Describing Filipino food
is similar to discussing the film Inception – because of the varying layers
that comprises it. When you think you figured out the overall character of
Filipino cuisine, venturing into another province will once again introduce you
to another strata of taste, texture and smell – essential food traits that
exist distinctly in each regions of the Philippines. To give you an idea of the
diversity of Filipino cuisine, here are some appetizing provincial gastronomies
being prepared and served all over the country – to which I and these foodies
whom I asked for recommendation, echoes a must-try endorsement.
1. Tiniim na Manok (General Tinio, Nueva Ecija)
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Tiniim na
Manok is shrouded with a mysterious yet scrumptious sauce. Photo courtesy:Martin San Diego
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2. Curacha in Alavar Sauce
(Zamboanga City)
While I have feasted on
Curacha – a spanner crab, before in other places such as Calayan Island,
Zamboanga’s version of this sumptuous seafood is elevated with the addition of
the city’s famed Alavar sauce – composed of a secret generational recipe served
in the iconic Alavar restaurant in the city. Simmered in coconut milk and
minced with garlic and ginger, the curacha is then served with dripping Alavar
sauce. Eating it with your bare hands make up for an unforgettable dining
experience.
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A
perfect combo: Curacha crabs and Alavar sauce.
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3. Pancit Batil-Patong
(Tuguegarao, Cagayan)
Swarming with colorful
ingredients, Pancit Batil-Patong delivers a knockout blend of savory flavor
enough to fill and satisfy your appetite to the brim. Composed of pansit miki,
it is highlighted by minced carabao meat toppings and other vegetables. Because
‘Batil patong’ means ‘beating the egg’ in local language, egg and chicharon are
then added on top of the already loaded pancit toppings. Sounds like a frenzied
combination on a plate, but once you taste it – you will definitely thank the
food Gods for it.
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A beautiful riot of
ingredients comprises a plateful of Pancit batil-patong.
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4. Betute (Pampanga)
As a traveler who has
ticked-off all 81 Philippine provinces, Mervin Marasigan isn’t new to trying
out the vast assortment of Pinoy cuisines. He fondly remembers a Kapampangan
specialty called Betute that brims with an exotic taste.
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A plate of Betute is a picture of crispy fried
tastefulness. Photo courtesy of Pinoy Adventurista
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“Betute are deep fried
farm frogs stuffed with minced pork, garlic and spices. It tastes like chicken,
smells clean and the stuffing is quite flavorful. This is definitely a must-try
when dining in Pampanga. You really have to try it,” he shares.
5. Tago Angkan (Bantayan
Island, Cebu)
Always with an eye for new
sumptuous local food, Christoeffer John Estrada discovered an interesting
barbecue with a twist in the island of Bantayan in Cebu.
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Tago-Angkan is skewed from the start – as a flavorful
dish. Photo courtesy of Four-eyed Laagan
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“Tago-Angkan is a womb of
a chicken and it is grilled like a barbecue. The internal organs were skewed in
a barbecue stick and smeared with savory sauce. One can also taste the eggs
forming inside the bigger part of the womb or the uterus. It tastes like egg
while uterine walls felt like “isaw” or small intestines. It is comparable to
chorizo with egg filling.”
6. Pigar-Pigar (Alaminos,
Pangasinan)
When not busy mapping the
Philippines, Maptivist Ervin Malicdem searches the many provinces of the
country for interesting local flavors. In the Province of Pangasinan, he
experienced how Pigar-pigar satisfied his taste buds.
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Pigar-Pigar is a blend of meat and veggies. Photo
courtesy of Mica Rodriguez
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“It is like beef jerky but
made up of both the meat and liver, then fried and mixed with vegetables
primarily with cabbage and onions. Pigar-pigar’s meat can either be from a cow
or a carabao. Originally from Alaminos, Pangasinan, it is now cooked and served
in the whole province.”
7. Sinantol (Quezon
Province)
Another travel blogger
Christine Rogador, recommends an interesting dish in Quezon. “Sinantol is a
delicacy from Quezon province. It is made of Santol meat (wild mangosteen) and
seafood in coconut milk. In some areas, people use pork or fish as a
replacement for crabs and shrimps. The dish has the right combination of sour,
salty, spicy and creamy flavors which makes it unique and appetizing. It is
usually paired with fried fish or ginangang isda which is what Quezonians call “paksiw”.”
Rogador says.
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Sinantol packs a variety of taste, colors and textures.
Photo courtesy of The Travelling Pinoys
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8. Pastil (Maguindanao)
Self-described ‘desultory
traveler’, Lai Ariel Samangka highly suggests this Mindanaoan food; “Pastil is
the most popular Maguindanaon delicacy in Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat. It is made of cooked rice, crowned with
sauteed shredded meat of chicken, beef, or fish and perfectly wrapped with a
heated banana leaf.”
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Pastil is definitely one dish wrapped in goodness.n
Photo courtesy of The Little Lai
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This writer fondly
remembers one of the cheapest and satisfying breakfast he ever had after
devouring two orders of Pastil at ten pesos each, one morning in Cotabato City
a few years ago.
9. Minaluto (Angono,
Rizal)
Wordsmith Celine Reyes’
tongue circles in delight as she recollects a time when a plate of Minaluto was
served at their dining table in Angono, Rizal.
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Minaluto dishes a colorful blend of rich palate. Photo
courtesy of Celineism
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“In the lakeside town of
Angono, the Philippines’ Art Capital, the culture of creativity extends up to
the local gastronomy. Minaluto, a local take on the Spanish paella, is a blend
of rice, and popular Filipino viands. Along with the variety of seafood and
meat, the dish puts a highlight on Angono’s prized kanduli – a fish with a
tasty and versatile meat, caught in the Laguna Lake. It’s definitely a hearty
must-try dish!”
10. Sinanglao (Ilocos
Region)
Lawyer slash food blogger
Stacy Liong raves about the twin-dishes of Sinanglao and Insarabasab, which are
found primarily in the Ilocos region.
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Sinanglao meat swimming in a delicious soup. Photo
courtesy of Wanderlen
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“Sinanglao is a soup dish
with beef innards such as tripe, pancreas, kidney, bile, intestine, lungs,
heart and blood cubes. It is usually
mixed with kamias, onion, garlic, ginger, siling labuyo and fish sauce.
It is predominantly sour
because of the kamias with a slight bitter flavor from the bile. It is said to originate from the town of
Vigan Ilocos Sur and you can find them at the food stalls near the Vigan City
Post Office.”
11. Adobong Dilaw (Taal,
Batangas)
Adobo is typically brown
in color because soy sauce is used as a main ingredient. But in the town of
Taal in Batangas, they have their own version called the adobong dilaw because
of the use of turmeric. It looks like it’s curry because of its color but it is
in fact, a different version of adobo.
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Looks like curry but it is in fact, a different version
of adobo. Photo credit: Follow Your Road
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12. Calamay (Bohol)
Rappler writer and Travel blogger Claire Madarang recommends an island sweet surprise "Bohol’s calamay is a
delicious delicacy that needs some appreciation. Like many dishes, each
province or town has their own version of it. In the town of Jagna in Bohol,
calamay is made out of glutinous rice, coconut milk, and brown sugar. Peanut is
sometimes added in some versions of this delicacy. It takes several hours of
laborious stirring for it to turn into the sweet and sticky Jagna calamay"
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Fellow travel blogger Claire Madarang trying out the
finished sticky calamay. Photo credit: Traveling Light
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These are just a few of
the many mouthwatering regional dishes found all over the Philippines. We hope
this primer will inspire you to expand your gastronomic adventures in the
country. Stay tuned for the next part as we continue our food exploration of the
amazing Philippine cuisine.
