
Philippines
Flat Rice Cake
Palitaw
Flat glutinous rice cakes boiled until they float, then coated in coconut, sesame seeds, and sugar.
south-eastern-asia
Explore 160 foods connected to Philippines, from everyday staples to rare local specialties.

Start with Flat Rice Cake →
The local shortlist
12 editor-selected foods for understanding the place through what people eat.
Open the guide →
The full directory
160 foods in this view. Filter by category, type, rarity, or search every recorded name.

Philippines
Palitaw
Flat glutinous rice cakes boiled until they float, then coated in coconut, sesame seeds, and sugar.

Philippines
Lumpiang Sariwa
Fresh, non-fried spring rolls filled with sauteed vegetables and meat, topped with a sweet garlic sauce.

Philippines
Kesong Puti
A fresh, soft, white cheese made from carabao (water buffalo) milk, traditionally from Laguna and Cavite.

Philippines
Salabat
A strong ginger tea, sweetened with honey or sugar, traditionally consumed for colds, sore throats, or during cold weather.

Philippines
Ginisang munggo, the mung-bean stew eaten on Fridays across the Philippines, is a named dish with a fixed weekly place on the table.

Philippines
Pancit Sotanghon
Pancit Sotanghon is a Filipino glass-noodle stir-fry with chicken or seafood, vegetables, garlic, and savoury broth or soy seasoning.

Philippines
Betamax
Coagulated chicken or pork blood cut into rectangles and grilled on skewers, named after Betamax tapes.

Philippines
Helmet
Chicken heads marinated and grilled on skewers, including the comb and wattle, a daring street food.

Philippines
Ensaladang Talong
Grilled, peeled eggplant chopped with tomatoes, onions, and often salted egg, dressed in vinegar.

Philippines
Isaw
Chicken or pork intestines cleaned, marinated, and grilled on skewers, a popular street and drinking food.

Philippines
Walkman
Pig ears marinated and grilled on skewers, named after the audio device, a chewy and crispy street snack.

Philippines
Tupig
An Ilocano rice cake made from glutinous rice flour and coconut milk, grilled on banana leaves until charred.

Ilocos, Philippines
Bagnet
Ilocano deep-fried pork belly, twice-cooked for extra crispiness, served with KBL (kamatis, bagoong, lasuna).

Philippines
Dinengdeng
An Ilocano vegetable soup with a bagoong isda base, various vegetables, and grilled fish.

Ilocos, Philippines
Sukang Iloko
A sugarcane vinegar from Ilocos, dark and robust, often served with siling labuyo (chili) as a dip.

Iloilo, Philippines
La Paz Batchoy
An Iloilo noodle soup with pork offal, cracklings, beef loin, and egg noodles in a rich broth.

Naga, Philippines
Kinalas, the Naga City noodle soup finished with scraped beef-head meat and a dark liver sauce, is a named city dish with its own stalls.

Philippines
Kinilaw is Filipino raw fish or seafood cured in vinegar and calamansi with ginger, onion, chili, and coconut or other local aromatics.

Philippines
Sapin-Sapin
A layered glutinous rice cake in rainbow colors, each layer with a different flavor (ube, coconut, jackfruit).

Philippines
Lechon Paksiw
Leftover lechon braised in vinegar, soy sauce, and liver sauce, transforming leftovers into a new dish.

Philippines
Pancit Habhab
Pancit Habhab is Lucban's chewy noodle stir-fry, traditionally eaten directly from a banana leaf without cutlery.

Philippines
Mango Float
A layered no-bake dessert with graham crackers, sweet ripe mangoes, and cream, a modern Filipino classic.

Mindanao, Philippines
Piaparan
A Maranao chicken dish with coconut milk, turmeric, and palapa spice mix, from Mindanao.

Philippines
Nilupak
Mashed cassava or banana mixed with condensed milk and butter, formed into balls or cakes on banana leaves.

Pampanga, Philippines
Kaldereta
A meat stew (traditionally goat) with liver paste, tomatoes, chilies, potatoes, and carrots.

Negros, Philippines
Sans Rival
A layered meringue cake with buttercream frosting, French-influenced, a Dumaguete specialty.

Philippines
Pastillas
A soft milk candy made from condensed milk and sugar, often coated in powdered milk, a Bulacan specialty.

Cebu, Philippines
Budbud Kabog
A Cebuano suman made from millet (kabog) instead of rice, wrapped in banana leaves, a rare regional delicacy.

Philippines
Halo-Halo
A shaved ice dessert with evaporated milk, sweet beans, fruits, jellies, ube ice cream, and leche flan, the Filipino summer icon.

Pampanga, Philippines
Kamaru
A Kapampangan dish of mole crickets (rice field crickets) sauteed in garlic, onions, and tomatoes.

Negros, Philippines
Piaya
A flat, flaky bread filled with muscovado (unrefined cane sugar), a Negros Occidental specialty.

Philippines
Tokneneng
Similar to kwek-kwek but using chicken eggs instead of quail, a larger and more filling street snack.

Philippines
Kwek-Kwek
Hard-boiled quail eggs coated in an orange annatto batter and deep-fried, served with a spicy vinegar dip.

Philippines
Tuba
A fermented palm sap wine, freshly collected and mildly alcoholic, with a sweet-tart, slightly fizzy taste.

Philippines
Pandesal is the Philippines' slightly sweet, breadcrumb-dusted yeast roll, baked in neighbourhood panaderias and bought warm for breakfast or merienda.

Philippines
Kare-Kare
Oxtail and tripe stew in a rich peanut sauce with eggplant, string beans, and banana hearts, served with bagoong.