crunchy wafers rolled into tubes that can be sold hollow or filled with ''Polvorón, polvoron'' (sweetened and toasted flour mixed with ground nuts). Meringues are also present in the Philippines, due to the Spanish influence, but they are called ''merengue'' – with all the vowels pronounced. ''Leche Flan, Leche flan'' 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'', ''Crème caramel, 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, ''Buko'' pie is made with a filling made from young coconut meat and dairy. Mini pastries like ''Turrones de casúy, turrones de casuy'' are made up of cashew marzipan 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 (United States coin), quarter. There is also ''napoleones'' – again with all the vowels pronounced – a mille-feuille 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 ''Mamón, mamon'' a chiffon-type cake sprinkled with sugar, its name derived from a slang Spanish term for breast. There's also ''crema de fruta'', 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 Mamoncillo, fruit of the same name. Sandwich pastries like ''inipit'' 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 consisting of pastry and filling, common in Spanish, other Southern European, Latin American, and Iberian-influenced cultures around the world. The name comes from the Spanish (to bread, i ...
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'' is the local version of Chinese baozi. ''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 UBE or Ube may refer to: * Ubiquitin-activating enzyme * Ube, Yamaguchi, a city in Japan * Uniform Bar Examination * Unilateral Biportal Endoscopy * Ube Industries, chemical company * Union bound estimate, a probability theory bound * Union of Bo ...
'' 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 about lunar appreciation and Moon watching, and mooncakes are regarded as a delicacy. Mooncakes are offered between ...
s) and fillings.


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'' is a side dish of pickled papaya strips similar to sauerkraut. It's a frequent accompaniment to fried dishes like ''tapa'' or ''daing''. ''Nata de coco'' is a chewy, translucent, jelly-like food product produced by the fermentation of coconut water can be served with ''pandesal''. ''Kesong puti'' is a soft white cheese made from carabao milk (although cow milk is also used in most commercial variants). Grated mature coconut (''niyog''), is normally served with sweet rice-based desserts.


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 Mandarin orange, green mandarin orange (''dalandan'' or ''dalanghita''), pomelo (''suha''),
pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a 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 cultivated for many centuri ...
(''pinya''),
banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", disting ...
(''saging''), and soursop (''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 is believed to have originated in the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in Sout ...
,
avocado The avocado (''Persea americana'') is a medium-sized, evergreen tree in the laurel family ( Lauraceae). It is native to the Americas and was first domesticated by Mesoamerican tribes more than 5,000 years ago. Then as now it was prized for ...
, cantaloupe, durian,
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. It was first domesticated in Mesoamerica, within modern-day southern Mexico and ...
, strawberry and watermelon, to name a few. Other chilled drinks include ''sago't gulaman,'' a flavored ice drink of pre-Hispanic Malay race, Malay origin (Malay: ''gula melaka'') with sago 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 (''Gracilaria'') and "tengusa" (''Gelidiaceae''). As found in nature, agar i ...
gelatin with banana extract sometimes added to the accompanying syrup; fresh ''buko'' or coconut juice, the water or juice straight out of a young coconut 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 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 is known as ''Kape Barako, kapeng barako''. Another well-known variant of coffee is the ''kopi luwak, civet coffee''. 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 in 1997 paved the way for other coffee shops. Tea consumption in the Philippines is driven primarily by growing health consciousness amongst middle- to high-income consumers. Tea is commonly prepared using Carmona retusa, Philippine wild tea or Thea sinensis, tea tree. There are several known variations of tea using different additives. Pandan iced tea is one of these, made with Pandanus, pandan leaves and lemongrass (locally known as ''tanglad''). Ginger tea, ''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 a herbaceous perennial which grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of ...
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 and Serenitea. ''Tsokolate'' 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 in the Philippines, Christmas season, particularly among children.


=Alcoholic beverages

= There are a wide variety of alcoholic drinks in the Philippines manufactured by local breweries and distilleries. Red Horse Beer, Red Horse is one of the most popular beer.


Traditional drinks

''Palm wine, Tuba'' (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'' (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'' is a traditional Philippine alcoholic drink made from fermented ''
glutinous rice Glutinous rice ('' Oryza sativa var. glutinosa''; also called sticky rice, sweet rice or waxy rice) is a type of rice grown mainly in Southeast and East Asia, and the northeastern regions of South Asia, which has opaque grains, very low amyl ...
''. 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 has created a cookbook containing recipes and cocktails from famous Filipino chefs and bartenders, featuring ''tapuy'' as one of the ingredients.


Modern drinks

Beer or ''serbesa'' (from the Spanish "cerveza") is the most widely available alcoholic drink in the Philippines. San Miguel Beer, 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 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, 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 is often associated with Tanduay. Several gins, both local varieties like Ginebra San Miguel (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 made from rice and coconuts. One often seen dessert is ''
bibingka ''Bibingka'' (; ) commonly refers to a type of baked rice cake from the Philippines that is traditionally cooked in a terracotta oven lined with banana leaves and is usually eaten for breakfast or as merienda (mid-afternoon snack) especially d ...
'', a hot rice cake optionally topped with a pat of butter, slices of ''
kesong puti ''Kesong puti'' is a 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 or cow milk. It has a mild salty and tart flavor. When a ...
'' (white cheese), ''itlog na maalat'' (salted duck eggs), and sometimes grated coconut. There are also glutinous rice sweets called ''Kalamay, 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 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 is '' kutsinta''. '' Puto'' is another well-known example of sweet steamed rice cakes prepared in many different sizes and colors. ''Sapin-sapin'' (sapin means layer) are three-layered, tri-colored sweets made with rice flour, purple yam, and coconut milk characterized by its gelatinous appearance. ''Palitaw'' are rice patties that are covered with sesame seeds, sugar, and coconut; ''Pitsi-pitsî, pitsi-pitsi'' which are
cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively cultivated ...
patties coated with cheese or coconut; and ''tibok-tibok'' is based on carabao milk as a de leche (similar to maja blanca). As a snack, Binatog is created with corn kernels with shredded coconut. Packaged snacks wrapped in banana or palm leaves then steamed, '' suman'' are made from sticky rice. For cold desserts there is ''halo-halo'' which can be described as a dessert made with shaved ice, milk, and sugar with additional ingredients like coconut, ''ube halaya'' (mashed purple yam) or ube ice cream, "leche flan" or caramel custard, Plantain (cooking), plantains, jackfruit, red beans, tapioca and '' pinipig'' being typical. Some of the Philippines' largest restaurant chains, such as ''Kuya J'', have dedicated dessert menus filled with many traditional Filipino desserts. Other similar treats made with shaved ice include ''saba con yelo'' which is shaved ice served with milk and ''minatamis na saging'' (ripe plantains chopped and caramelized with brown sugar); ''mais con yelo'' which is shaved ice served with steamed corn kernels, sugar, and milk; and ''buko pandan'' sweetened grated strips of coconut with gulaman, milk, and the juice or extract from pandan leaves. ''Sorbetes'' (ice cream) is popular, as well, with some local versions utilizing coconut milk instead of cow milk. Freezie, Ice candy, are popular frozen snacks usually made from fruit juice,
chocolate Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cacao seed kernels that is available as a liquid, solid, or paste, either on its own or as a flavoring agent in other foods. Cacao has been consumed in some form since at least the Olmec ci ...
or local ingredients such as mung beans and Dioscorea alata, ube. It can be any kind of flavor depending on the maker; chocolate and ''buko'' (coconut) flavored ice candy 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 cracker, mangoes, cream and milk, and created by layering them together in a dish and then refrigerating or blast chilling.


Regional specialties

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


Luzon cuisine

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 flavored with ''
bagoong ''Bagoóng'' (; ) is a Philippine condiment partially or completely made of either fermented fish (''bagoóng'') or krill or shrimp paste (''alamáng'') with salt. The fermentation process also produces fish sauce known as ''patís''. The p ...
'', fermented fish that is often used as a substitute for salt. Ilocanos often season boiled vegetables with ''bagoong monamon'' (fermented anchovy paste) to produce ''
pinakbet Pinakbet (also called pakbet or pinak bet) is an indigenous Filipino dish from the northern regions of the Philippines. Pinakbet is made from mixed vegetables sautéed in fish or shrimp sauce. The word is the contracted from the Ilokano w ...
''. Local specialties include the soft white larvae of ants and "jumping salad" of tiny live shrimp. The Igorot prefer roasted meats, particularly carabao 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'', 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''. 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) or scratchings (UK); these are served in small piece ...
s) and steamed rice and tuber cakes like ''puto''. It is a center for ''panghimagas'' or desserts, like brown rice cake or ''kutsinta'', ''sapin-sapin'', ''suman (food), suman'',
cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively cultivated ...
cake, ''ube halaya'' and the king of sweets, in San Miguel, Bulacan, San Miguel, Bulacan, the famous carabao milk candy ''pastillas de leche'', with its ''pabalat'' wrapper. Cainta, in Rizal province east of
Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...
, is known for its Filipino rice cakes 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 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 is also known for its special coffee, ''Kape Barako, kapeng barako''. 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 hab ...
. 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, and petioles. Taro corms are a food staple in Afri ...
leaves).


Visayan cuisine

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'', 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 which is found in the said province is ''pancit Molo'', an adaptation of wonton soup and is a specialty of the town of 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 ''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 ''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 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 is believed to have originated in the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in Sout ...
es and caramel tarts. In Bohol, ''kalamay'' is popular. In Palawan, 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.


Mindanaoan cuisine

In
Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...
, the southern part of Palawan island, Sulu Province, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi, dishes are richly flavored with the spices common to Southeast Asia: turmeric, coriander, lemon grass, cumin, 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 Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...
and the Sulu archipelago has much in common with the rich and spice-paste centric Malay cuisines of Malaysian cuisine, Malaysia and
Brunei Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely surrounded by th ...
, 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'' & ''Curacha con Gatâ'' are examples of a 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 and delicacy like ''Estofado'', ''Sicalañg'', ''Alfajor'', ''Endulzao'', ''Tamal'', ''Paella'', ''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 that belongs to the bindweed or morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a root vegetable. The young ...
es, and yams are grown. ''Sambal'', a spicy sauce made with belacan,
tamarind Tamarind (''Tamarindus indica'') is a leguminous tree bearing edible fruit that is probably indigenous to tropical Africa. The genus ''Tamarindus'' is monotypic, meaning that it contains only this species. It belongs to the family Fabacea ...
, 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, 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, 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.


Other food


Street food and other 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. Also, one of the common street food would be the Pares (food), Beef Pares in Manila. While Middle-Eastern food such as the Shawarma became popular in the Philippines in the late 1980s. There's a distinct range of street foods available in the Philippines. Some of these are skewered on sticks in the manner of a kebab. One such example is ''banana-cue'' which is a whole
banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", disting ...
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 that belongs to the bindweed or morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a root vegetable. The young ...
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. One of the more common habit of street vendors in Metro Manila carry out or yell the phrase, "Hopia, Mani, Popcorn at Vicks..". ''Turon (food), Turon'', a kind of ''
lumpia ''Lumpia'' are various types of spring rolls commonly found in the Philippines and Indonesia. Lumpia are made of thin paper-like or crepe-like pastry skin called "lumpia wrapper" enveloping savory or sweet fillings. It is often served as an ap ...
'' consisting of an eggroll or phyllo wrapper commonly filled with sliced Plantain (cooking), plantain and occasionally jackfruit, 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 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 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 (also called simply soy in American English and soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermented paste of soybeans, roasted grain, brine, and ''Aspergillus oryzae'' or '' As ...
, 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, Santa Cruz, San Nicolas and Tondo. It is the oldest Chinatown in the world, established in 1594 by the S ...
, 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.


Influences abroad


Filipino-American cuisine

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 and kare-kare. 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. 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 known as 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 o ...
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 burger, is a food consisting of fillings—usually a patty of ground meat, typically beef—placed inside a sliced bun or bread roll. Hamburgers are often served with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, bacon, ...
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, 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 or halo-halo, 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.


Filipino-Chinese cuisine


See also

* List of Philippine desserts * List of Philippine dishes * List of restaurant chains in the Philippines * Philippine condiments * Filipino-American cuisine * 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)
''Kulinarya – A Guidebook to Philippine Cuisine''
(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. * * * * * * *


External links

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