Filipino cuisine is a tasty blend of various cultures - a legacy of the country’s rich history. Over the centuries, Chinese traders brought their culinary culture, Spanish colonizers added healthy touches of Castilian cooking, and U.S. colonization contributed convenience and fast food. Visitors will feast on a cacophony of sweet, sour and salty flavors. While other Asian cuisines offer a more subtle delivery and presentation, Filipino palates prefer a sudden influx of flavor. Filipino cuisine, though generally not heavily spiced, is often delivered in a single presentation, giving the participant a simultaneous visual feast, an aromatic bouquet, and a gustatory delight.

Filipinos traditionally eat three main meals a day - agahan (breakfast), tanghalían (lunch), and hapúnan (dinner) plus an afternoon meriénda (snack). Some of the more popular dishes include: adobo, usually of chicken or pork, which is referred to as the national dish of the Philippines; lechon, a whole roast pig, which is the preferred centerpiece of every Filipino gatherings; sinigang, a soup with fish, beef or shrimp with sour fruits; pinakbet, a stew of local vegetables including bitter melon, eggplant, okra, string beans, and squash flavored with a few pieces of shrimp or pork and steeped in bagoong (shrimp paste) and ginger; lumpiang ubod, freshly made soft crepe filled with hearts of palm, tiny shrimps, peanuts and garlic; pork barbecue or inihaw na liempo, grilled pork marinated in vinegar, kalamansi (a tiny Philippine citrus), soy sauce, and other local spices; and ensaimada, a sweet-savory brioche often eaten as an afternoon snack.

Other signature dishes include longganisa, a local sausage; tapa (cured beef), torta (omelette), kaldereta (goat in tomato stew), mechado (beef or pork cooked in tomato sauce), pochero (braised beef in a light tomato broth served with steamed cabbage and plantains), afritada (pork or beef sautéed in bell peppers and stewed in a tomato sauce then served with several other vegetables such as onions, carrots, and potatoes), kare-kare (oxtail and vegetables cooked in peanut sauce), crispy pata (deep-fried pig's leg), and hamonado (pork sweetened in pineapple sauce).

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TRADITIONAL FOODS

• Chicken and Pork Adobo
• Lechon (Roast Pig)
• Crispy Pata
• Kare-Kare
• Inihaw (Barbeque)
• Pinakbet
• Lumpia
• Sisig
• Pansit Palabok
• Halo-Halo
• Leche Plan

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COOKING STYLE

The waters that surround the islands yield the country’s most important food source: fresh seafood which, combined with fresh local vegetation and coconuts, form the heart of the cuisine. Filipino dishes are usually sautéed (in garlic, onions and/or tomatoes), grilled, boiled, fried, or steamed. Meat is generally marinated in vinegar or kalamansi juice along with garlic, onions, ginger, tomato, and peppers. Some dishes, including desserts, are cooked in coconut milk or steamed wrapped in a banana leaf.

Pancit (rice, corn, egg noodle) is served everywhere as a quick meal or snack and is prepared in countless ways depending on the region. The favorites are pancit luglug and pancit palabok or Malabon, the difference lying mainly in the type of noodles used. The toppings of pancit Malabon latter draw heavily from the seafood available in the busy fish port city from where it derives its name and may include fresh shrimp, squid, oysters as well as hard-boiled duck or hen eggs and tender slivers of pork.

Counterpoint is a feature in Philippine cuisine. This normally comes in a pairing of something sweet with something salty which results in surprisingly pleasing combinations. Examples include: champorado (a sweet cocoa rice porridge) being paired with tuyo (salted, sun-dried fish) and dinuguan (a savory stew made of pork and pig's blood) paired with puto (sweet, steamed rice cakes). Also, unripe fruits such as mangoes (which are only slightly sweet but very sour) are eaten dipped in salt. Another common practice is the use of cheese (which is salty) in sweet cakes such as bibingka and puto as well as an ice cream flavoring.

 




REGIONAL DISHES

 

The Philippines consists of 17 regions, geographically combined into the three main island groups of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, offering distinct gastronomic highlights developed according to ingredients available in their localities.

Luzon
Luzon - the Ilocos Region on the northwest coast of Luzon is located between the Cordillera Mountains and the waters of the South China Sea where vegetables and rice are in abundance. Ilocanos boast of a diet heavy in boiled or steamed vegetables and fish and are particularly fond of dishes flavored with bagoong, fermented fish that is often used instead of salt.

Pampanga in Central Luzon
Pampanga in Central Luzon is known for its exceptional cooks and outstanding cuisine based on slow cooking methods in which taste is allowed to come into its own without resorting to packaged mixes and high heat. Pampango specialties include kare-kare served with bagoong; fried morcon (beef roll); longanisa; sisig (boiled and chopped pig ears and cheeks seasoned with vinegar, kalamansi juice, chopped onions and chicken liver and served in hot plates) and lengua estofada (braised beef tongue). The neighboring province of Bulacan is popular for chicharon (fried, crispy pork rinds) and steamed rice and tuber cakes like puto. It is the center of panghimagas or desserts such as kutsinta (brown rice cake) or suman (sticky rice steamed in banana leaves and served with brown sugar or warm coconut jam); cassava cake (baked yucca root cake); halaya ube (candied purple yam preserve); and pastillas de leche (carabao milk candies). Cainta in Rizal province is known for its rice cakes and puddings topped with "latik", a mixture of coconut milk and brown sugar reduced to a dry crumbly texture. Antipolo, straddled mid-level in the mountainous regions east of Manila, is known for its suman and cashew products.

In Southern Luzon
Laguna is known for buko (coconut) pie and panutsa (molasses clustered peanuts). Batangas, home to Taal Lake which boasts over 75 species of freshwater fish, offers the maliputo and tawilis, two of the world's rarest that are delicious native delicacies, as well as kapeng barako, a strong brew from native coffee beans. The provinces of the Bicol Region are known for their very spicy preparations particularly the “Bicol Express”, made of thin strips of sautéed pork simmered in coconut milk and seasoned with chili peppers and a tinge of shrimp paste and the laing (taro leaves braised in a spicy coconut sauce).

The Visayas
The Visayas - Chinese influence is reflected in Visayan cuisine where visitors can find an array of delicious noodle soups as well as prawn, chicken, and pork dumplings. Cebu is popular for its own version of the lechón characterized by a crispy outer skin and a moist juicy meat with unique taste from a blend of spices. It is also known for sweets like dried mangoes, mango and caramel tarts. The city of Bacolod in Negros Occidental is famous for the binakol, a popular chicken soup with fresh buko (young coconut flesh), lemongrass, garlic, ginger, onions and patis (fish sauce). This area is also famous for lumpiang ubod, a soft crepe filled with hearts of palm and served with a garlic/peanut sauce while nearby Iloilo boasts of its pancit molo which uses dumpling wrapper made from rice and eggs instead the usual pancit noodles.

Mindanao
Mindanao - located in the far South of the Philippine archipelago, offers an array of exotic cuisine influenced by the Malays. Spices including turmeric, garlic, ginger, roasted coconut and chilies are prominent in the area’s dishes. Local Mindanaoans tend to eat their seafood raw, grilled, fried, or cooked in soups with green papayas, ginger, lemon grass, or coconut cream. An afternoon snack favorite is ginatan, a sweet coconut flavored stew of gabi (taro root), kamote (sweet potato), ube (purple yam), sago (tapioca), bilo-bilo (glutinous rice balls), plantain bananas, and sometimes even jackfruit. A dish typically served during special occasions is tiula itum (black soup), a stew made with beef, charred mature coconut meat that gives the dish its black color, turmeric, ginger, green chili, salt, pepper and onions. Also not to be missed are grilled tuna panga (jaw line) and belly from General Santos and Davao as well as the curacha, a highbred crustacean uniquely found in the waters around Zamboanga, which is served with steamed rice and fresh latu (seaweed/sea grapes).

The cuisine of the indigenous Moro and Lumad peoples of Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago differs greatly from much of the cooking found throughout the Philippines, having more in common with the rich and spicy preferences of Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia. Their more well-known dishes include satti, the local counterpart to the barbecued Malaysian ‘satay’, served on top of sticky rice with a thick sweet and spicy sauce, and ginataang manok, a chicken stew flavored with ginger, garlic, onions, and coconut milk. Since this region is predominantly Muslim, pork is rarely if ever consumed but regional crops, such as cassava root, sweet potatoes (kamote), and yams also figure prominently in their daily fare.

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SWEETS & SNACKS

Bibingka, a hot rice cake usually topped with butter, slices of kesong puti (white cheese), itlog na maalat (salted duck eggs) and grated coconut, is a favorite afternoon snack. Halo-halo is popular during the hot summer months as it combines sweet preserved beans (red beans, chick peas), macapuno (young coconut meat), langka (jackfruit), pinipig (pounded dried rice), ube (sweet purple yam), leche flan (egg custard in sugar syrup), and saba (sweetened plantain) in a glass filled with crushed ice, milk and topped with ice cream.

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VEGETARIAN CUISINE

Due to Chinese, Spanish, and Malay influences, there are several options for vegetarians to enjoy the Philippines' abundant fresh fruits and vegetables. Eggplant adobo (eggplants sautéed in a tangy garlic soy glaze), vegetarian tamales (a dough made of ground rice, ground peanuts, and coconut milk topped with vegetables, wrapped in banana leaves, and steamed), and adobong kangkong (water spinach cooked adobo way).

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FOOD FESTIVAL

PILI FESTIVAL
(June 20-29, 2010)
Pili is an indigenous crop of the Bicol Region, particularly the province of Sorsogon. This festival emphasizes the pili’s importance and seeks to increase the awareness of the public on its leaves' economic use. The Festival street dance presents the three stages of Pili, from green (young fruit) to violet (half-mature) to black (mature) nuts and how it is being processed into different kinds of sweets and delicacies.

PARADA NG LECHON
(June 24, 2010)
A celebration that coincides with the Feast of St. John the Baptist, this festival features lechons prepared and cooked by the Balayan municipality’s various barangays which are paraded by local groups to the town plaza. After the parade, the town's people and guests partake of the food.

MANYAMAN
(Last week of July, 2010)
Highlighting the best food, furniture, design and cultural offerings from the province of Pampanga. "manyaman" is a Kapampangan word for delicious, and features the original recipes of Claude Tayag, a top Kapampangan chef known for his culinary expertise. Claude Tayag was recently featured in Anthony Bourdain’s television show No Reservations.

TUNA FESTIVAL
(September 5, 2010)
A part of the city’s charter celebration, this Festival is a form of thanksgiving to the bounties of the sea which make possible the locality’s main industries. General Santos City is the Tuna Capital of the Philippines and among the highlights are the awesome Tuna Float Contest and sumptuous Tuna Culinary Contest.

COFFEE FESTIVAL
(December 11-16, 2010)
Celebrating the long reign of Lipa as the coffee granary of the Philippines, it includes a trade fair and tiangge (flea market), 'Karera ng Tiburin', search for Barako ng Bayan, and parlor games.

BOD-BOD FESTIVAL
(December 14-16, 2010)
This festival gives emphasis to a famous local delicacy which is made of glutinous rice, coconut milk, sugar and salt. Celebrated in Tanjay City, Negros Oriental, it features the biggest Bod-bod, which weighs as much as 160 pounds and requires ten people to prepare, and the smallest Bod-bod, which is served inside a matchbox. The bod-bod making contest gives the Tanjayanons the chance to show their natural expertise on the art of making the delicacy while the bod-bod eating contest will give the town's visitors the real treat of their lives as they outdo each one in consuming the delicacy.

PUTO FESTIVAL
(December 26-28, 2010)
A celebration of the town of Calasiao's major produce, the sweet bite-sized version of the puto (rice cake) The Festival’s highlights include the Best Puto design contest, the best ways to present puto, street dancing and cultural performances.

UBI FESTIVAL
(2nd week of January, 2011)
For almost half a millennium, the ube (purple yam) tuber has been venerated by the Boholanos. Today, respect for the plant is stronger than ever and this Festival institutionalizes it as the agro-historical-geographical-religious symbol of Bohol and its industrious people. It features an exhibit, an ubi contest, an agri-business investment opportunity seminar and a cultural show.

HAW-AN FESTIVAL
(January 26, 2011)
Inspired by the abundant local mudfish, the Haw-an Festival is celebrated in observance of the Araw ng Bunawan, Agustan del Sur’s feast day. It is highlighted by haw-an catching and cooking contests and the Sadsad, a street dancing competition showcasing the Manobo tribe's rich and vibrant culture.

TINAPAY FESTIVAL
(2nd week of February, 2011)
An annual celebration in honor of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage, the patron saint of the town of Cuenca, Batangas. Offered in the hopes of bountiful life, the Tinapay Festival fetes the bakers of the town for their outstanding skills in bread making. The biggest and longest bread of different shapes are paraded along the major streets of the town. Everyone partakes of the pastries and bread products after the grand parade.

FEAST OF ST. MARTHA
(Kalawaan, Pasig City: Last Sunday of February & Pateros, Rizal: Second Sunday of February, 2011)
St. Martha, patron of cooks and washerwomen, is also considered the patroness of duck-raisers in Pateros and Kalawaan. A feature is the parade when food from the boats are thrown to participants, especially balut (fertilized duck egg with a nearly-developed embryoinside that is boiled and eaten in the shell), a favorite Filipino delicacy. Balut-making is native to the Philippines and balut is commonly sold as streetfood although it has recently entered haute cuisine and served as appetizers in restaurants: cooked adobo style, fried in omelettes or even used as filling in baked pastries.

KARANOWAN FISH-TIVAL
(February 15, 2011)
This “fish-tival” owes its name to the term "ranow", meaning lake, as it celebrates the bounties of the area’s Lake Bato in Camarines Sur, which teems with numerous species such as the well known tabios, tilapia nilotica, carp, eel, and many others. It focuses on the promotion of what the Lake has to offer and the preservation of this important aquatic habitat. Among the many highlights is a street parade of participants clad in fish-like costumes evoking the lives of the fishes.

STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL
(March 14-20, 2011)
The Municipality of La Trinidad, Benguet, in the mountain regions of Northern Luzon is the Strawberry Capital of the Philippines. The Festival celebrates the town’s bounty and features the baking of the largest strawberry cake as well as a trade fair on strawberry products and cut flowers.

BANANA FESTIVAL
(April 1-5, 2011)
A harvest festival that opens on the first day of April, this Festival showcases the different varieties of banana which are abundant in La Castellana municipality. Highlights include booths, floats and costumes made from different parts of the banana plant as the townspeople give thanksgiving to their patron, St. Vincent Ferrer, whose feast day falls on April 5.

PINAKBET FESTIVAL
(April 23, 2011)
A festival celebrating the favorite dish of the Ilocanos, "pinakbet"; it features street dances and cooking competitions and honors the Sta. Maria’s farmers’ industry and their housewives’ cooking skills.

YAGYAG FESTIVAL
(4th week of April, 2011)
Yagyag is the vernacular term for spawning to lay eggs or spread, propagate and grow. The process refers in particular to the crabs and other marine creatures which gather during the months of October to December in Sapa, one of the two springs found in Barangay Cangmating of Sibulan. The creatures lay and float their eggs during high tide, to mature in the swamps. In the coming months, people from the neighboring barrios from Agan-an to Maningcao would come in groups for nature's marine bounty which are harvested for food and as materials for crafts. The Festival features Mardi-gras-type street dancing and numerous other cultural events.

BANGUS FESTIVAL
(April 15-May 2, 2011)
Bangus (milkfish) is the Philippine’s National Fish. Part of Pangasinan's Pista'y Dayat celebration, this Festival is highlighted with the longest bangus grill covering the more than 2 kilometers of the whole stretch of Dagupan’s main road. A bangus rodeo, a contest for 101 ways to cook bangus, the Gilon harvest dance parade in bangus inspired costumes, Mutya ng Dagat beauty contest, various sports competitions, concerts, and trade exhibitions round up a nearly month-long celebration.

BAWANG FESTIVAL
(May 1-3, 2011)
Bawang is the Filipino word for garlic and the town of Sinait is the Garlic Center of the Philippines. Competitions and exhibits include pinaka-Garlic bulb (e.g. biggest garlic), longest and most creative twined garlic bulbs, and the Search for the Garlic Festival Queen.

MANGGAHAN SA GUIMARAS FESTIVAL
(Every 22nd of May, 2011)
A celebration commemorating the founding anniversary of Guimaras as a province, this festival fetes the local mango, the premier produce of the province. It is highlighted by street dancing, technology fair, cultural presentations, painting and drawing contests, selection of mango bulilit queen, a marathon and many more.

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RECIPES

Ensaimada(Philippine-style Brioche)

Ingredients
• 1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
• ¾ cup warm water
• 4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup butter, softened
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 Tablespoon salt
• 8 egg yolks
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• Melted butter for brushing grated cheese

Preparation
Dissolve the sugar in the warm water. Add the yeast and let stand until softened. Add flour gradually until well blended. Cover bowl with a damp cloth and set aside in warm place for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, cream butter and sugar thoroughly; add salt and egg yolks, beating well after each addition. Add all-purpose flour gradually, blending well. Add this mixture to the sponge yeast. Mix well. Put dough in slightly greased bowl and cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place for 2 hours. Punch down. Divide dough into desired size of rolls. Roll out thinly. Spread surface with melted butter and sprinkle with grated cheese.  Roll in a jellyroll, starting from the lower left hand corner and coil into shape. Place in greased ensaimada molds. Let rise for 2 hours. Bake in preheated oven at 400 degrees F for from 10 to 15 minutes. After taking out from oven, brush with butter and sprinkle with grated cheese and sugar.

Adobong Manok(Chicken Adobo)

Ingredients
• Chicken, cut into serving pieces 2 1/2 to 3 pounds
• White vinegar 3/4 cup
• Soy sauce 1/4 cup
• Onion, thinly sliced 1/2
• Garlic, crushed 4-6 cloves
• Bay leaf 1-2
• Peppercorns 6-8
• Salt 1 teaspoon
• Water 1 cup
• Oil 1/4 cup

Preparation
Add the chicken pieces, vinegar, soy sauce, onion, garlic, bay leaf, peppercorns and salt to a large, non-reactive bowl and refrigerate for 1-4 hours to marinate. Place the chicken and its marinade in a large pot. Add the water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30-45 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and tender. Add water as necessary to keep the chicken from drying out. Remove the chicken from its sauce, reserving the sauce, and pat dry. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high flame and sauté the chicken pieces until brown. Remove from heat and set aside. Bring the remaining sauce to a boil over medium flame and cook until somewhat reduced and thickened. Toss the browned chicken pieces with the reduced sauce and serve with rice.

Pinakbet(Filipino Vegetable Stew with Pork)

Ingredients
• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 Tablespoon ginger, minced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 pound pork, diced
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 3 Tablespoons shrimp paste
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 pound Japanese eggplant, sliced in 1" rounds
• 1/2 pound okra, whole
• 2 bitter melon, seeds removed and sliced crosswise into slices

Preparation
In a large saucepan heat oil and sauté garlic, ginger, and onions for two minutes. Add pork and sauté until lightly browned on all sides. Add tomatoes, shrimp paste, and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer covered, for 5 minutes. Add eggplant, okra, and bitter melon. Cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more shrimp paste or salt if desired. Makes 5-6 servings

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TOP RESTAURANTS

La Cocina de Tita Moning (Manila)
Set in an ancestral house, just a stone's throw from the Philippine President’s official residence, Malacañang Palace, this unique establishment even offers a short tour of the house’s many rooms that are filled with art collections and other curios from the Filipino-Spanish heritage of one of Manila’s prominent families. The heirloom menu, presented on antique China, glassware and silverware by fawning servers, recreates a turn-of-the-century dining experience evoking how the old privileged classes feasted.

Abe (Serendra, Global City, Taguig)
Abe (pronounced AH-Beh) specializes in Kapampangan dishes. This restaurant is famous for its sumptuous deep-fried tilapia fish and kare-kare as well as other traditional Filipino favorites served with a modern twist.

Sentro 1771 (Greenbelt 3, Makati)
Sentro 1771 presents mouth-watering versions of modern Filipino cuisine amidst elegant bistro-type surroundings. Favorite starters include smoked fish with salted egg spring rolls while their take of the corned beef sinigang and osso bucco, adobo, and lamb caldereta are must-tries.

Le Soufflé (The Fort, Taguig City)
Established in October 4, 1991 Le Soufflé has carved a niche among up-market diners with its fusion of French-Mediterranean food with touches of Filipino-Italian taste. A famous watering hole for Manila’s A-B set, the restaurant's features very high quality food and service.

Café Ysabel (San Juan City, Metro Manila)
Filipino chef Gene Cruz offers an excellent Kapampangan menu and international cuisine, mostly French and Italian. Cafe Ysabel also boasts a menu of more than a hundred coffee concoctions.

The Red Crab (several branches)
The Red Crab specializes in local and imported crab varieties which are prepared in every thinkable way for seafood lovers. This restaurant, with branches throughout the Philippines, also offers a buffet from which patrons can enjoy the Philippines’ many traditional dishes - a great way to taste several dishes all at once.

Cafe Adriatico (Malate, Manila)
Although serving Spanish-Mediterranean dishes, this 1979 establishment is also the perfect setting for meeting up with friends and for trying local favorites like Chicken ala Kiev, Spareribs Adobo, Salpicao Rice, callos, Lengua Estofada and Pancit Palabok.

Prince Albert Rotisserie (Intercontinental Hotel, Makati)
Since 1961, its top menu draws are American prime rib, pan-fried duck liver, and Chilean Sea Bass. Tableside preparations of salads and desserts like Crepes Suzette make for a memorable dining experience, a perfect 10 for food, wine, and service.

Benjarong (Dusit Hotel, Makati)
Royal Thai cuisine in an authentic Thai setting. Arguably the best for Thai food in Manila.

Tin Hau (Mandarin Hotel, Makati)
Located in one the top hotels in the Makati business district, Tin Hau provides the warm hospitality of a traditional Chinese home where guests dine amidst opulent oriental art and furniture. It offers delightful set menus of tempting dishes including roasted meats, fresh seafood, noodles and rice and vegetarian dishes.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT THE PHILIPPINE DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM