Guides & Tips

10 Types of Filipino Dishes that You Should Try

Published

5 months ago

July 13, 2024

Filipino cuisine offers a wide variety of dishes that are definitely worth trying, making your taste buds water. One of the most famous dishes is balut, a duck embryo aged 17-21 days, which can be quite challenging for some people to try but is popularly sold as a night snack.

Apart from the more extreme foods, the Philippines also boasts dishes known for their delicious flavors, influenced by Spanish culture due to centuries of Spanish rule. Here is a list of 10 Filipino dishes you should try during your stay, excluding Pansit because it’s a must-have for everyone! haha!

1. Adobo – A popular Spanish-influenced dish in the Philippines, with variations like chicken adobo and pork adobo marinated in soybean sauce, vinegar, and spices. It is commonly priced around $5.50.

2. Lechon – A must-try pork dish in the Philippines, often served at celebrations and roasted until tender with crispy skin.

3. Sisig – A dish influenced by Spanish culture, made with processed offal and meat seasoned with herbs and spices, best enjoyed with white rice.

4. Kare-Kare – A Filipino stew using beef or oxtail with a sauce made from crushed peanuts, bagoong, calamansi juice, and spices, usually served with white rice.

5. Sinigang – A classic Filipino dish with a sour broth from tamarind or Kamias, cooked with vegetables and meats like pork, shrimp, chicken, beef, or fish.

6. Beef Caldereta – A savory dish made with meat, vegetables, tomatoes, vinegar paste, and pepper, usually using pork but can be made with other meats as well.

7. Chicken Inasal – A popular grilled chicken dish in the Philippines.

To create this dish, you will need special Filipino spices such as lemongrass, calamansi, pepper, garlic, and achiote oil. Chicken inasal is made not only with chicken meat but also with chicken innards. If you’re in Manila, make sure to visit the Chicken Inasal tavern for an extraordinary taste and aroma experience. You can enjoy a portion of chicken inasal for a very affordable price of $1.20.

Chicken Inasal can be found at Felix Huertas St. Corner A.H. Lacson in Sta. Cruz, Metro Manila.

Another popular and delicious pork dish besides Lechon is Crispy Pata. This dish uses a whole pork leg, including the skin, which results in a crispy texture on the skin and tender, juicy meat. Locals usually serve Crispy Pata with soy vinegar, garlic sauce, and chopped chili.

For a refreshing and delightful dessert, try Halo-Halo. This shaved ice dessert is filled with a variety of ingredients such as jackfruit, coconut, banana, kidney beans, chickpeas, sugar palm, purple sweet potato, sticky rice, corn, nata de coco, and ice cream, topped with condensed milk. There are no fixed recipes for making this dessert, and it’s perfect for enjoying on a hot day.

A beloved Filipino street food snack is Kwek-Kwek, made from boiled duck eggs coated in flour and fried until crispy. This snack is popular among students and is very affordable.

Philippine cuisine offers a diverse range of dishes to explore, ensuring you never get bored. The variety of foods mentioned above can help satisfy your hunger. Which Filipino dish are you eager to try next?

[Image: Line separator]

Are you on Pinterest? Pin these! Please provide a different version.