Bizarre Files #2: Delicious Filipino Foods You Should Try

Manila, the Philippines, one of the most densely populated cities on earth. A tropical food lovers paradise were cooks know the way around about the pig, flavors and textures combine in ways found nowhere else on earth. These are the unique foods that define the location and the legendary pleasures will travel halfway around the world to eat.

This is Annesaya and I'll present to you my fellow steemians about Delicious Filipino Foods You Should Try

The food of the philippines is one of my favourites, one of the worlds best and most under rated cuisines. The food is a colourful tapestries of indigenous ingredients mixed with cooking techniques and tastes. Left behind from colonial occupation of China, Spain, japan and america. The capital city of Manila is we’re all that rich history can be tasted.

Here are some of the most-recommended yummy local delicacies that you must try when traveling and dining around the philippines. I bet, you’ve got to try some of these!

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1.Lechon

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A staple in all Filipino fiestas and celebrations – is the ultimate, best-tasting and most beloved pork dish in the Philippines. Succulent and very filling, this Filipino culinary staple is, after all, an extraordinary pork dish that’s deliciously crispy on the outside, yet plump and juicy inside.

Cebu, one of the Inland here in the Philippines is the home of the best lechon makers and purveyors of the Philippines. In every grand occasion, the star and the center piece of Filipino buffets is lechon. The word “lechon” came from the Spanish term that refers to a roasted suckling pig. Lechon is a skewered whole pig roasted over charcoal, a popular dish in the Philippines.

2. Chicken Inasal

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The Chicken Inasal is a famous Visayan chicken barbecue that originated from Bacolod City in the Philippines and one of the Philippines' best-loved grilled chicken recipes, featuring a marinade that is richly coloured and flavoured. This recipe is best charcoal-grilled to attain that delicious smoky flavour, but it can also be roasted in the oven. Because chicken inasal is so popular in Bacolod City, you will see vendors selling chicken barbeque in almost every corner of the street.

3. Sisig

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Pork Sisig is a popular appetizer that originated from the culinary capital of the Philippines : Pampanga. This delicious dish can also be categorized as a main dish. Pork Sisig was invented by the late Lucia Cunanan. She is popularly know as Aling Lucing – the sisig queen. Originally, pork sisig is composed of chopped pigs face (snout included) and ears with a generous amounts of chicken liver. Hundreds of sisig variations are available today ranging from the original pigs face (maskara) ingredient to a more healthy seafood concoction such as squid, tuna, milkfish (bangus), and mussels.

This pork sisig is more of the restaurant variation wherein mayonnaise is used and an egg is added on top, along with chopped green onions, but it sure tastes great.

4.Halo-halo

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A popular Filipino dessert, halo-halo (literally means “mixed together”), is a surefire hit during these hot days of summer. With its mixture of shaved ice and evaporated milk and a concoction of everything you can actually think of – boiled sweet beans, bananas, jello, sweet preserves and other fruits.

5.Crispy Pata

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Crispy Pata made whole pork leg boiled until tender and then deep-fried until golden and crisp. Crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside, this popular Filipino delicacy is sinfully delicious!

Crispy Pata is another of the sinful ways Filipinos love their pork. In this popular delicacy, a whole pork leg is simmered in spices until tender, refrigerated overnight to dry, and then deep-fried until the meat is moist and succulent and the skin golden and crisp.

6.Turon (FILIPINO FRIED BANANA ROLLS)

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Turon is a popular Filipino snack that’s sweet, crunchy, and satisfying. Ripe saba banana, jackfruit, and brown sugar are rolled together in a flour lumpia wrapper and fried to a golden crisp. It is then coated with rich caramel for added decadence.

Typically served for merienda (Filipino afternoon snack) or dessert, turon has the perfect blend of flavor and texture. Turon is a treat I grew up eating regularly. We rarely made it at home because there were several Filipino shops nearby that made fresh turon every afternoon. I’m not sure if those little mom and pop shops still exist. It has been a long time since I’ve visited my childhood neighborhood. When the craving for something sweet and crunchy hits, I run to the nearest Asian market and find the ripest saba bananas they have.

7. Adobo

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Adobo, a popular dish in Philippine cuisine. You may use chicken, pork, seafood, or vegetables marinated in vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic and slowly simmered until yummy! Many Filipinos consider adobo, the national dish of the Philippines. The perfect adobo lies in the delicate balance of soy sauce, vinegar, garlic and spices (bay leaves and fresh ground peppercorns). Others use salt or patis (fish sauce) to enhance flavors. Recipes vary from different regions in the Philippines. The best way to start the preparation of adobo is to marinate all ingredients for at least an hour or the longer, the better. This is followed by gently stewing the mixture until the meat is tender, and the marinade is reduced to a small amount of gravy.

Cooking adobo is quite challenging. Put too much vinegar, and the adobo will taste like paksiw (sour stew); put a little vinegar and it will taste like nilaga (boiled meat). When to cover the pot is also important. The pot containing the simmering adobo should be left uncovered for the first 10 minutes of cooking, then covered until the dish is done.

8. Bulalo

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A beef soup comprised of shank with bone marrow still inside the bone, Bulalo is considered to be one of the most favorite main dishes in the Philippines. Because of the popularity of this Filipino food, restaurants and eateries specializing in cooking Bulalo were put-up.Some of the famous “Bulalohan” can be found in Tagaytay City (Cavite) and Sto. Tomas (Batangas). Commercial restaurants also include Bulalo in their menu.

9. Kwek kwek

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A popular street food, kwek-kwek are hard-boiled quail eggs dipped in a bright orange batter, then deep fried. The batter is usually composed of flour, baking powder, some salt, and food coloring, allegedly once used to coat eggs that failed to sell the day before. (The day-old bit is pure speculation, not based on any historical account.) While the origins of the name and the dish have been lost, cholesterol-rich kwek-kwek is arguably the tamest of the eggy treats you’ll find on the street, which may include balut (boiled duck embryo, see entry), penoy (underdeveloped balut), fried day-old chicks, and a smattering of other tasty (or shall we say fowl?) morsels. Cringing yet? Fear not: Kwek-kwek and its ilk are actually beloved after-school and after-work snacks—protein-and-carb pick-me-ups liberally sprinkled with salt and dipped in spicy vinegar.

10.Pancit Canton

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Pancit Canton is a great tasting Filipino Noodle dish. It is often served during birthdays and special occasions to symbolize long life. Aside from the symbolism, it is perfectly delicious.

Pancit Canton is a type of Lo Mein or tossed noodles. This actual noodles are called flour sticks; it is prepared with several ingredients, which makes it look and taste very festive. This particular Pancit Canton Recipe makes use of sliced pork, sausage, and shrimp. It also has different kinds of vegetables that make it colorful.

11.Dinuguan

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Try not to be too turned off by the name: Dinuguan (“dee-noo-goo-ahn”), which roughly translates as bloodied (dugo = blood), is what Filipinos call this rich, savory stew made with pig’s blood, pork meat and intestines, onions, vinegar, and long green chilies; typically it’s served with rice or plain, steamed rice cakes called puto (“pooh-toh”). Its origins in the Philippines are a bit murky, as pigs are native to the Philippines and the dish could very well be pre-Hispanic—however, in former Spanish colonies like Mexico and Guam, there exists a type of stew that uses animal blood (pig or goat) in a similar manner. Wherever it was born, dinuguan surely came about due to lack of refrigeration in olden times, and the economic need to use every part of a butchered animal. Today, it’s a beloved festive food in the Philippines, popularly served at weddings and family parties and often spotted at fiesta buffets across the country.

12. Lumpia

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Lumpiang Shanghai or Filipino Spring Rolls are traditionally made of ground meat (usually pork), minced onions, finely chopped carrots and seasoning all rolled up in a paper thin wrapper made with flour and water. It is sealed at the end either by using a sticky beaten egg or plain water.

By the name it is given, you can almost guess that it has its origins in China though for some reason we haven’t dropped the “Shanghai” at the end and continues to use it to this day. I suppose the reason for this is to differentiate this from the other kind of Lumpia which uses mostly vegetables (though occasionally with a little meat tucked in) as filling. So when you simply say Lumpia, people will tend to think you mean the plumper and bigger spring roll rather than the “Shanghai” which is a smaller and meatier one.

THANKS FOR READING!