Round one of the top Filipino Foods includes chicken, garden snails, and pig masks!
If you’re invited to a fiesta in the Philippines, get ready to enjoy the top 10 Filipino foods in one sitting!
Filipino gatherings are like mini banquets, with dinner tables overflowing with various main dishes.
At potlucks abroad, you might even find more than ten Filipino dishes alongside plenty of delicious desserts to sample!
What Is Filipino Food Like?
Filipino food has often been seen as unusual worldwide.
However, it has unique influences from China, Spain, and the United States.
Many Westerners may find fish with heads, bones, and skin too exotic compared to breaded fish fingers.
And that’s not even mentioning pig masks!
When we talk about sisig, everything else seems like crispy pork rind, or chicharrón, which can also be made from chicken, mutton, or beef.
Many travelers aren’t used to Filipino dishes, but experts believe this cuisine is on the rise, and views are slowly changing.
The food from this 7,000-island archipelago combines Spanish, Chinese, Malaysian, and native cooking styles.
It’s truly one of a kind.
What Is The Most Delicious Filipino Dish?
Filipinos enjoy their food and place great importance on gastronomic delights—a hallmark of the best Filipino hospitality.
Most Filipinos love a good party and go all out when entertaining guests.
While Filipino foods may not be as well-known as other Asian cuisines, the country’s roots and colonial influences are evident in their dishes.
So, if you’re wondering whether a meal at Jollibee should be included in your list of Filipino foods, my answer is a resounding YES!
If you love fried chicken like I do, you won’t be disappointed.
What Is Filipino Food Like?
Filipino cuisine has historically struggled for recognition on the international culinary scene.
However, trend forecasters now see it as an emerging cuisine, leading to changing perceptions.
Contents
Top 10 Filipino Foods You Must Try
Take a gastronomic look at ten delicious Filipino foods locals want you to try, and eat your way to happiness.
My top picks, which I made a point to enjoy, are the pork dishes: Lechon, Sisig, and Bagnet.
I also fancied a beef stew at Angus Pares as one of my favorite meals.
My dear friends Liza Paipro and Myrna Espiritu-Sugay brought me to a great meal at Giligan’s Restaurant!
Here are 10 classic Filipino food and drink experiences worth having—at least once in the Philippines.
Lechon
One of the best-tasting Filipino foods is lechon, or whole roasted pig, believed to have originated in the Philippines.
The pig’s cavity is stuffed with herbs and spices like lemongrass, star anise, spring onions, and bay leaves, enhancing its flavor.
Spit-roasted over smoky coals, lechon has crispy, golden-brown skin and flavorful, tender flesh.
A festival favorite, it’s available at local markets and takeout counters, often sold by the gram rather than as a whole pig.
Lechon is best enjoyed with liver sauce or spicy vinegar.
Many Filipinos believe Cebu produces the best lechon.
No Filipino celebration is complete without this delicious dish, and you might even spot wrapped roasted pigs at airport luggage carousels!
Lechon
Sisig
Nothing compares to the flavor of sisig, served hot.
This famous pork dish is prepared by boiling, grilling, or barbecuing a pig’s head for a smoky taste.
The roasted pig mask, along with its flesh and organs, is minced and fried with spices, onion, and garlic, served with chilies on a sizzling platter.
Lucia Cunanan, a restaurateur from Pampanga, popularized the modern Filipino version of sisig.
Many restaurants offer variations, substituting chicken, tuna, squid, or even tofu, and may include ingredients like raw eggs or mayonnaise.
Typically enjoyed as a side dish during beer sessions, sisig promises a sizzling feast!
Sisig
Adobo
Adobo is an iconic Filipino dish loved by all, featuring chicken, beef, pork, squid, and spinach marinated in garlic, vinegar, and soy sauce before stewing.
A hallmark of Filipino cuisine, it’s served over white rice and is a staple in many households. You can prepare it with pork or chicken, often both, along with spices.
The name “Adobo” is derived from the Spanish word meaning “to cook in vinegar.” You’ll find it on nearly every restaurant menu, food court, and market stall nationwide.
Adobo
Kare-Kare
Kare-Kare is a favorite Filipino dish at every gathering.
This mild Filipino curry is made with a creamy peanut sauce and ground toasted rice.
Kare-Kare is a complete meal best enjoyed with bagoong (shrimp paste). I fell in love with this dish; it is incredibly delicious!
The meats can include:
- Beef
- Oxtail
- Pork
- Seafood
Other ingredients feature:
- Banana blossoms
- Pechay (Chinese cabbage)
- String beans
- Eggplant
Kare-Kare
Sinigang
Sinigang is a beloved Filipino stew known for its sour soup base, typically made with tamarind or guava, along with tomato, garlic, and onion.
It features native vegetables like okra, eggplant, string beans, gabi (taro), and kangkong (river spinach) and often includes meats such as fish, beef, seafood, or pork, usually with the bone in.
Most Pinoys love Sinigang’s distinct sour flavor, making it a comfort food favorite. It’s typically served with white rice, patis (fish sauce), and chili on the side.
Sinigang
Laing
Laing features dried taro leaves wrapped around pork blended with gata (coconut milk) and chilis.
If you love spicy food, Laing is a must-try!
Laing
Bicol Express
Bicol Express is a fitting tribute to gata (coconut milk), a key ingredient in many dishes.
Its spicy flavor, combined with chilis, creamy coconut milk, and shrimp paste, makes it a perfect accompaniment to steamed rice.
Ginataang Kuhol
Ginataang Kuhol is a rare Filipino delicacy made from farm snails cooked with vegetables and gata (coconut milk).
The only way to enjoy Ginataang Kuhol is by slurping the snail.
However, if you have trouble slurping, you can always ask for a toothpick to pick the meat from its shell.
Ginataang Kuhol
Bagnet
Bagnet is a deep-fried pork belly similar to the Filipino lechon kawali (pan-fried lechon).
The key difference is that bagnet is boiled and then air-dried before deep-frying. This dish traces its roots to the province of Ilocos Sur in the Philippines.
You’ll love the satisfying crisp sound as you bite into the pig’s skin, making you want to enjoy more of this delicious dish.
Bagnet
Lumpiang Ubod
Lumpiang Ubod is a Filipino crepe wrap filled with ubod (strips of palm heart), lettuce leaves, shrimp, and pork, all doused in peanut sauce and garlic.
It’s best enjoyed with a generous drizzle of peanut sauce and garlic.
Lumpiang Ubod
Savor Top 10 Filipino Foods in The Philippines
Is your mouth watering already?
It’s time to take your taste buds on a trip to the Philippines! If you’re anything like me, be sure to bring an extra dessert stomach to indulge in all the delicious sweets.
My Filipino culinary adventure began with Philippine Airlines’ inflight meal service, which offers two main choices: a Filipino option and a Western one. Remember to choose the Filipino choice!
You’ll arrive and leave the country with a happy heart and a full tummy.
What’s your favorite Filipino food, and what makes it special?
