Filipino Cuisine

Filipino cuisine is a bold, comforting and distinctive fusion, shaped over centuries by Malay, Spanish, Chinese and American influences and built around a love of sour, salty, sweet and savoury flavours. Its unofficial national dish is adobo, meat braised in vinegar, soy and garlic, alongside the celebratory whole roast pig, lechon, the sour tamarind soup sinigang, noodle pancit, and an array of sweet treats and the shaved-ice dessert halo-halo.

What you actually see

• Adobo - the tangy braise of meat in vinegar, soy and garlic.
• Lechon - the whole roast pig, the star of celebrations.
• Sinigang - the sour tamarind soup.
• Halo-halo - the colourful shaved-ice dessert.

When to go

Year-round; the best home-style food is at humble carinderia eateries and markets, and a fiesta or celebration is the time to encounter the celebratory lechon. Regional specialities reward seeking out.

Honest expectations

Filipino food is less internationally known than its neighbours and divides opinion, being generally milder and more sour, salty and sweet than spicy, with some acquired-taste dishes like the notorious balut. It is hearty and comforting rather than refined. Street food and carinderias are cheap and good from busy spots. It is a cuisine worth approaching with an open mind.

Nearby

Every region has its specialities, from Bicol's chilli-and-coconut dishes to Ilocos and Cebu's lechon.