Philippines - Typical Food and Drink

One of the Philippines' national dishes. The Pancit should not be missing on any party, birthday, or Filipino family gathering. Usually, it consists of long thin noodles, which are prepared together with meat and various vegetables in a pan. At first sight, it will remind you a bit of Spanish paella. Sometimes it is also offered with thick noodles. 

A typical dish in the Philippines that got its name during the Spanish colonial period. It is chicken or pork, sometimes also a mix, which is cooked together with soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and a bay leaf then fried crispy in a pan. It is served with rice or Pancit. The vinegar preserves the dish for days, and in the past, it was used as a hearty snack, especially for hikes lasting several days.

In the Philippines, you can recognize a lot of the American culture, and that also includes the love for barbecue. Of course, it is not identical to barbecues in America, but it's close! You will find barbecue sold at small street stalls and in top restaurants around the country as well.

The whole thing works like this: There is a big table full of bowls with different kinds of vegetables and meat. No matter if on a skewer, sliced, in one piece, like a thigh or even a chicken head. Every piece has its price and you pick out the things you want to eat with your plate, hand it over and wait until everything is grilled and served in its place. With it, there is always a bowl of rice and a bowl of soy sauce plus lime to press in, a savory and tasty dip for your meat.

A specialty in the Philippines, which is not for those with weak stomachs and the weak-hearted. Balut is an incubated chicken or duck egg. What does that mean? There is a chick under the shell. Feathers and beak are already visible and you have to chew a little harder on them. First, a piece of the shell is removed, the liquid is drunk and then the chick is eaten. If you like, you can put salt and soy sauce in the hole in the shell. It is suggested that you eat exotic Filipino delicacy without looking at the egg. Let's leave it like this.

The Philippine suckling pig. It's prepared over the fire on a spit, and those who like suckling pig will love it here too. As always, everyone fights over the crispy skin of the suckling pig. It is typically served with a portion of rice and soy sauce. Lechon is a popular dish especially at festivals and holidays and the skewer is turned over the fire. Many families in the Philippines have a domestic pig, which they feed with leftover food until it is big and thick enough to turn its laps over the fire at the next feast.

If you want to have a typical Filipino breakfast, order Tapsilog or one of the variations. Behind it is garlic fried rice from the day before, served with a fried egg and dried beef. There are, however, numerous variations like Porksilog, Bisteksilog, Chiksilog, Hotsilog, ... The garlic rice and the egg always remain and only the meat side dish changes to pork, beef, chicken, hot dog, ... If the dish is too hearty for the first meal of the day, do not worry. You can find it on the menu at any time of day.

As in many Asian countries, fried bananas are a popular snack in the Philippines. We LOVE them! And hey, something without meat!

Unfortunately, due to the influence of the Americans, fast food is a huge thing in the Philippines. We found typical street food rather difficult to find. Instead, countless street stalls are selling all kinds of burgers, hot dogs, and footlongs (extra-large hot dogs) - even though everything is, of course, prepared a little bit differently than you might know it from Europe. 

Eggplant is often sold fried in the Philippines. For this, they are flattened and rubbed with egg and placed in the pan! And that's it, nothing fancy, your eggplant is all ready! Add rice and you have a meal.

A typical street food dish in the Philippines. Kwek Kwek is boiled eggs fried in a batter with butter. They are served with a sweet and sour sauce and sometimes you can also eat one or the other pickle-cucumber-mix. This can be a little bit spicier - so be careful and try a little bit first! For this, you can use normal chicken eggs or sometimes also small quail eggs.

Our favorite dessert in the Philippines! It is so simple and yet so unusual. Halo-Halo is a jar or bowl of grated water ice. Depending on the Halo-Halo maker, it is made with a different mixture of the following ingredients: sweet corn, mung beans, garden beans, chickpeas, coconut strips, plantains, tapioca, gelatin cubes. Pour a portion of condensed milk over everything.

Another typical dessert in the Philippines. It is a kind of frozen cake, which consists of different layers and reminds a little bit of a fruity Tiramisu variant. Mango Float is probably even very easy to prepare by yourself and consists exclusively of mango, whipped cream, cream, condensed milk, vanilla and cookies! Especially when it is warm, it is a delicious, fruity-sweet refreshment.

Of course, in the Philippines, you also have to go to the markets and eat through the fruit stands (don't forget fruit nets* when shopping, then you can negate the plastic bags). Nowhere does all the colorful fruit taste as good as in the country it comes from. Juice presses and mixers also run smoothly in the Philippines. Especially as refreshment on warm days is unbeatable in fresh fruit juice or shake. One should only pay attention to ice cubes and the water source of the stands and possibly order without ice cubes. 

SAN MIGUEL

It is THE beer in the Philippines. You can buy it as San Miguel and as San Miguel light. Both very delicious and tastes best with a view of the sea at one of the many beautiful beaches of the Philippines.

TANDUAY RHUM 

The best-selling high-proof drink in the Philippines. The small bottle of rhum is cheaper than a beer. We got it for Rhum-Cola and thought it was great. So, if you are on location and looking for a drink for the evening in your accommodation, you should definitely try it!