Nowadays, there is such a thing called food trips. And this does not include an indulgence in a harmful as it was in the mid-60s well into ‘70s when pot did not necessarily mean a cooking vessel. A term food trip is now literally visiting a country to taste and experience the country’s culinary delights.
People travel to India to explore the abundance of their rich spices and curry delights. France for the quintessential French cuisine of rich sauces and other delectable offerings. People flock not just to shop in Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, even China, to experience first-hand the scrumptious meals of the culinary capitals of the world for genuine Chinese cuisine. Thailand and Vietnam have been a favorite culinary jaunt too!
Whereas the Philippines, despite its rich and diverse cultural cuisine is basically ignored or sidetracked! Unbeknownst to many, the Philippines, with its melting pot of culture actually has so much more to offer. From the fusions of Chinese, Spanish, to the varied regional culinary offerings of the Philippines, that is quintessentially Filipino is nothing short of an amazing culinary experience.
Every region in the Philippines has so much to offer. The Bicol region for instance, is the place to enjoy spicy offerings. The famed Bicol Express is something special even for most Filipinos. In the Tagalog region, you will enjoy another set of culinary flavors, where the famed sinigang was born. In the Visayas, particularly Cebu, the best lechon and by-products of it will delight your palate, like various chicharron and pastries and sweets such as otap and many others. Then of course, if you are really up for adventure, you might want to visit the culinary capital of the Philippines, Pampanga. In Pampanga, you will be amazed at discovering culinary delights you never thought was possible. They serve everything with an accompaniment heightening the culinary experience! Their sauces are just so incredible! Try their escabecheng lapu-lapu and the Capampangan dinuguan and you will agree.
When you visit the Philippines and missed out on the Capampangan culinary experience, then you have not truly known the depth of flavors, the Philippines has to offer.
For Chinese-Filipino culinary experience, Manila is the place to go. Streets along Binondo abound with Chinese restaurants that have delighted generations of Filipinos. People craving for good, delicious, and satisfying food, make a quick trip to Binondo. Even the simplest meal becomes a mouth-watering experience that is unforgettable. And you’ll remember to come back again and again when you are craving for another high in culinary experience.
The Spaniards did not leave the Philippines bereft of their culinary contributions such as: Paella, cocido, arroz ala Valenciana, Bringhe, callos, Spanish jamon (ham) is always present during noche buena or media noche on Christmas, and so on!
The quintessential offerings such as adobo, pancit bihon guisado, or pancit canton, pancit palabok, sinigang na baboy or bangus, nilagang baka, including the now famous bullalo, have many versions, depending on where the cook hails from along with its cultural influences.
In Iloilo for instance, they call adobo, adobado, an adobo version which includes hard-boiled egg and potatoes, and their hearty bachoy. If you are going to Boracay, you can also sample the many sweets and pastries they have.
The Ilocos region offer a variety of vegetable dishes that are likewise very creative. Many Filipinos have adopted their pinakbet as part of their own household culinary favorites. Their dishes, while simple, are very nutritious and healthy. This is why the Ilocanos are they healthiest of the lot!
Many tourists have the impression that there is hardly any option for vegetarians, have only to look for places that cater to the vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free crowd. You are assured you will not go hungry because they too have many offerings to delight in. Along Chinatown itself, there are numerous restaurants serving scrumptious vegetarian fare. Just go the extra mile to explore. You will also notice the large amount of merienda fare or snacks, or comfort food available mostly made of rice! Bibingka, sapin-sapin, maja blanca, puto, cuchinta, palitaw, biko, puto bumbong, kalamay, and so on.
Numerous food courts in the Malls offer a sampling of what the Filipino fare is about. It can be your first attempt at discovering what Filipinos eat. However, inexpensive and tempting the street vendors’ offering are, I would not advise you to venture in that direction. One has to build some level of immunity to the kind of exposure those foods undergo. Sensitivities of the foreign stomach to food exposed to tap water, albeit not necessarily clean, prolonged exposure to dust, flies, and whatnots make this adventure risky. There is also a term which might not be familiar to nonFilipinos, which is ‘overload.’ It simply means everything included that can possibly be included in the fare, such as extra meat, etc. But don’t say you have not been forewarned when you break your diet!
Most foreigners, and Filipinos who have been born overseas, are yet to make the Philippines their food destination to discover that they will not only be pleasantly surprised but will be puzzled as to why and how has Philippine cuisine not made it amongst the best and finest. Sans the famous, or infamous balut!
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