I’ve recently written my first post about the five weirdest foods that you’ll come across during your visit to the Philippines. And I figured that unless I want a nurse… who will more than likely be Filipino, yanking the cord from my medical devices some day in the hopefully far future, I should probably also write about some of the more normal and delicious food that the country has to offer. Because you can best be certain, there’s a lot of them. Keep in mind every dish on this list with the exception of lumpia, is typically served over white rice.
Tinola
Tinola is a simple dish, and one I consider to be amongst my favorites in the Philippines. Chicken and chayote (a firm green vegetable with little flavor) thrown into a delicious broth made with garlic, ginger, and onion. A perfect blend of low key flavor and texture for any rainy day in the Philippines.
Lumpia Shanghai/Sariwa
Lumpia is a type of Filipino spring roll I can almost guarantee you’ve at least heard of, if not tried. But what you may not know is there’s different variations of it. Your probably familiar with the deep fried version packed with pork and vegetables known as lumpia shanghai. But one you may not have heard of is Lumpia sariwa, better known as fresh lumpia. Compared to its crispy meat filled cousin, sariwa is soft and devoid of pork. Also included in sariwa is the heart of palm vegetable, which to be honest, I didn’t even know was a thing until trying this. There’s still some slight variations of other lumpias but these two are the main ones you’ll find in the Philippines. Supposedly sometimes sariwa will be garnished with a sweet sauce and crushed peanuts, however the one I tried didn’t have any kind of garnish.
Pancit Bihon/Canton
Pancit is a type of noodle dish common in the Philippines, and like tinola is one I consider amongst my favorites. The two main variations are pancit bihon and pancit canton, both sharing the same main ingredients like meat and vegetables. The primary difference being that bihon is made with much thinner rice noodles while canton is made with egg noodles. If you’ve ever had chow mein from your local Chinese restaurant than you’ve essentially already tried the canton version, because as long as we’re being frank, I honestly can’t tell the fucking difference. Bihon on the other hand, although only being prepared with a different type of noodle, has a different more subtle flavor. One that I personally enjoy more.
Lechon/Lechon Kawali
Classic Lechon isn’t exactly vegan friendly. In fact, I’d go as far as to say the process of making lechon is quite violating for the pig. Taking a dead pig and shoving a stick so far up its ass until it comes out of its mouth, and then slowly roasting it over a fire until the whole damn thing changes color. Ya… I’d probably bet Peta isn’t all too fond of this cooking method. Typically this pig would be served during special occasions, perhaps a wedding or other large family gathering. For this reason, unless you stumble or get invited into a fiesta, its probably not all too easy (or affordable) to try traditional lechon during your vacation in the Philippines. What you can easily find however, is lechon kawali. A much more commonplace meal made up of crispy, pan fried pork belly.
Adobo
You were probably wondering where this one was, well here it is. Perhaps the most well known Filipino food in the world… adobo. Chicken and pork variety alike. There’s not too much to say about this dish. Its marinated meat that’s then cooked and served over rice and potatoes. Its simple, its cheap, and its delicious.
