country Essentials · 12 foods
Philippines Essentials
A considered first route through Philippines: the foods that carry its everyday habits, celebrations, ingredients, and memory.
Explore all Philippines foods →THE
ESSENTIALS
The complete shortlist
12 foods to know.
Each selection includes the reason it belongs here—so this is a guide, not just a pile of names.
Philippines
Filipino Adobo
Adobo
Vinegar-and-soy braised meat or seafood with garlic, bay leaf, and pepper.
Philippines
Sinigang
Sinigang na Baboy
Tart fruit-broth soup with vegetables and a Filipino choice of meat, fish, or seafood.
Philippines
Fertilized Duck Egg
Balut
Fertilized duck egg sold warm by street vendors, eaten with salt or vinegar.
Philippines
Philippine Lechon
Lechón
Whole pig roasted until crackling and served at Filipino communal celebrations.
Philippines
Filipino Spring Rolls
Lumpiang Shanghai
Crisp fried Filipino spring rolls filled with seasoned pork and vegetables.
Philippines
Thin Rice-Noodle Stir-Fry
Pancit Bihon
Thin rice noodles stir-fried with vegetables, aromatics, and savoury meat or seafood.
Pampanga, Philippines
Sizzling Pork Face
Sisig
Sizzling chopped pork face and ears brightened with calamansi, onion, and chilli.
Philippines
Beef Tapa Breakfast
Tapsilog
Cured beef, garlic fried rice, and a fried egg in the classic Filipino breakfast plate.
Philippines
Filipino Paella
Arroz Valenciana
Glutinous and regular rice cooked with chicken, sausage, and vegetables in a Filipino paella style.
Batangas, Philippines
Beef Marrow Soup
Bulalo
Batangas beef shank and marrow soup with a rich collagen-heavy broth.
Philippines
Baked Rice Cake
Bibingka
Clay-pot baked rice cake topped with salted egg, cheese, and butter.
Philippines
Mixed Ice Dessert
Halo-Halo
Shaved ice layered with sweet beans, fruit, jellies, and evaporated milk.