A taste of Filipino food

A Taste of Filipino Food: 10 Pinoy Dishes That Will Have You Drooling

When it comes to food, the Philippines is so rich with undeniably great cuisine just as it is rich with beautiful destinations. The Filipinos have a knack for combining flavors and making the most of any ingredients at their table, hence putting out a palatable and unpretentious Filipino food that everyone enjoys!

That’s why aside from being a beach destination, the Philippines is also becoming the “it” food destination.

We’ve listed the top 10 Filipino food you must try!

1. Adobo

No list of Filipino food would be complete without adobo. This ever-present dish in the Philippines is what balikbayans always miss and is a safe choice to introduce Philippines food to foreigners.

The meat (chicken, pork, or lamb) is marinated in vinegar, salt, garlic, pepper, soy sauce and other spices which is a practical way to preserve the food without refrigeration. 

2. Sinigang

If we were to describe the taste of Filipino cuisine, it would have to be mostly sour rather than spicy. And sinigang serves you that.

This Pinoy classic consists of a delicious broth soured by tamarind, tomatoes, and sometimes, kamias. Aside from the meat, sinigang has different vegetables. Popular variants are pork sinigang, beef sinigang, prawns sinigang.

3.sisig

The sisig meat is primarily chopped up parts of the pigs’ face— Filipinos don’t waste anything when it comes to food that’s why no cut of the animal goes to waste. Some sisig recipes have mayonnaise and raw egg to be mixed in while hot and give it a creamier texture. While other sisig recipes don’t have raw egg and are crispier than the usual recipe. This is served sizzling on a hot stone plate and is a favorite pulutan (food that perfectly matches with beer) among Filipinos. 

The best Filipino restaurant that serves sisig is Manam. It has several branches in Metro Manila.

4. Kare kare

Kare-kare is one of the most favorite Filipino dishes of Pinoys. The stew is made with peanut butter and grounded rice. It has oxtail and mixed vegetables. Kare-kare is best eaten with rice and bagoong (shrimp paste).

5. Lechon

This is a famous Filipino food not just to Pinoys but also to foreigners. Lechon is a whole roasted pig usually served on special occasions. It’s kind of expensive that’s why when you see lechon on an occasion, it must be grand. 

What people love about lechon is its crispy skin and juicy meat which is best paired with liver sauce. Anthony Bourdain claimed that this is the best pig ever! He wouldn’t say this for nothing right?

The famous Filipino restaurant that serves one of the best lechons is Rico’s Lechon.

6. Crispy pata Just like lechon, crispy pata is a delicious and must-try Philippines food. Crispy Pata is the pig’s whole leg deep-fried into perfection to achieve the right crispiness. It is served with a soy-vinegar dipping sauce on the side with some chopped up garlic and chilli 

7. Bulalo

When the weather becomes cooler, Filipinos usually crave a hot stewed meal— bulalo. Bulalo is made by slow-cooking beef shanks and bone marrow. Like sinigang, it also has a mix of vegetables along with the beef. 

The most famous place to eat bulalo in the Philippines is Batangas and Tagaytay. Some Filipinos who live in the metro will drive up north just to have that bulalo fix. 

8. Kansi

If you love sinigang and bulalo, you’ll definitely love Kansi, too! Kansi is an Ilonggo dish which is a combination of sinigang and bulalo. But the sour taste overpowers the soup. The meat is the same as bulalo using beef shank and bone marrow. Kansi is one of the must-try Filipino dishes in the Philippines!

9. Chicken inasal

This dish is basically a grilled chicken but this is not the ordinary grilled chicken you’ll see everywhere. If you want to taste the authentic chicken inasal, you should go to Bacolod. It’s where the dish originated. They marinate the chicken soy sauce, vinegar, and different spices that make Bacolod chicken inasal unique. They also use chicken oil to pair with rice.