Filipino Dishes tends to be overlooked for other Southeast Asian cuisines, like Thai and Vietnamese. But you’d be mistaken to neglect it. Pinoy cuisine has been delighting taste buds for centuries with phenomenal flavors that reflect the country’s multi-cultural influence. From deep-fried lumpia rolls to sweet leche flan, you can find Chinese, Spanish, or Native influence in almost every dish.
One of the most well-known dishes on our list, chicken adobo’s distinctive flavor comes from a slow cooking process – plus plenty of vinegar, crushed garlic, soy sauce, and black pepper.
2. Lumpia
Influence: Chinese
Lumpia is a delicious deep-fried spring roll, stuffed with a mixture of minced meat and chopped vegetables.
3. Pancit
Influence: Chinese
Pancit, or pansit, are noodles that can be mixed with whatever meat or vegetable your stomach desires. The name originated from the Hookien word ‘pian e sit,’ meaning ‘something conveniently cooked.’
Sisig is a spicy, fatty meat dish with pig head and liver marinated in vinegar, soy sauce, calamansi juice, and chili peppers. Calamansi is a citrus fruit that’s commonly used in Filipino lemonade.
Anthony Bourdain has anointed this Filipino street food dish as ‘the one‘ : https://mashable.com/article/sisig-bourdain
5. Leche Flan
Influence: Spanish
Ready for dessert? Meaning ‘milk flan’ in English, leche flan is a custard dessert made of pudding with a soft layer of caramel on top. The texture is smooth and creamy; the flavor rich and sweet.
Kare-Kare is a Filipino stew with vegetables, oxtail, and a thick savory peanut sauce. Originating before the Spanish arrived to the Philippines, kare-kare is a Filipino comfort food.
7. Chicharon
Influence: Spanish
Chicharon are fried pork rinds made from chicken, beef, or mutton which is extremly popular in Spain and Latin America
Often associated with tamarind, sinigang is a sour and savory Filipino stew made with onions, tomatoes, eggplant, spinach, ginger, and fish sauce.
9. Cassava Cake
Influence: Native
Cassava cake is a well-known Filipino Dish which usually baked over fire using freshly grated cassava flour and coconut milk. Indulging won’t make you feel too bad, either, because cassava has a number of health advantages.
10. Arroz Caldo
Influence: Chinese and Spanish
Similar to Vietnamese congee, arroz caldo is a chicken and rice porridge stewed in broth, ginger, chives, and occasionally saffron. The name ‘arroz caldo’ literally translates to ‘rice soup’ in English.
