Explore Philippines For A Day With These Great Food

Today is World Blog Surf Day!

Discover the Philippines and the Filipinos heart in these mouthwatering dishes. I would love to blog about a hundred dishes, but I am limiting this post to 10 specialties that is distinctly Filipino. Timing is just perfect because yesterday, the country celebrated Independence Day!

Lechon

This popular specialty means roasting a suckling pig. It is where the whole pig is placed on a large stick, coked in flamed charcoal and roasted for several hours. The meat's own fat is used which makes the skin crunchy. It is usually served with liver-based sauce.This cuisine is usually cooked and popular during fiestas, holidays and special occassions.

Adobo

A typical and well-loved Filipino food which is a staple in every household. This is a dish made from pork or chicken or combination of both; cooked in soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, bay leaves and black pepper. A perfect and juicy Adobo is a balance of all these ingredients. "Adobo" is a word for seasoning and marinade.


Dinuguan

"Pork blood stew" is a Filipino savory stew of pork, pig innards; where it is simmered and thickened with fresh pig's blood, with garlic and vinegar. Dinuguan come from the word dugo which means “blood”.

Pinakbet

Pinakbet (Meat Vegetable Stew with Shrimp Paste) is an authentic filipino dish. This vegetable stew is composed of tomatoes, bittermelon, eggplant and okra; and is seasoned with Bagoong (fermented fish paste).

Kare Kare

This dish is one of our country’s top native food. Kare-kare is a rich peanut-accented stew made with ox tails wherein vegetables are frequently added. This dish is consists of ox tails, tripe and small intestines of beef, eggplants, pechay leaves, and string beans. This is usually served in a native bowl, called "palayok". Shrimp paste or bagoong comes with this native main dish.

Tapsilog - Sinangag

Sinangag is Garlic Fried Rice filipino version. This is usually leftover steamed rice fried in garlic which is served during breakfast. It is cooked by stir-frying rice with a small amount of oil, garlic, and salt. This is best if eaten with tapa (dried or cured beef) and fried egg. When combined in one meal, the term would be "tapsilog".

Halo Halo

A popular Filipino dessert that which is a mixture of ingredients usually served in a tall glass or bowl. It's a combination of boiled saba (banana), red munggo, sweetened jackfruit, cooked sago (tapioca pearls), ube (purple yam jam) and pinipig (toasted young rice), all over crushed ice and milk. It is best when served with leche flan or an ice cream on top. This is a favorite summer refreshement.

Sapin-Sapin

Finally, if you love desserts at the end of the meal, we recommend sapin-sapin. A colorful combination that is made up of what we call locally as “malagkit” or sweet rice grinded in to flour like powder and prepared specially with a sweet taste for that unforgettable dessert.

Suman

Suman is a Philippine Rice cake. This dish of sticky rice is cooked in coconut milk wrapped in banana or coconut leaves. There are varieties of suman and almost every province has their speciality.

Kapeng Barako

"Barako" is a tagalog word which means strong man. Barako coffee or Batangas brew is usually grown in the country's provinces of Batangas and Cavite. Its brew is full-bodied, strong and sturdy-flavored. It is best prepared dip-brewed or using a coffee maker machine. Coffee is served black; but others prefer to drink this with brown sugar or cream.

World Blog Surf Day Credits:

Thank you Sher, for running this years' WBSD and making all these possible.

Thank you Anastasia Ashman, "Thandelike," for your work on Twittering about World Blog Surf Day.

Anastasia Ashman (Thandelike) is an American cultural producer based in Instanbul, and is a creator of Expat Harem, the anthology by foreign women about modern Turkey. Her Tweetstream focuses on women, travel and history, and she shares resources for writers/travelers, expats, Turkophiles and culturati of all stripes.

Continue the World Blog Surf Day and read more about great food with Global Gal.