Siopao
Siopao is the Filipino version of the Chinese steamed bun “Baozi”, possibly the “Cha Siu Bao” variant which is a Baozi with pork Barbecue Filling. There is mainly two variants of Siopao which is named after their fillings – The Asado, and the Bola-Bola. Siopao Asado is filled with Pork Asado, a savory Pork dish similar to Adobo. Siopao Bola-Bola is filled with a big meatball made from gound pork and salted duck eggs. You can differentiate the two by the color of the dot in the bun. A Red dot is Asado, yellow dot is Bola-Bola. A siopao without a filling is called Mantao.

Hopia
Hopia is the Filipino version of the Chinese Mooncakes. It is a light flaky pastry usually filled with mung bean paste. Other variants of hopia have red mung bean paste (Red Monggo Hopia), Ube jam (Hopia Ube), Pineapple (Hopia Pinya), or Pork filling (Hopiang Baboy).

Ensaymada
A common Merienda favorite is the Ensaymada. It is a bread which is similar to a Danish, and is topped with margarine, grated cheese, and salted egg. Local neighborhood bakeries also have a version where the bread is lighter, and the topping consists of just margarine and sprinkled sugar.

Pan de Coco
An undeniably Filipino bread creation is the Pan de Coco. It is a soft light bread with a shredded toasted coconut and molasses filling.

Broas
Can be loosely defined as crunchy Lady Fingers.

Biskotso
A biscuit similar to the Italian Biscotti.

Barquillos
Sticks of crunchy wafer rolls.

Turones
Turones is essentially thinner Barquillos with powdered milk inside. Other variants include “Turones de Mani” where finely ground peanuts are added to the powdered milk.

Otap
A very crunchy and flaky oval biscuit made of flour, sugar, shortening and coconut. It looks like flat Broas sprinkled with sugar.

Piyaya/Piaya
A thin flat biscuit similar to Hopia. It is even referred to as Flat Hopia by some. The usual filling is made out of sticky molasses.

Rosquillo
The infamous Rosquillo which is often said to be the origin of the “Filipinos” brand of chocolate biscuit snacks in Spain and Portugal . It is a thin ring shaped biscuit usually sprinkled with sugar.

Pacencia
Pacencia is the Spanish connotation to the Tagalog word “Pasensya” which means “Patience”. It is a light and crisp round cookie.

Camachile
Cookies which are very similar to the Pacencia but is shaped like the Camachile Fruit, which kind of looks like Tamarind fruits.

Lengua de Gato
Lengua de Gato means "Cat's tongue" in Spanish, which is what this very delectable biscuit looks like. It is a thin biscuit which is very buttery in taste.

Puto Seko/Puto Seco
A cookie which has a hard but brittle exterior but the inside is soft and powdery.

Galletas
A kind of powdery Egg crackers. Galletas de Patatas meanwhile, is square with upturned corners.

Araro
A powdery cookie similar the Puto Seko but instead of regular flour, Arrowroot flour is used.

Buding
General Term for Bread Pudding.

Pan de Sal
Definitely the King of all breads when it comes to the Filipino cuisine. Although Spanish in name, (Pan de Sal literally translates to "Salt Bread") it definitely conquers the bread scene in the Philippines. As far as I know, there is no bakery in the entire Philippines that doesn’t sell this bread. Most of the bakeries though only sell it from 5am to 8am. Pan de Sal is a simple small round bread made from basic yeast-raised dough characterized by the bread crumbs topping it. Despite the name, Pan de Sal is not actually salty, and most Pan de Sal variants sold in local bakeries are actually sweet tasting. The first Pan de Sals actually tastes more like small French Baguettes, which are very crusty, but softer versions of Pan de Sal are now popular. Some Filipinos who are used to the taste of the crusty Pan de Sal now prefer the softer version. This is an unsightly occurrence since what most Filipinos don’t know is that the softer Pan de Sal uses a cheaper kind of wheat flour, which explains why they are soft. If you really want to taste the unique and original Filipino Pan de Sal, look for the crustier ones.

Pan de Leche
Pan de Leche literally means “Milk Bread”. As with the Pan de Sal, the name is a little misleading. Pan de Leche actually tastes a bit sweet, not milky. It’s commonly sold as small bread buns, but there are also bigger buns which are sold pre-sliced, like the classic American Pullman Bread.

Monay
A bread bun similar to Pan de Leche but the the dough used is heavier and tastes a bit more creamier. It also usually has the characteristic crease on top to differentiate it from the Pan de Leche.

Tasty
The Tasty is the general term Filipinos use for the American Pullman Loaf sliced bread. It got the name Tasty because most local neighborhood bakeries often wrap the loaf breads in a plastic package which is labeled “Tasty Bread”.


Putok
Putok literelly means “explosion”. These small round bread buns is thick and chewy. It is characterized by the crack on top-center of the bun where the steam popped out of the dough, hence the name. The crack on the bread is then sprinkled with sugar or glazed. A variant of the putok is the Star Bread, where the top-center of the dough is cut so that when it is baked, it will expand and form the star shape. A funny story about Putok is that since “Putok” is also a popular slang that refers to “Smelly underarms”, some people tease the attendants in a bakery (who are usually women) with the phrase “May putok ba kayo?” which have an ambiguous meaning of either “Do you have Putok bread?” or “Do you have smelly underarms?”.

Machacao
Machacao is the sliced and toasted leftover breads. It is similar to Crouttons, but is usually more toasted, almost burnt. Machacao is actually created from leftover breads so that it will be grounded and then used as an ingredient for making Pan de Sal.

Pilipit
Pilipit is the Tagalog word for “Twisted”. It is a fried bread which looks like twisted ropes sprinkled with sugar.

Mongo Bread
Mongo (Mung beans) Bread is the Filipinos variant of the American Loaf. Cooked mung bean paste is added to the dough prior to baking.

Pan de Sosya
Cluster of Pan de Leche buns with sugar-margarine glaze on top.

Kababayan/Kabayan
Kababayan means “Fellow Countryman”. This is a rich and creamy muffin which is usually shaped like Mexican Sombreros.

Pan de Regla
Pan de Regla is a bread stuffed with sweet red bread pudding. The name of the bread shows you the rather imaginative and oftentimes playful nature of the Filipino people. Regla is the Tagalog word for “Menstrual Blood” or “Menstruation”. So Pan de Regla literally means “Menstrual Blood Bread”.

Pianono
Pianono is a roll of soft chiffon lightly spread with butter, margarine, or cream. Basically, it looks like a Jelly Roll. The exterior of the Pianono is usually coated with sugar.

Inipit
Inipit refers to small rectangular cakes which are made by sandwiching a filling with two thin flat chiffon cakes and topped with thin spread of butter and sprinkled with sugar. The filling is usually a creamy custard or sweet milky filling. It was named Inipit since "Inipit" literally means “to sandwich” which refers to the two chiffon cakes “sandwiching” the filling.

Crema de Fruta
A creamy sponge cake topped with a various fruits then a sweet soft gelatin glaze is poured on top so that the cake will stick to the Fruits.

Canonigo
A baked Fluffy Meringue served with a sweet caramel syrup.

Pastel
Creamy cupcakes with a sweet filling in the center. Soft Custard is the most common filling of choice, specially in the Ilocos Region. In the province of Camiguin, creamy Ube Jam, Langka Preserves, or Yema filling is also used in their Pastel.

Mamon
A kind of soft chiffon cupcakes.

Egg Pie
A simple pie with chewy pastry filled with egg and condensed milk filling.

Buko Pie
The province of Laguna’s pride, Buko Pie contains a filling made out of milk, sugar, and shredded young coconut meat. Some foreigners think that since "Buko" is the Tagalog word for Coconut, they mistakenly think that Buko Pie is similar to Coconut Cream Pie.

Empanada
Empanada is a light pastry filled with various kinds of savory meat fillings. It is often deep fried or baked. The deep fried variant is more a bit crusty while the baked variant is distinguished by its flaky pastry.

Binuwelos
Binuwelos generally refers to any of the fried bread varieties usually found in the Tagalog and Visayas region. Binuwelos may sound recognizable to those who are familiar to Mexican Cuisine, and yes, Binuwelos is essentially the same to the Mexican Buñuelos. However, Mexican Buñuelos seem to be more like a Fried Cake, since the dough mostly resembles cake dough, while the Filipino Binuwelos is more like Fried Bread.

Pineapple Pie
A pie with sweet and tangy pineapple pudding filling.

Spanish Bread
A short roll of bread which is filled with a margarine based filling. The dough is covered in bread crust prior to baking, similar to the way Pan de Sal is made.

As I have often said in the past posts, Rice dominates the Filipino Meal. As with Noodle Dishes, Breads and Pastries are just not enough to suffice a Filipino’s appetite, and most of the time, they are just eaten as Merienda’s or during breakfast time.

It was the Spanish who first introduced the concept of bread and pastries to the Philippines. In fact, most of the popular breads in the Philippines still have names which are Spanish in nature, like Pan de Sal and Pan de Leche. Early Filipinos preferred cooking with rice flour, since the Wheat is not an indigenous crop in the Philippine Islands. The Chinese people’s influence is also evident on Filipino Breadmaking, as evident in the Hopia and Siopao. The Americans also taught their baking skills to the Filipinos, which gave rise to the Tasty (Filipino’s general term for American Sliced Bread) and the Filipino Cakes.

As we are in the Topic of Breads and Pastries and Filipinos, did you know that Food Industry giant Kraft produces cookie snacks labeled “Filipinos”? If you are in Spain or Portugal, you might be familiar with it, since they are mainly produced and sold in those two countries. The “Filipinos” brand of biscuit snacks are ring-shaped biscuits coated with chocolate. There is also the “Filipinos Agujeros” variant, which are chocolate coated biscuit balls, and the “Filipinos Bigsticks” – pretzel sticks with puffed rice which are covered in chocolate. It has made a fuss in the International scene since as you might know by now, the term “Filipino” refers to Philippine Citizens. Most Filipinos (Philippine citizens, not the Biscuit) are irked and offended by this. In 1999, Philippine President Joseph Estrada filed a petition to the Spanish Government to stop the production of the “Filipinos” brand biscuit and force Kraft Foods to change the name but to no avail. The “Filipinos” brand are still produced in Spain and Portugal today. In fact, if you ever type in your browser “www.filipinos.com”, you would be taken to the official site of the biscuit snack, and has nothing to do with the Philippines nor the Philippine Citizens. Personally, I think it is wrong since the term “Filipinos” has been used since the Spanish Occupation of the Philippines 400 years ago to refer to the “Citizens of the Philippines”. Some say that it may have been named “Filipinos” because the snack may have been based on a similarly ring-shaped biscuit of the Iloilo Province – the Rosquillos.

Mami
Mami is a Noodle Soup dish that uses the Miki noodles. The soup can either be made from beef broth, or chicken broth. It served with fried garlic and chopped spring onions sprinkled on top.

Lomi
Lomi is a Noodle soup dish with a thick sauce. The sauce is thickened by using chicken liver and flour. Lomi Noodles are like Miki Noodles but they are much thicker and is often shrimp flavored.

Misua
A type of Vermicelli Noodle which is very soft and very thin. Misua is most often cooked in broth, similar to Mami.

Sotanghon
Sotanghon is the noodle soup way of cooking Bihon noodles. The Bihon noodles are cooked in a broth made out of chicken stock or shrimp stock.

Pansit Ilocano
Pansit Ilocano is a Noodle Soup dish characterized by the use of stock made from usually boiled pig innards. The innards are deep-fried and then sautéed. This results on a very flavorful and meaty taste. The Noodles themselves resemble a softer and version of Miki Noodles and usually looks like Fettuccine Pasta.

La Paz Batchoy
La Paz Bactchoy is a very famous noodle dish similar to Pansit Ilocano. It originated from the city of La Paz in the Iloilo province. Batchoy is believe to come from the Chinese word “Batchui”, meaning pieces of meat. The soup has a unique combination of sweet, salty, and spicy. Like Pansit Ilocano, Pork Innards were originally used to create the La Paz Batchoy broth. However, La Paz Batchoy has been modified to use Pork Liver, maybe to differentiate it from the Pansit Ilocano. The Miki noodles is usually used in La Paz Batchoy. It is served with a raw egg topped on it, similar to some Chinese noodle dishes.

Pansit Molo
Another Famous noodle dish from the Iloilo province is the Pansit Molo. It is a soup noodle dish which resembles the Italian Ravioli. A meat filling usually made from ground pork and ground chicken is sandwiched between two Molo Wrappers which resembles a thin puff pastry. It is then cooked in a garlicky chicken broth.

Sopas
The humble sopas is the Noodle Soup dish of choice during breakfast time. It is very similar to the American Chicken Noodle Soup, but is more garlicky and butter is usually not used. Ground Pork or Corned beef is also usually added in the recipe.

Pansit Canton
The most well known noodle dish throughout the Philippines. Pansit Canton is a stir-fried noodle dish made from Canton egg-noodles, vegetables, and strips of meat like pork,chicken, chicken liver, or shrimp. Some varieties of Pansit Canton have a thick sauce.

Pansit Bihon
Almost similar to Pansit Canton, the difference is that Bihon actually a kind of Vermicelli made from rice. It is often drier than Pansit Canton, and the vegetables and meat used is sliced much thinner than that of Pansit Canton.

Pansit Miki
Pansit Miki can be sometimes referred to as Pansit Mami, since the Miki noodle is more commonly used in a soup-based noodle dish called Mami. Miki noodles are also a kind of egg-noodles like Canton noodles, but it is softer, firmer, and thinner.

Pansit LugLug /Pansit Palabok
LugLug noodles are also a kind of rice Vermicelli noodles similar to Bihon noodles. The difference is that Luglug noodles are opaque while Bihon is transparent. Luglug noodles are also starchier than Bihon noodles. Pansit Luglug can also be called Pansit Palabok. The preparation is similar to that of preparing Spaghetti. The noodles are cooked, then a thick sauce made from shrimp stock is poured over it. A multitude of toppings like flaked Tinapa (a kind of smoked fish), fried Tofu cubes, crushed Chicharon, shrimp, slices of hard boiled eggs, squid rings, fried garlic, and chopped green onion are added. The sheer number of toppings is why it gained the name Pansit Palabok, since “Palabok” means ornaments.

Pansit Malabon
So called since this noodle dish was created in Malabon, a city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. Similar to Pansit Luglug, except Malabon noodles are thicker and are usually just 2 to 3 inches long. The sauce is also thinner, and is often already incorporated with the noodles before the toppings are added.

Pansit Habhab
A specialty of the Quezon province, Habhab noodles is similar to Canton noodles except Habhab noodles are already seasoned. Pansit Habhab is prepared similar to Pansit Canton but the ingredients are fewer. It is originally prepared with just thin strips of carrots, cabbage, and sayote (chayote fruit). The cooked dish is placed on a rectangular piece of banana leaf. The traditional way of eating Pansit Habhab is to take the banana leaf and let the noodles slide down into your mouth, much like eating the last pieces of potato chips out of the package.

Bam-I
The Bam-I is a Cebuano edition of Pansit. It is characterized by using a combination of a thicker kind of Pansit Canton together with Bihon noodles.

Filipino Spaghetti
If you are used to the Italian Spaghetti, then you will be surprised when you taste the Filipino version. The Spaghetti sauce used is sweeter, mainly because sugar and banana Ketchup is added to the tomato sauce. Thinly sliced hotdogs are also added to the sauce. As for the noodles, regular Italian spaghetti noodles are more commonly used, but an authentic Filipno Spaghetti uses the Malabon Noodles. Grated Parmesan cheese is not the usual candidate to use in Filipino Spaghetti, instead, cheaper Edam or a simple Processed Cheese is used. If you are using the Malabon Noodles however, grated cheese is not necessary.


------Next Post: The Noodle Soup Dishes!--------

Unlike many other Asian countries whose principle diet consists of Noodle dishes, Filipinos still prefer a meal with rice. Whereas most Asian countries like Japan and China treats noodle dishes as their staple diet, Filipinos mostly prefer them as snacks (Merienda) or breakfast treats. Most Filipino Noodle dishes were heavily influenced by Chinese cuisine, most probably because it is the Chinese people who taught the Early Filipino people the art of noodle making. In time however, Filipinos learned to create their own unique noodle dishes and even their own unique noodles (like the molo and habhab). The general term for noodles in the Philippines is “Pansit”. Some prefer to spell it as “Pancit”. The term “Pansit” most often refer to the stir-fried noodle dishes or it can also refer to soup-based noodle dish. Some Filipinos however, refer to soup-based noodles dishes as “Mami”. It all depends on what region you are at. Almost all Pansit dish recipe call for Soy Sauce, and most of the Pansit dishes are served with slices of Calamansi (a small citrus plant, indigenous to the Philippines).

The names of Filipino Noodle dishes is much like the way Italian cooking name their pasta dishes – thru the type of noodles used. For example Pancit Canton and Pancit Bihon are almost essentially alike in their preparation and in ingredients, the major difference is on the noodles they use. Canton noodles is a kind egg-noodles, while Bihon is a kind of Vermicelli. Some provinces even have their unique noodle dishes, like the Pansit Habhab of Quezon Province, and the La Paz Batchoy of Iloilo Province. Most celebration and festivities in the Philippines are not complete without a Pansit dish. Rich or Poor alike prepare Pansit Dishes, the only difference is the richer folks tend to add more ingredients.

The popularity of Pansit as a snack or as a quick meal in the Philippines has even become a great commercial opportunity for some Food Industry companies. Ever since the “Lucky Me” brand of instant Pansit Canton became a huge hit, a multitude of other varieties have sprung out of nowhere to cash in. Instant Noodle products like Pansit Canton and the soup-based noodle Mami have also become a choice of viand for most poorer Filipinos.

Beer
Beer is the most preferred Alcoholic drink in the Philippines. (Gin is a very close 2nd) The most famous and widely known brand is San Miguel Pale Pilsen. San Mig Light, is also popular, mostly preferred by the Yuppies and the younger drinkers. Beer na Beer is a close competitor for San Miguel. Gold Eagle Beer is more common to the Rural Areas of the Philippines. Colt 45 and Red Horse beer is favored by hard drinkers. The local slang for Beer is “Kalawang” which is the Tagalog word for “Rust” since beer seem to take the color of rust. Other beer labels include Lone Star, Lone Star Light, Lone Star Ultra, Carlsberg, , San Miguel Superdry, San Mig Strong Ice, and just recently, Coors Light.

Gin
If beer is “Kalawang” or rust, then Gin is called “Stainless”. The Ginebra San Miguel brand is the most well known brand. It’s the most selling gin brand in the world, although it is mainly sold in the Philippines. The Ginebra San Miguel brand even earned some monikers for their Gin products. The small round bottle is called “Bilog” (round) for its shape, and the bigger square shaped bottle is called “Kwadro Kantos” (Four Corners). GSM Blue is a variant of Ginebra San Miguel gin which is said to be smoother in taste. Gin Kapitan and London Gin brands are also sold in the market, but nowhere near the sales of Ginebra San Miguel. Gin has also come to be known as “Gin-Bulag” (Bulag is Tagalog for “blind”) since it is said that drinking too much Gin would make you go blind.

Rum and Brandy
Tanduay is the most popular brand of Rum. As with the Gin, the Tanduay bottles have also earned monikers of their own. The smaller bottle is called “Lapad” (wide) because of their distinctive wide-bodied bottles. The tall round bottles are often called “Tore” (Tower). Emperador is a close second to the Tanduay brand. The Tondenia Premium Rum and Anejo 65 Rum brands are also sold but is not as commonly known as Tanduay nor Emperador. Barcelona, Genoroso, and Gran Matador are the popular brands of brandy.


Other liquors are also sold here in the Philippines, but Gin, Beer, Rum, and Brandy are the most popular drinks. Cossack Vodka and Antonov Vodka are a local Vodka brands.
Don Enrique Mixkila is supposedly a combination of Tequila and distilled spirits. Erg is as brand of Alcotonic, which only has 5.5 proof alcohol content. Q-Shandy and Cali are brands of NABs (Non-Alcoholic Beer). Vino Kulafu and Siok Tong are brands of some sort of Chinese wine and is popular among the older drinkers (55 years old and up) specially in the Rural areas.


Original Filipino Alcoholic Concoctions

Gin Pomelo
Gin Pomelo is a cocktail made out of Gin, Pomelo Juice Powder, and crushed ice. It became the drink of choice for the younger drinkers back in the late 1990’s when Tang introduced its “Litro Pack” line of powdered Juices.

Expired
This simple concoction is made up of two 500ml bottles of Red Horse beer mixed with one small bottle of gin. It is then poured into a large pitcher and a big chunk of ice is added into it. Some put two “Storck” brand menthol candies into the mix. It was called expired since drinkers say it tastes like “expired beer”.

Kagatan
Kagatan is the Tagalog word for “Biting”. But biting has nothing to do with this cocktail. It was called “Kagatan” because the ingredients for this drink are KApe (kape, coffee), GAtas (gatas, milk) and TANduay (the Tanduay brand of Rum).

Boracay
So called because this drink was apparently invented in the Island of Boracay. It is the said to be the Filipino version of Bailey’s Irish Cream. It is made up of Rum, beer, chocolate malt powder, evaporated milk, gin, and finely ground peanuts.


Calibog
This drink has made quite a stir from its name alone since “Libog” mean “Libido” in Tagalog. Rumor has it that this drink acts like an aphrodisiac, hence the name. But the truth is that it got the name from its ingredients: CALI for the Cali brand of non alcoholic beer, B for Beer, and OG comes from lambanog.

Filipinos were known to have been making alcoholic beverages long before the Spaniards came. Up until now, local wines and alcoholic beverages are still made the way our early ancestors did. Here is a list of the most well known Local Filipino Alcoholic concoctions.

Lambanog
Lambanog is the fermented juices of young coconut flower buds. It is a strong alcoholic drink, usually ranking in at 90 proof alcohol. The most popular producer is the province of Quezon, where Lamabanog supposedly originated. The American G.I.’s back in the World War II era named Lambanog as “Jungle Juice”.

Tuba
Tuba is made from the saps of the Sasa tree. Sasa is a kind of Palm tree usually found along the banks of marshes and swamps. Although saps of other kinds of Palm trees such as the coconut and Buri can also be used, the Sasa is still preferred since it makes a better Tuba. The fermentation and distillation process is the same with that of the Lambanog. But Tuba is only 30 proof, and tastes more like wine. The Tuba is best consumed right after distilling since if you let it ferment for a little longer, it would eventually end up as vinegar.

Basi
Basi is an alcoholic brew made by Ilocanos. It is created by slowly cooking the juices from crushed sugar canes. The cooked juices is then poured into large clay vats and allowed to ferment. During the Spanish Era, the Spaniards outlawed the production of Basi. The Ilocanos revolted, this is known in the Philippine History as the Basi Revolt. This shows how much the Ilocanos love the Basi.

Tapuy
Tapuy is another Ilocano alcoholic brew. Tapuy can be described as similar to the Chinese rice wine. Glutinous mountain rice (which is dark purple in color) is cooked, then yeast is mixed with the rice. The rice-yeast mixture is then packed in banana leaves and stored in clay jars. The rice is then allowed to ferment for 10 days to two weeks.

Lay-aw
The Ibanag Tribe of the Isabela province in the Northern Ilocandia has the distinction of creating possibly the strongest alcoholic brew in the Philippines. Called “Lay-aw”, this alcoholic beverage is similar to Tapuy, but instead of using rice, the Ibanag tribe uses corn indigenous to the Isabella Province. Some say is rivals the Mexican Mezcal in potency and alcohol content.

Calamansi Juice

Calamansi is a small citrus fruit native to the Philippine islands. This fruit is commonly used in various dipping sauces as well as an ingredient in many Filipino cuisine, such as Sinigang. Calamansi juice is made by extracting the juices of Calamansi fruits, adding a pinch of salt and sugar, then cold water. Hot Calamansi Juice is also commonly prepared as a soothing drink for those who have colds or fever.

Taho
Taho is made from soft tofu mixed together with tapioca pearls and dark molasses syrup. It’s like the soft tofu smoothies commonly sold on health establishments. Unlike smoothies though, Taho is served warm. It’s commonly sold in the mornings.

Kapeng Barako
Kapeng Barako can be loosely translated as “Coffee for the Manly Man”. It is the pride of the Batangas province in Luzon. It is a very strong coffee brew akin to drinking a double expresso.

Salabat
Salabat is a tea made from ground ginger root. It is often consumed by older people in the mornings and afternoons. It is said that Salabat can greatly improve one’s digestive and circulatory systems.

Ice Crumble/ Ice Scramble
This treat is adorned by Filipino children. Ice Crumble is made by mixing vanilla essence, sugar, and red food coloring with finely crushed ice. The mixture is then scooped into small plastic cups and topped with powdered milk and chocolate syrup (Usually Hershey’s Brown Cow).

The Philippines is a tropical country, it is often hot and humid and therefore thirst quenchers like the “Halo-Halo” and “Sago’t Gulaman” are popular.

Halo-Halo
The most sought after drink by Filipinos come summer time. “Halo-Halo” has a literal translation of “Mix-Mix”. This drink is made by putting spoonfuls of different Filipino delicacies such as “Nata de coco”, “Macapuno”, “Gulaman”, “Sago” and others into a tall glass. A heap of finely shaved ice is then added. Then to “Top it off” slices of Leche flan, Ube Halaya, and Sweetened Langka (Jackfruit) slices are added. Prior to serving, a generous stream of evaporated milk is poured over the “Halo-Halo”. As you can see, most of ingredients of this concoction are popular Filipino desserts. No wonder most Filipinos also consider the “Halo-Halo” as a dessert.

Sago’t Gulaman
Undeniably the most common Filipino thirst quencher. Although the “Halo-Halo” is the most sought after refreshment, the humble Sago’t Gulaman (Sago is the Tagalog word for tapioca pearls, while Gulaman is Agar-Agar) is still the King of Filipino drinks. This thirst quenching delight is simply Tapioca Pearls and slivers of Agar-agar in water, flavored with vanilla and brown sugar and then served very cold. Unlike the Halo-halo that needs to be eaten with a spoon and commonly served only on restaurants, the Sago’t Gulaman can be seen on almost all sidewalks throughout the Philippines. Wherever street vendors and sidewalk food carts can be found, the Sago’t Gulaman can never be out of sight. Some people prepare the Sago’t Gulaman to look like the Halo-halo using shaved ice. I don’t really enjoy Sago’t Gulaman served that way since if I have to sit down and use a spoon, I’d rather go for the Halo-halo. Nothing still beats enjoying an ice cold Sago’t Gulaman on a plastic bag or plastic cup while walking in the hot and humid streets.

Buko Juice
Another popular Filipino refreshment treat is the Buko Juice. Fresh Coconut water is mixed with sugar and shredded coconut meat and lots of ice. The more popular variant which can be commonly seen sold side by side with the Sago’t Gulaman is the milky Buko Juice . Basically, evaporated milk and a bit of water is added to the Buko Juice.

Melon Juice
A drink similar to Buko juice, but instead of Buko, Melon is used.

Pastillas de leche
From the Spanish word “Pastilla” or “Pellet”, (and that’s exactly what they look like) and “Leche” meaning milk. This simple yet seemingly irresistible bite sized candies are made from just 3 ingridients: Powdered milk, condensed milk, and sugar. The province of Bulacan is infamous for producing this dessert. Adding another ingredient to the mix will produce a different variant. “Pastillas de Ube” is created when you add mashed Ube root to the Pastillas de leche recipe. There’s also “Pastillas de Mani”, where a heapful of ground peanuts (English for “Mani”) is added. The best one I tasted was a variant where the condensed milk was replaced by fresh Carabao’s Milk.

Buko-Pandan
Buko is the Tagalog word for Coconut. Pandan is the leaf of the “P. amaryllifolius” tree and is commonly used in many Asian recipe’s primarily to add aroma to the dish. Buko-Pandan is made from shredded coconut meat and Pandan-flavored Gulaman (Agar-agar) that is tossed together with cream and condensed milk dressing.

Brazo de Mercedes
Brazo de Mercedes literally means “Arms of Mercedez”. This dish looks like a cake log or cake roll. It’s a roll of soft Meringue with a custard like cream filling in the center.

Maja Blanca
A creamy dessert made from corn, coconut milk and cornstarch. The original Maja Blanca resemble a pudding like consistency and was wrapped in banana leaves. Nowadays, a softer version is made by using gelatin or powdered Agar-Agar to the recipe. Some refer to this dish as a “Corn Blancmange”.

Ice Candy
A childhood favorite of mine. This simple dessert snack is popular during the summer days. It’s simply frozen fruit juices encased in long and thin plastic bags. The most popular flavor is “Buko” or coconut. Fruits that were in season were also used.

Buko Salad
Buko Salad is the Filipino twist to Fruit Salad. Whereareas Fruit salad contains only fruits, Buko salad added shredded coconut meat, Nata de coco, “Kaong”, and sometimes cubed cheese. Buko salad's dressing is also more watery than that of the Fruit Salad.

Filipinos love desserts. The Filipino term for dessert is “Panghimagas”. Most Filipinos would not consider you a good cook if you don’t know how to make desserts, specially the Leche Flan. Most desserts are the sweeter varieties of rice cakes (discussed here) such as the Kalamay, Polvoron, and Sapin-Sapin. The Banan-que, and Turon (even the Saging con Hielo) I mentioned in the recent post also qualify here as desserts. Some would also consider the “Guinataan””, and the “Halo-Halo” as desserts, but I have am making a separate post for them.

Leche Flan
Arguably the most common dessert in the Filipino Cuisine is the Leche Flan or Sweet Milk Custard. It’s basically a custard made from condensed milk and egg yolks, with a sweet syrup topping and sauce, and looks similar to the French Crème Brulee. Although Spanish in origin, it has captured the tastebuds of Filipinos like no other dessert can.

Ube Halaya – Ube Jam
Ube (Purple Yam) is a kind of Yam root crop common all over the Philippine islands. Ube Halaya is candy-like concoction made from finely sieved Ube pulp, mixed with milk, lots of sugar and coconut milk. Ube Jam is a version of this dish where condensed milk replaces the coconut milk in the recipe. The difference is that Ube Halaya is sticky (almost like toffee) and sweeter, while Ube Jam is creamier and has a consistency almost like paste. Unlike the Leche Flan, this is a uniquely Filipino dish.

Macapuno
Macapuno is technically a mutant coconut. As opposed to regular coconut, it’s meat is much softer, a bit sweeter, and has a nuttier taste. The meat is shredded and cooked in water and white sugar. It can be eaten as it is, but it is most often used as an ingredient in various dessert concoctions such as Ube-Macapuno cake, Halo-Halo, and Macapuno Tarts. In the past, Macapuno is a rare delicacy since a coconut tree rarely produces the Macapuno coconut. Planting the mutated coconut fruit does not guarantee that the tree it will become will yield Macapuno coconuts. Extensive research on Macapuno propagation lead to the discovery of a variant of coconut tree that can produce coconut which almost all are Macapuno. Until the late 1980’s Macapuno can only be found in the Philippines. Then a scientist from Thailand took interest in this mutated marvel and now it has also become a popular treat in Thailand. However, you can still differentiate Thailand Macapuno from the Philippine variety. The Philippine Macapuno is thicker and denser, while the Thailand variety is watery. The official English translation of Macapuno seems to be "Coconut Sport". How it got that name is beyond me, so I'm sticking to Macapuno.

Yema
The Yema is a custard like candy that is most likely to be served shaped like a tall pyramid. The Yema’s history is a fascinating one. It is believed that the Yema was invented during the Spanish era, where egg whites were used to be mixed with cement when constructing buildings. Some ingenious Filipinos saved the egg yolks that were to be discarded. They mixed the egg yolks with milk, sugar, and finely ground peanuts and cooked them until thick. The product is the dessert we now call the yema. Some say that the first yema’s used to be spherical in shape. I don’t know yet how it acquired the tall pyramid shape it now has. Though some still prepare it in spherical balls, tall pyramid shape is still more popular.

Filipino snacks are often called Merienda, which are eaten in late afternoon at around 3 to 5 pm. The most common Merienda’s are the “Kakanin” or rice cakes. There are quite a number of these rice cakes and each region and each province have their unique way of creating them.

Puto
Puto is the general term for rice-flour based rice cakes that are steamed and served with a dab of butter or margarine. They often look like cupcakes or muffins. It is also a favorite companion to the popular Filipino dish “Dinuguan”, or with one of the varieties of Filipino noodle dishes such as “Palabok” or “Pancit”. There are literally hundreds of varieties of this popular dish. The most popular variants are the “Putong Puti” (White Puto) and “Putong Binan” (Puto from Binan). “Puto Bumbong” is a variety that is popular during the Christmas season. "Kutsinta" is a popular dish based on puto's ingridients. The ingredients are almost the same, but Kutsinta has Lye water. The difference is that Kutsinta is flatter, sweeter, and the texture is chewy, rather than soft as with the Puto.

Suman
"Suman" is basically glutinous rice and coconut milk This mixture is then wrapped in banana or coconut leaves, then steamed. The most popular variants are “Suman sa Lihia” (Suman with Lye Water) and “Suman sa Ibos” (Suman wrapped in Ibos leaves). The “Tupig”, the rice cake dish that the Ilocos region boasts, is a cross between Puto and Suman. As suman is generally made by cooking rice grains, Tupig is made from ground glutinous rice like Puto. But Tupig is wrapped in banana leaves, like the suman. Tupig is also baked, not steamed. I often call Tupig as “Sticky Puto”. Biko is also a dish of note. Biko is essentially similar to Suman, except that it is not steamed and is sweeter. Biko is cooked by boiling glutinous rice in coconut milk, then continuously stirred until cooked.

Bibingka
"Bibingka" is often called “Phillipine Pancake”. It is a baked flatcake most commonly made from ground rice flour and baked in a special clay oven. The traditional Bibingka is a favorite during the Christmas season, together with the Puto Bumbong. However, the Ilocos region has their own version, which is made from the Cassava roots. Even more confusing, is that here in the province of Rizal, the term bibingka refers to the sweet “Kakanin” other provinces call “Kalamay”. So depending on what region you are in, you will taste different variants of the Bibingka (all of them very mouthwatering). The baked version made from ground rice flour though, is the generally accepted definition of Bibingka.

Other Kakanins
Kakanin is the general term for the Filipino rice cakes. However, the Suman, Puto, and Bibingka seem to have a class of their own since they are the most popular variants. There is also the other kakanin’s such as Maja Blanca (Sweet corn pudding), Kalamay (a kind of unwrapped Suman with a sweet coconut mixture on top), Pichi-Pichi (Steamed Cassava dumplings), Palitaw (Glutinous Rice Dumplings), and Cassava Cake (Baked cassava mixture similar to Tupig), and the Sapin-Sapin (literal Translation is “Layered”, a rice cake which has differently colored layers and often each layer has different flavors).

Going Bananas
The banana is the most popular fruit in the Philippines. The Saba Banana (a banana variant that is short and thick, looks like a fat plantain) is often used to cook various Merienda treats. The "Banana-cue" is made by frying the Saba in hot oil and brown sugar. They are then skewered in bamboo sticks. The Kamote (sweet potato) can also be cooked this way. The “Turon” is another popular Merienda dish made by wrapping the Saba banana in rice-flour sheets then cooked like the banana-cue, except that they are not skewered when serving. The “Maruya” is made from very ripe Saba, mashed and mixed with flour, water and sugar, then deep fried. Boiled Saba is also popular. Then there is the "Saging con hielo", (saging is tagalog word for banana) peeled Saba boiled in water and brown sugar. This is served with ice shavings and evaporated milk. There is also Banana Chips. There are two popular variants. The plain sun-dried, and the other one is sun-dried then coated in molasses or syrup.

Eggheads
Another Filipino favorite is the different egg dishes. Though they are most likely to be eaten as “Pulutan” (something to munch when drinking alcohol), they are also eaten during Merienda time. The most popular nowadays is the infamous “Balut”, which rose to stardom when it was featured in the hit show “Fear Factor”. It is the boiled fertilized egg of ducks. Most people will tell you that this dish is an Aphrodisiac, but I beg to differ. An Aphrodisiac is commonly defined as something to boost your “sex drive” and increase libido. The Balut however, isknown to “strengthen your knees”. So essentially, the Balut is used to “Keep it on” as opposed to an Aphrodisiac’s “Get it on”. Basically, the Balut is a quick source of energy boost. That’s why it is commonly sold at night, when people who are working in graveyard shifts like security guards need something to fight sleep and the energy you got from dinner is already fading. That’s why Balut is not just for those who are eager to “do it”. Penoy is a boiled plain unfertilized duck egg. The “Abnoy” (Tagalog slang for retarded) is made from frying spoiled, yes, spoiled duck eggs dipped in vinegar. The dish looks like fried tofu, and is really smelly as you might imagine. The “Tokneneng” is boiled chicken eggs or Penoy dipped in an orange-colored flour mixture then deep fried. Another version of the Tokneneng is the “kwek-kwek”, made from quail eggs.

Are You Nuts?
Filipino’s love to munch on various kinds of nuts. Peanuts, fried with lots of garlic is the favorite. Boiled peanuts (still in their pods) is also popular. Then there is also the “Kasoy” - dried and roasted cashew nuts. The pili nut is a must try. It tastes like roasted pumpkin seed, and some say the crispy yet tender texture beats out the Almond. I would say it is even better than the Macadamia. It is commonly used as an ingredient in Chinese mooncakes. The pili nut is the kernel of a tree from the Burseraceae tree family. It is commonly sold in Antipolo or the Bicol region. They can be bought roasted plain, coated with molasses, or fried with sugar. Dried Watermelon and Melon seeds, are also favorites. The seeds are salted, dried, and then baked/roasted. The hard exterior shell of the seed is cracked then the contents are eaten. Some genius actually invented a process where you can buy just the edible part and the hard outer shell is already taken out. This product however didn’t sell because most Filipinos agree that cracking open the seeds with your teeth is part of the fun of eating them. Besides, when you crack the seeds with you teeth, you get a slight taste of the salty outside shell, which greatly contributes to the flavor of the seeds. Jackfruit (“Langka” in Tagalog) seeds are also delicious, though not as popular as the other nutty products. Seeds from the ripe Jackfruit can be boiled, or sun dried then roasted. Boiled Jackfruit seeds are very soft and the taste is mildly nutty and sweet. Roasted Jackfruit seeds are nuttier in texture and taste. The “Polvoron” is a delicacy made from finely ground nuts (either peanuts, cashew, or even pili) toasted with milk powder.

This may sound Corny
Corn is the second most produced crop in the country, second only to rice. Filipino’s love to boil the corn and eat it with a pat of butter and salt (Margarine is preferred). The glutinous white variant is often cooked as “Binatog”. The corn kernels are shelled, boiled, and served with grated mature coconut (Niyog) sprinkled with salt. A western twist to the Binatog is the boiled yellow corn kernels mixed with melted butter and cheese powder. Grilled corn is also a common snack. Nowadays, the Japanese Sweet corn is more popular than the native varieties. A sad phenomenon since it has pushed out the native varieties out of the market. It’s difficult to find the native varieties, which tend to be harder and bland, but has that unique taste you won’t find in other variants and it offers more flexibility when used as an ingredient in cooking. However, the native corn won’t be going out too soon, since it is used to make the all time favorite Filipino snack – the “Cornick”. This dish is made from whole corn kernels, dried and deep fried with lots of garlic. The Ilocos region has a specialty called the “Chichacorn” – a cornick which texture is not as hard as that of the original cornick and has the crunch of another famous snack – the Chicharon.

Crunch Time
The Chicharon may rival the cornick as the top Filipino snack of all time. Chicharon generally refers to a crunchy deep-fried snack. There are many variants, from the previously mentioned “Chichacorn”, to the "Kropek" – a snack made from sun-dried ground shrimp/crabs carapace. But Chicharon is more commonly defined as the deep fried pork rind. “Chink” is the chicken version of the chicharon, which is made from chicken skin. “Chicharon Bituka” is the chicharon made from pig intestines. “Chicharon Bulaklak” is a variant of the Chicharon Bituka but only the “mesentries” part of the intestine is used. It is so called because the fried mesentries look like “bulaklak” or flowers in English. “Tahong” (Mussels) chicharon was the latest addition to the chicharon family. Chicharon tahong or tahong chips is made from dried mussels meat.

Dine in the Philippines

Where’s the Extra Rice?
A typical Filipino dish consist of an “ulam” (a viand) and rice. There really is no appetizers, side dish, nor main dish most of the time. The rice and the viand is the main dish. Most Filipino’s always eat with an extra serving of rice.



Popular Dishes

• ADOBO

• PAKSIW

• SINIGANG

• NILAGA

• DINUGUAN

• TINOLA

• LECHON

• KARE-KARE

• KILAWIN