Filipino dishes are often prepared by the direct infusion of local ingredients and flavors, resulting in a pleasant combination of sour, salty, and sweet flavors, reflecting the rich Filipino heritage. Filipino dishes are boiled, fried, stewed, or braised, and they usually look simple but very delicious.
What Is Special About Filipino Dishes?
A Touch of Different Cultures: A typical Filipino dish has a combination of Spanish, Indian, Chinese, and Western food tastes, comprising little of everything yielding that unique taste to meet the expectations of everyone irrespective of their culture.
Unique Flavors, Aroma, and Colors: Filipino dishes are well known for their heart-melting tastes and sweet aroma. They could easily be differentiated from other meals just by their appearance. The unique color, flavor, and sweet smell leave any diner with a pleasant and unforgettable experience. There’s a balance of different flavors targeted to satisfy the taste buds of each dinner.
Rice: a typical Filipino dish is not complete without rice. Rice is more popular than noodles and bread in Filipino dishes. The plain taste of rice helps soften the loud flavors of Filipino stews, adds volume to Filipino soups, and gives a satisfying feeling after each meal. Whether the rice is cooked, burnt, or even left over from yesterday, it must be present for a typical Filipino dish to be considered complete.
How Popular Are These Dishes?
Recent research carried out by a New York food magazine, Chef’s Pencil shows that Filipino Cuisine ranked number 10 in the whole world, with their dishes ranging from simple fried salted fish and rice, to more complex food like paellas and cozidos made mainly for fiestas. Here are some of the most popular Filipino dishes you would most likely find on any Filipino menu:
Adobo: this is pork, chicken, or beef, which is usually fried quickly and then slowly cooked in ginger, vinegar, oil, black pepper, soy sauce, bay leaves, and very little water. There are other methods of preparing adobo, and this is usually served as a side dish with plain rice.
Sinigang: this is a delicious combination of broth, fresh tomatoes, vegetables, tamarind, and Kamias in some cases. This dish is mostly sour than spicy, which is what a typical Filipino dish should taste like.
Kare-Kare: this is a delicious oxtail stew made with groundnut rice, peanut butter, and mixed vegetables. It is eaten with rice and shrimp paste.
Lechon: this Filipino dish is well known even among non-Filipinos. It is roasted whole pig with crispy skin and very juicy meat, best served with liver sauce. It is expensive and served on grand occasions.
Crispy Pata: this is a perfectly deep-fried pig’s whole leg, super crispy and usually served with soy-vinegar sauce as a side dip, with some chili and garlic.
Chicken Inasal: this particular dish originated from Bacolod. The chicken is marinated in soy sauce, vinegar, and a variety of local spices, and then grilled to perfection. It is not your random everyday chicken. Even the oil gotten from the chicken after grilling is paired with rice.
What’s More?
For a Filipino dish to be complete, dessert has to be served, and below are two of the most popular Filipino desserts:
Halo-Halo: this is a cold Filipino dessert that has gained popularity worldwide. It is a multilayered combination of scrapped ice, some tropical fruits, gelatin-based candies made with coconut water, and ice cream flavored with syrup and condensed milk. Halo-Halo is excellent for hot weather, but Filipinos eat it during cold weather because it is too good to be left alone.
Suman: this is a famous Filipino rice cake cooked in coconut milk that has been seasoned with little sugar and salt, and then it is steamed in palm or banana leaves. Sunman is a popular snack among Filipinos, and it has a variety of flavors.
Although dish Filipino widely varies by region across the world, it is fused with different flavors that announce the country’s unique heritage and tend to bring people together. It is indeed a dish worth bragging about.
Is a Filipino dish complete without rice?
For Filipinos, there is no complete meal without rice. They pair rice with anything, and they can eat rice morning, afternoon, and night; whether burnt, cooked, or plain.
Is it healthy to consume vinegar?
Yes, it is. Vinegar has antioxidant properties that help to prevent oxidative stress
