Philippine cuisine as it exists today is a combination of multi-faceted influences. The native cookery of the islands has been blended with Malay, Chinese, Spanish and American influences, resulting in a unique brand of cuisine found nowhere else in the world. The cuisine of the Philippines exhibits great variety, with a diverse range of ingredients and cooking methods. Dishes range from simple everyday meals to elaborate festive preparations.
A typical breakfast for Filipinos may include bread rolls, chocolate rice porridge, white cheese, meat or fish and fried rice. Coffee will often be served, especially a variety grown in the Batangas Mountains which is noted for its strong flavour. Duck eggs are another local breakfast favourite. Filipino main dishes are typically substantial and filling, presenting a variety of delectable flavours. Adobo is a very popular dish which is considered by many to be the national dish of the Philippines. It typically features chicken or pork, often both, braised or stewed in a special sauce made from cooking oil, vinegar, bay leaves, garlic, soy sauce and peppercorns. Another well-known preparation is the ‘Filipino beef steak’, or bistek, made from finely sliced pieces of beef, marinated with soy sauce and subsequently fried with onions.
Stews are inseparable from Filipino cuisine, and two of the most popular are dinuguan, in which pig’s flesh, blood and entrails are cooked using vinegar; and peanut stew, where ox tripe or oxtail is stewed with vegetables and a peanut based stock. Festive food in the Philippines is often elaborately prepared with expensive ingredients and painstaking cooking methods. Lechon, a whole roasted pig, is a popular preparation as is honey-cured chicken, beef or pork, and stuffed milkfish or chicken. At Christmas time, the Christmas ham accompanied by Edam cheese is mandatory. Sweet desserts are also a Filipino tradition and as one might expect in a tropical Asian nation, many of them feature coconut and rice. Rice cakes and rice patties are popular, as are cold desserts like halo-halo and locally made ice cream.
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Angela Fernando is an impassioned travel writer who composes pieces under the pen name Sumaira Narayan. She loves writing about new and exciting places around the world and hopes to visit them all someday.
