Chapter 1

History of the Philippines Cuisine

Introduction

The origins of Filipino cuisine may be traced back to the pre-colonial period, when
indigenous products including rice, fish, and tropical fruits served as the mainstay. The Filipino
palette was further enhanced by Chinese and Malay influences in the centuries that followed.

Specific Objectives

At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:

1) Explore the history and influence of other countries in the Philippine Cuisine
2) Appreciate the traditional Filipino Culture and Cooking
3) Gain knowledge about the origin and evolution of Philippine Cuisine
4) Relate the significance of food to the individual person.
5) Compare the similarities and differences of culinary arts of each of the regions.
6) Explore the history and influence of other countries in the Philippine Cuisine

Duration
Chapter 1: History of the Philippines Cuisine 6 hours

Overview

In spite of the numerous foreign influences brought about by commerce, contact, or

colonization, many native Philippine culinary techniques have endured. Chinese traders, who
were well established and frequently visited Philippine shores, were probably the source of the
first and most enduring culinary effect. They existed for up to five decades before Portuguese
adventurer Ferdinand Magellan landed on Homonhon Island in 1521.

The more people there are who are interested in Philippine food, the more chefs there are
that cook it - whether in an old fashion or a very contemporary way - the more desire there is for the
original Philippine product. Once that happens, if that product can meet its market, then again, the
ones who are raising the trees and the herbs and the raw sources - for these materials - will now be
able to earn. - Felice Prudente Sta. Maria

1.1 History and Influences

The Philippines is a country with beautiful nature and delicious foods. It is a land of
diversity, in which history and present mix, offering a great variety of cultures, languages, and
foods. Wherever you go, people are hospitable, providing you with a unique and enjoyable
experience. The style of cooking and the food associated with it have evolved over many
centuries from their Austronesian origins to a mixed cuisine of Malay- Indonesian, Indian,
Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, and American, in line with the major waves of influence that had
enriched the cultures of the archipelago, as well as others adapted to indigenous ingredients and
the local palate.

What is Austronesian?
It refers to a population group present in Southeast Asia or Oceania who speak or had
ancestors who spoke, one of the Austronesian languages. Apart from the Polynesian people of
Oceania, the Austronesian people include: Taiwanese Aborigines, the majority ethnic groups of
East Timor, Indonesia, and Malaysia. During the pre-Hispanic era in the Philippines, the
preferred Austronesian methods for food preparation were: Boiling, Steaming, Roasting

The ingredients for common dishes were obtained from locally raised livestock. In 3200
BCE, Austronesians from the southern China (Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau) and Taiwan settled in
the region that is now called the Philippines.

Direct trade and cultural exchange with Hokkien

China in the Philippines in the Song dynasty (960-
1279 AD) with porcelain, ceramics, and silk being
traded for spices and trepang (sea cucumber) in
Luzon. This early cultural contact with China
introduced a number of staple foods into
Philippine cuisine.

https://www.google.com/imgres

China introduced a number of staple food into Philippines cuisine most notably:
 Toyo (soy sauce)
 Tofu (tofu)
 Toge (bean sprout)
 Patis (fish sauce)

The earliest written account of food was by Antonio Pigafetta, the Italian chronicler of
the Magellan expedition. Pigafetta describes the dinner served by Raja Colambu, a local chief of
Limasawa island as “pork in its sauce served in porcelain platters, roasted fish with freshly
gathered ginger, and rice; turtle eggs; chicken; and peacock.”

 3400 B.C. The earliest evidence of rice in the Philippines was found in the Cagayan
Valley. Rice was brought to the Philippines during an Indo-Malaysia, Chinese, and
Vietnamese wave of migration.
 2nd century AD – The Chinese were the first to trade with the Philippines, which they
called Mal at the time. China introduced the Philippines to soy sauce, fish sauce, and the
method of stir-frying. This led to the birth of many Filipino-Chinese dishes such as
pansit, lumpia, siopao, and siu mai.
 1100 AD – The Philippines began trading with India, Thailand, and Japan. This led to the
creation of many new Filipino dishes with spices and flavors from around the world.
 1896-1898- The Philippine Revolution, directed against Spain, took place influenced the
nationalist movements of other Asian countries including China, Indonesia, and
Malaysia.
 1898-The Philippines was ceded to the United States by Spain, along with Puerto Rico
and Guam, following the Spanish-American War.
 1898-1901-A guerrilla war between the Filipinos and Americans broke out after the
Treaty of Paris ended the Spanish-American War and Americans tried to take over. This
lasted for three years until President Aguinaldo was captured and William H. Taft was
appointed governorship. The war resulted in the death of at least 200,000 Filipino
civilians, mostly due to famine and disease (some estimates reach up to 1,000,000).
U.S. colonization
changed the cultural landscape of the islands, which led introduction of the English
language in the islands as the primary language of industry, education and government.

Negritos, the first peoples of the Philippine archipelago,

were nomadic hunter-gatherers whose diet consisted of
foraged wild tubers, seafood, and game meat.
The plains of central and southwestern Luzon, Bicol
peninsula, and eastern Panay were major producers of rice,
exporting surplus elsewhere to the rest of the archipelago.
Rice was a symbol of wealth, with many rice-based delicacies
used as offerings in important ceremonies.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negrito

The cuisines of over a hundred different ethnolinguistic groups that are spread out across
the Philippine archipelago make up Filipino cuisine. The gastronomic traditions of the several
ethnolinguistic groups and tribes of the archipelago, such as the Ilocano, Pangasinan,
Kapampangan, Tagalog, Bicolano, Visayan, Chavacano, and Maranao ethnolinguistic groups,
make up the majority of the mainstream Filipino dishes that make up Filipino cuisine.
 Dishes range from the very simple meal of fried salted fish and rice to curries, paellas,
and cozidos of Iberian origin made for fiestas. Popular dishes include lechón (whole roasted
pig), longganisa (Philippine sausage), tapa (cured beef), torta (omelette), adobo (vinegar and
soy sauce-based stew), kaldereta (meat stewed in tomato sauce and liver paste), mechado
(larded beef in soy and tomato sauce), pochero (beef and bananas in tomato sauce), afritada
(chicken or beef and vegetables simmered in tomato sauce), kare-kare (oxtail and vegetables
cooked in peanut sauce), pinakbet (kabocha squash, eggplant, beans, okra, bitter melon, and
tomato stew flavored with shrimp paste), sinigang (meat or seafood with vegetables in sour
broth), pancit (noodles), and lumpia (fresh or fried spring rolls).

1.2 History of the Philippines and its food: A Timeline

The Spanish ruled most of the Philippines until Filipinos launched the first successful
revolution against a Western colonizer, in 1896, and declared their independence in 1898. Three
hundred years of Spanish rule resulted in the introduction of ingredients such as, tomatoes,
annatto (locally called achuete), corn and avocados from other colonies of Spain, but principally
Mexico. Peppers were native to Mexico, Central and North America and spread to Asia in the
15th century. The Spanish also brought varied styles of cooking, reflecting the different regions
of their country. Some of these dishes are still popular in the Philippines, such as callos, gambas,
and paella.

Some other delicacies from Mexico also found their way to the Philippines due to this
colonial period. Tamales, pipian, and balbacoa are a few examples. These terms are still used
today, but some ingredient and cooking procedure names have changed. The tamales Filipinos

know today use rice instead of corn in Mexican versions; pipian uses peanuts instead of pumpkin
seeds; and barbacoa is boiled beef shanks instead of the Mexican balbacoa, slow-roasted meat
cooked in a pit.

Filipino cuisine is a sum of Philippine history, from the influences of Southeast Asian
cooking brought by trade to the colonial influences brought by conquest. In recent years, because
of domestic migration, tourism, national food businesses, mass media and social media, regional
dishes from the different islands have gone beyond their immediate borders and become part of
the national table. Today’s Filipinos are able to acquaint themselves with the food of their own
country.

1.2.1 Characteristics of Philippine Cuisine

Filipino cuisine centers around the combination of sweet (tamis), sour (asim), and salty
(alat) although in Bicol, the Cordilleras, and Muslim Filipinos, spicy (anghang) is a base of
cooking flavo.

Champorado (a sweet cocoa rice porridge), paired with tuyo (salted, sun-dried fish)
Dinuguan (a savory stew made of pig’s blood and innards), paired with puto
(sweet,
steamed rice cakes)
Unripe fruits such as mangoes (which are only slightly sweet but very sour), are eaten
dipped in salt or bagoong
 The use of cheese (which is salty) in sweetcakes (such as bibingka and puto), as well as
an ice cream flavoring.
Vinegar is a common ingredient. Adobo is popular not solely for its simplicity and ease of
preparation, but also for its ability to be stored for days without spoiling. And even
improve in flavor with a day or two of storage.
Tinapa is a smoke-cured fish while tuyo, daing, and dangit are corned, sun-dried fish
popular because they can last for weeks without spoiling, even without refrigeration.

https://www.google.co.uk/

“Counterpoint is a feature in Philippine cuisine which normally comes in a pairing of something

sweet with something salty, and results in surprisingly pleasing combinations”

Example: Dinuguan and Puto, Champorado and Tuo

Cooking and eating in the Philippines has traditionally been an informal and communal
affair centered around the kitchen.
 https://www.google.co.uk/

Snacking is normal. Dinner, while still the main meal, is smaller than other countries.
Usually, either breakfast or lunch is the largest meal. Food tends to be served all at once and not in
courses. Unlike many of their Asian Counterparts Filipinos do not eat with chopsticks. Due to
Western influence, food is often eaten using flatware-forks, knives, spoons-but the primary pairing
of utensils used at a Filipino dining table is that of spoon and fork, not knife and fork. The
traditional way of eating is with the hands, especially dry dishes such as inihaw or prito. The diner
will take a bite of the main dish, then eat rice pressed together with his fingers..

The traditional way of eating is with the hands, especially dry dishes such as inihaw or
prito.
The diner will take a bite of the main dish, then eat rice pressed together with his fingers.
 This practice, known as kamayan, is rarely seen in urbanized areas. However, Filipinos
tend to feel the spirit of kamayan when eating amidst.
 Activity Sheet
PHILIPPINE REGIONAL CUISINE
ACTIVITY #1
NAME: SCORE:
COURSE/YEAR/SECTION: DATE:

PART I. MULTIPLE CHOICE. Encircle the best answer.

1) What is Filipino staple food?

a. Lumpia
b. Adobo
c. Sinigang
d. Rice
e. Dinuguan
2) In the Bicol Region, what ingredient do they use more commonly than in other parts
of the Philippines?
a. Garlic
b. Bihon
c. Pork belly
d. Soy sauce
e. Coconut Milk
3) Name a country that influenced Filipino Cuisine.
a. Canada
b. Russia
c. Thailand
d. Japan
e. Spain
4) What is the Filipino version of the sausage?
a. Hot Dog
b. Longganiza
c. Tocino
d. Hamon
e. Hungarian

5) Filipinos love to celebrate and a celebration is hardly complete without a whole

roasted pig, also known as?
a. Lechon
 b. Crispy Pata
c. Grilled Liempo
d. Adobo
e. Inasal
6. Filipinos love noodles, be it egg noodles, rice noodles, vermicelli, fried, in
soup,with sauce. What do Filipinos call noodle dishes?
a. Ispageti
b. Padtai
c. Chow Mein
d. Pancit
e. Pancit Molo
7. What is the Filipino version of a spring roll?
a. Lumpia
b. Turon
c. Takito
d. Siomai
e. Dumpling
8. Filipinos, especially those from Southern Luzon, love to add coconut milk to their food,
whether savory main dishes or desserts. What do you call Filipino foods that have been
stewed in coconut milk?
a. Guinataan
b. Cocido
c. Pinatisan
d. Afritada
e. Binagoongan
9. Who introduced the use of noodles in Filipino cooking?
a. Spanish
b. European
c. Malayo-Polynesian
d. Chinese
e. Japanese

10. When did the Spaniards arrive in the Philippines?

a. 3200 BC
b. 1988
c. 1521
d. 2009
 e. 200 BC
PART II. ESSAY. Answer briefly what is being asked.
1. What is Philippine regional cuisine?
2. What makes Philippine regional cuisine unique?
3. What are the characteristics of Philippine cuisine?
4. Traditional dishes in the Philippines vary from province to province?
5. Why or how did Filipino cuisine has its unique flavor?
6. What makes the Filipino food history so interesting?
7. Who influenced Filipino cuisine?

Prepared by:

Maria Concepcion A. Orge, MBA

Instructor III
Philippine Regional Cuisine

Chapter 2

Native Ingredients
 Chapter 2
Native Ingredients
''A good recipe is as good as the chef that cooks it". -Kate
Castle

Introduction
There are several natural wonders in the Philippines. When it comes to our culinary
heritage, this is also accurate. Our food is fascinating because it is a fusion of several cultures
brought together in one pot of pleasure.

Specific Objectives
At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:
1. Discover the different local dishes in the Philippines.
2. Understand why it’s important to explore the background of native ingredients and its
multiple influences.
3. Identify and utilize seasonal ingredients in the Philippine Regional Cuisine

Duration
Chapter 2: Native Ingredients 6 hours

2.1 Filipino Ingredients

Most Filipino dishes began with their creators making use of whatever ingredients they
could find (usually within a 1–2-mile radius) and creating a dish from those ingredients.

Philippine cuisine has a variety of native ingredients used.

 The biota that developed yielded a particular landscape and in turn gave the Place local
ingredients that enhanced flavors to the dishes.
 The country also cultivates different type of nuts and one of them is the Pili nut,
which the Philippines is the only known edible exporter of. It is usually made as
a merienda or is incorporated in other desserts to enhance the flavor due to the
milky texture it gives off as it melts in the mouth.
 Tultul, a type of rock salt is another ingredient made only in Guimaras whom most use it
to sprinkle on cooked rice to serve as a viand. The salt is an assortment of reeds, twigs
and small pieces of bamboo carried to the shore by the sea tide where they have been
soaked in seawater for some time and is then burned in large quantities while continually
being doused with salt water on a daily basis.
 Kalamansi is the more known of those ingredients, it is a fruit that belongs to the genus
 citrus. It is mostly used due to the sourness it gives to a dish.Lu
 Kalingag a type of cinnamon bark that’s
native to the Philippines. It’s traditionally
used for medicinal purposes, though it also
makes for a good tea or even flavouring for
pudding and savoury dishes
 Tabon-tabon a tropical fruit which were
used by pre-colonial Filipinos as anti-
bacterial
ingredient especially in Kinilaw dishes. https://www.tripzilla.ph
 Pandan leaf (screwpine) It has fragrant leaves which are used widely for flavoring in the
cuisines of Southeast Asia.
 Tomato (kamatis) a usually large rounded red or sometimes yellow pulpy berry that is
eaten as a vegetable.
 Chili (sili) a small hot-tasting pod of a variety of capsicum, used chopped (and often
dried) in sauces, relishes, and spice powders.
 Coconut (niyog) Coconut is a versatile fruit that can be used in many ways in cooking
and baking
 Garlic (bawang) A herb growing from a strongly aromatic, rounded bulb composed of
around 10 to 20 cloves covered in a papery coat.
 Ginger (luya) a thick underground plant stem that is used especially to make a spice.
 Lemon grass (tanglad) Lemon grass is used in Asian cooking for its lemony flavor. It's
also used in traditional medicine to treat digestive issues, fever, and inflammation.
 Bagoóng is a condiment made from fermented fish, shrimp, or krill paste and salt that's a
staple in Filipino cuisine. It's characterized by its strong, salty, umami flavor and funky
aroma. Bagoóng is commonly used as a dip for green mangoes or cooked in dishes like
kare-kare.

2.2 Basics of Food from the Philippines

1. Most Filipino dishes are named for cooking techniques and not specific ingredients or
dishes. For example, the dish adobo refers to the technique of stewing in vinegar with
peppercorns and bay leaf.

This means saying adobo could mean a

host of different dishes. When ordering. It’s
better to be more specific like chicken pork
adobo or adobong pusit (squid adobo).
https://www.google.com/imgres?q=adobo

2. Unlike the rest of Southeast Asia, Filipino food is rarely spicy. Instead, most Filipino
dishes 64.66are a combination of salty, sour, sweet and bitter. Most of the spicy dishes
are found in just 2 main regions, the province of Bicol and in the Muslim areas of
Mindanao
3. Among the flavors, sourness is the most prevalent in Filipino food. Filipinos draw sour
 flavors from 3 main sources, fruits, leaves and fermentation.

4. The cuisine is best enjoyed with rice. Filipinos

enjoy each and every meal with one form of
rice or another, even snacks and breakfast.
Garlic rice in the Philippines.
5. Filipinos could eat as much as 5-7 times a day.
Early breakfast, breakfast, morning snack,
lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, and pulutan
(small bites while drinking beer or hard liquor).

6. Filipino cuisine encourages the use of

sawsawan or dipping sauces. This is usually a
combination of calamansi (Philippine lime),
soy sauce, vinegar, fish sauce, onions, garlic
and chilies.

7. Traditionally, Filipino food is best enjoyed using

hands in place of utensils. This practice is called
kamayan.

8. Filipino cuisine employs some unique condiments, including banana catsup, bagoong
or guinamos and buro. Banana catsup was developed in light of the unavailability of
tomatoes
and is used to enhance a lot of fried dishes.
9. Filipino cuisine employs some unique condiments, including banana catsup,
bagoong or guinamos and buro. Banana catsup was developed in light of the
unavailability of tomatoes and is used to enhance a lot of fried dishes.

Bagoong is fermented shrimp or fish paste and its strong pungent flavors are used
to complement some of the milder tasting dishes like grilled squid or Kare Kare
(ox tail peanut stew).
Buro, meanwhile, is rice fermented with shrimp or fish and is a great complement
to fried fish or raw greens like mustard leaves.
 10. Food is such a big part of Filipino culture that you are usually greeted with,
"Kumain
ka na ba?" (Have you eaten?) and regardless of your answer, the host will usually
still bringyou food, especially if you visit someone's home.

2.2.1 Luzonese Cuisine

2.2 AN INTRODUCTION TO FILIPINO DISHES

Filipino cuisine, as explained above, is both regional and local. What this means
is there are literally thousands of dishes to try which, even with accomplished gourmands,
isa tall order. This is why culinary and food tours in the Philippines are popular
for travelers, especially first-time visitors.
Here are a few from each of the 3 major regions to get you started. Take note that
a lot of these dishes are now available beyond the regions or provinces they are known for.
2.2.1 LUZON DISHES
Cuisine in Luzon vary based on the regions but they all are easily identified
by The Bicol region is known for spicy foods that infuse coconut milk. Here are some of the
most notable dishes that you can try in this part of the country.

Adobo
Filipino Pork Adobo
 Usually, among the first to be mentioned
when 5*talking about Filipino food, adobo refers to the
cooking method of stewing in vinegar, pepper corns
and bay leaf. Most of the modern versions add soy
sauce but there are plenty of regions in Luzon alone
that don't add soy sauce.
The most common things cooked adobo style are pork, chicken (or both together),
squid and even vegetables, and these are easily available throughout the country. The
earthiness of the bay leaf and peppercorns play well with the brightness of the vinegar and it
makes for a hearty lunch or dinner.

Variations include the addition of turmeric in the Batangas, fish sauce in the Cavite
version, coconut milk sometimes found in the Bicol region, annatto seeds in lloilo or even
pineapple in some homes. Adobo can come with the braising liquid as a sauce or with the
braising liquid reduced until it's almost a glaze.

The running joke is that there are as many adobo recipes as there are islands in the
Philippines (over 7000) but actually, there could be more since almost every Filipino family
has an adobo recipe they treasure.
Chef's Tip: Adobo is best enjoyed with rice and it is also lovely with some freshness
to cut through the richness like fresh sliced tomatoes, jicama, or green mangoes.

Sinigang
Sinigang refers to a soup soured by a sour
fruit or leaf. Usually, sinigang can be pork,
beef, salmon or shrimp cooked in a broth
with vegetables like kang kong (swamp
cabbage), radish, Chinese long beans,
tomatoes, and onions.
As for the souring agent, the use of sour fruits
largely depends on seasons. Most of Manila and Luzon use tamarind or kamias, while
Pampanga uses guava.

Meanwhile, to the south in lloilo, Visayas they use libas to sour the broth. Most areas
in Luzon love to cook the broth very sour, which makes it an excellent mouthwatering
appetizer.
 Chef's Tip: Locals enjoy sinigang also with rice, and some create a dipping
sauce of fish sauce and calamansi to dip the meat, seafood and veggies in.

Sisig
Pork Sisig with Rice
It has become one of the most popular
dishes in Filipino cuisine, with versions of it being
served internationally to rave reviews. Sisig,
which originated in Pampanga, has undergone
quite an evolution through the years and that has
left it as one of the most misunderstood dishes.
The word "sisig" comes from an old Filipino word
"sisigan," which translates as to "munch on
something sour". Early indications are that the first
version of sisig could be a sour salad of chopped
vegetables, onions and chili.
Sisig "Matua" (meaning "old" in Pampanga) I s
a dish of pig's ears and face (maskara) with liver, onions, chilis all marinated
in vinegar.

The most commonly enjoyed version of sisig, however, features pig's ears and face and
are boiled and then grilled, chopped and served with onions, chili, liver and calamansi on a
sizzling platter.

The dish is a celebration of the interplay of the pork's richness with the brightness of
calamansi and it is a wonderful celebration of textures of both tender and crunchy meat.
Meanwhile, modern interpretations have utilized chicken, squid or even milkfish as a main
protein while some have added egg to the dish.

Chef's Tip: Sisig was actually first considered a pulutan (something to eat while drinking) but
now it is also enjoyed with rice. Whatever the occasion, though, it is still best enjoyed with
beer.

Pinakbet/Pakbet
One of the more humble Filipino dishes,
pakbet, is a vegetable stew that usually consists of
eggplant, string beans, okra, bitter melon and squash
and it is usually flavored with bagoong (strong shrimp
paste or fish sauce. As with all Filipino dishes, other
vegetables may be substituted and depending on the
 region.

Pinakbet can be a stew which you can easily find in almost every province or it can
have a more soupy quality like the ones from Northern regions like !locos and Pangasinan.

With its humble ingredients, the dish is considered less glamourous, but millions
of Filipino homes enjoy pinakbet with the interplay of salty, sweet and bitter flavors mixed
in with the umami from the shrimp paste.

Chef's Tip: The addition of crunchy pork on top of the pinakbet makes it a more luxurious
dish.

Pancit
Filipino Pancit

Pancit refers to noodles and it is one of the many

dishes influenced by the trades with the Chinese early in Philippine history. Like the
adobe, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of pancit varieties in the Philippines,
depending on the region.

The most common would be the Pancit Canton, egg noodles stir fried with
vegetables and meat, flavored with soy sauce and/or oyster sauce. Pancit Bihon (rice
noodles), Cha Misua (angel hair flour noodles) or Pancit Sotanghon (vermicelli) are
similar versions using different noodles as base. Other well-loved varieties include the

Pancit Malabon and Pancit Luglog/Palabok which are rice noodles served with a
rich anatto tinted sauce with sh「imps and pork cracklings and the Lomi, thick egg noodles
cooked with meat, shrimp and vegetables in thickened broth.

Just like the Chinese, a lot of Filipinos believe that noodles represent long life and
so pancit is served in almost every birthday celebration.

Chef's Tip: Whatever pancit variety you're enjoying, the dish always gets better
with a splash of calamansi juice to brighten up the flavors. Meanwhile, Pancit
Habhab, a version from Quezon is best enjoyed with vinegar and eaten with no
utensils!
 Laing

One of the more iconic dishes in the

Southern Luzon region of Bicol, Laing is stewed taro
leaves cooked with pork, shrimp, chilies and coconut
milk.

The intense heat of the labuyo chilies is

mellowed by the coconut milk and the taro leaves
that are dried first before being stewed is made even
richer with the addition of the pork. Pieces of
cooked taro root may also be added to make the
dish more substantial.

Chef's Tip: As with most Filipino dishes, Laing is best enjoyed with rice and
it makes a great tag team with some grilled pork belly.

Halo-halo
Halo Halo with Ube ice cream

"Halo" is the Filipino word for mix and as the name suggests, halo-halo is a Filipino
dessert that is a mix of preserved and sweetened fruits, legumes, and gels served with
crushed ice and usually, evaporated milk. Halo-halo could also refer to how to best eat this
dish as you are expected to mix all the ingredients up as you enjoy them.

Debating the exact ingredients of Halo-halo can lead to controversy, but it really
depends on the maker.

Most versions would have multiple sweetened fruits or legumes like saba (cardava
bananas), sweet potato, chickpeas, white beans, nata de coco (coconut gel), kaong (sugar
palm), sago (tapioca pearls), halayang and ube (purple yam jam).
Modern versions also include a scoop of ice cream (usually ube flavored). Some
popular versions in Pampanga have as little as three ingredients underneath the ice while a
version in Cavite boasts of 12.
 Whatever the number of ingredients, Halo-halo is an excellent mixture of sweetness
and creaminess and never fails to be the perfect antidote to harshly hot Philippine summers.

Chef's Tip: Make sure to mix the ice quickly as the warm Philippine weather can
melt the crushed ice into one large, unwieldy piece

2.2.2 Visayas Dishes

Some of the tastiest and most iconic Filipino dishes can be found in Visayas. When
you think of lechon or roasted whole pig, Cebu's lechon comes to mind as the best in the
country.

The majority of destinations in Visayas are islands or are located near coastlines,
that's why fresh seafood in this island region is also a must-try. Check out the most
iconic dishes in this part of the Philippines:

Lechon

A celebration dish, lechon is found on almost every feast and party in the
Philippines. Lechon refers to the method of cooking meat on a spit over an open flame,
so it can refer to a whole pig or just the belly, calf, goat or
even chicken.

The most common version enjoyed by Filipinos remains to be Lechon Baboy or

whole roast pig. While a lot of countries do whole roast pigs, Filipino masters called
"Lechoneros", have mastered the art of cooking them.

Mastering both hand turning the spit and moving the charcoal constantly
throughout the cooking process, they are able to achieve an even, smooth browning of
the skin, giving it a beautiful caramel colored sheen and keeping it crunchy (even 8 hours
after they are cooked) while the meat inside is moist and tender.

There are many regions that boast of making delicious lechon but the lechons
from3 Cebu are enjoying the most publicity now, and with good reason.
 Whole pigs have heaping amounts of lemongrass, onions and garlic sewn into
the belly with sea salt rubbed all over the pig, making it a fragrant and flavorful dish
that does not need any sauce. If one absolutely has to insist, it can be enjoyed with a
spicy vinegar dipping sauce.

Chef's Tip: Outside of the pig, many regions in Visayas (and Mindanao)
do Lechon Karnero (whole roasted lamb) which is also best enjoyed without
sauce.

Batchoy

Batchoy is one of the Philippines'most popular noodle soup dishes that features
egg noodles, beef and pork meat, liver, marrow and intestines, in a pork and beef broth
with a hint of guinamos (shrimp paste). As if that's not rich enough, fried garlic and
chicharon (fried pork rinds) are added.

The broth is an exercise in rich umami flavors with the tender meat adding substance
to the freshly made egg noodles. Naturally, the best place to try batchoy is in its birthplace,
lloilo, particularly in La Paz.

Chef's Tip: Batchoy is best enjoyed with puto (steamed rice flour bread) or
breads like Pan de Sal or Pan de Leche

Inasal

Chicken Inasal with brown rice and atchara. The most popular version of lnasal is
chicken marinated in ginger, vinegar, and lemongrass, skewered, and then grilled over open
flame. As they are grilled, they are brushed with oil flavored with garlic and annatto seed.

With inasal places, you can enjoy not only the traditional meat of paa (thigh and leg)
or petso (breast and wing), but also the other parts including the baticolon (gizzard), corazon
(heart), atay (live「)and isol (butt).
 The vinegar ginger marinade infuses the chicken with lots of flavor and the smokiness
that is imparted by the charcoal flame make this dish more flavorful than normal grilled
chicken.

Bacolod is the ultimate place for inasal lovers as they even have a row of inasal
restaurants affectionately called, "Manukan Country." (chicken country).

Chef's Tip: lnasal is best enjoyed by making a sawsawan (dipping sauce) which
can be a combination of soy sauce, vinegar, chilies, calamansi and minced garlic.

SuToKil

SuToKil is actually not just one dish but three dishes that are usually enjoyed together.
"Su" or "Sugba" refers to grilled and it's usually a grilled whole fish or other seafood like
scallops or shrimps.

"To" or "Tola/Tinola" refers to a ginger soup, in this case a ginger and fish soup, and
"Kil" or "Kilawin/Kinilaw" refers to raw seafood marinated in vinegar and citrus. Together
they give the other three (3) ways to enjoy fresh seafood giving them 3 vastly different
textures and flavor profiles. Numerous places in Cebu still specialize in serving only
SuToKil.

Chef's Tip: While places specializing in SuToKil are a little bit harder to find now, most
places serving Filipino food in the Visayas region, especially those near the water, would have
all three dishes that can be ordered separately.

2.2.3 Mindanao Dishes

Another island region in the Philippines blessed with access to the freshest
seafood is Mindanao. Because of its close proximity to other Southeast Asian countries
like Malaysia and Indonesia, dishes in Mindanao are also influenced by their cuisine.

Here are some must-try dishes when you're in Mindanao

 Inihaw na Panga
Grilled Tuna Collar

lnihaw na panga refers to grilled tuna collars and it has become a staple in
Mindanao, particularly in Davao, where most Filipino grill restaurants have it on the
menu. While a lot of the Philippine tuna meat is sold internationally, a lot of the collars
remain in the country and locals have taken quite a liking to them

Grilled simply with maybe just a splash of calamansi and a touch of salt. The
meat from the tuna collar is much more flavorful and moist than regular tuna meat and the
additional smokiness from charcoal flame makes the meat even more delicious.

Piyanggang Manok

Although a little harder to find, chicken stewed with blackened coconut meat and a
condiment called palapa (ginger, chilies and sakurab) until ten and then grilled, is worth the
adventure.

Intense flavors from the chilies and ginger penetrate the chicken while the burnt
coconut surprisingly helps bring out the natural sweetness of the chicken.

Chef's Tip: This is an indigenous Filipino dish that is mostly enjoyed by the
numerous Muslim tribes in Mindanao but there are now restaurants in Metro
Davao, Zamboanga and even Quiapo in Manila that serve this

Sinuglaw
One of the most curious pairings in Filipino cuisine, Sinuglaw
is a combination of grilled pork (sinugba) and raw marinated
fish (Kinilaw). The smokiness of the grilled pork belly
combines well with the sour vinegar marinade of the fish,
cutting into the pork's richness.
**
 Chef's Tip: The addition of seasalt makes the flavors pop up even more and it
adds more texture

Barbecue
Unlike its American counterpart, barbecue in the
Philippines is meat, usually marinated pork or
chicken, skewered on sticks and grilled over
charcoal.
While marinades may differ depending on
the chef, it usually consists of lemon lime soda, soy
sauce, banana catsup and calamansi. The same
marinade is also used to baste the meat as they are
cooking.
Served in night markets in provinces
like Davao and Tagum, it is one of those dishes
that would be sweet, salty, sour, spicy and bitter all
at the same time, making it easily one of the
favorite dishes of many.
Chef's Tip: Barbecue is best enjoyed with atcharang papaya (pickled raw papaya)
to cut into the richness of the meat.
 Activity Sheet
PHILIPPINE REGIONAL CUISINE
ACTIVITY #2
NAME: SCORE:
COURSE/YEAR/SECTION: DATE:

PART I. Identification. Give the answer of what is being asked

_______________________________________1. What is this spicy dish that features taro leaves

bundled together, filled with shredded taro leaves, bits of meat and or shrimp, onion, ginger,
garlic, lots and lots of chilis, all stewed in coconut milk?
_______________________________________2. Filipinos love noodles, be it egg noodles, rice
noodles, vermicelli, fried, in soup, with sauce. What do Filipinos call noodle dishes?
_______________________________________3. Paksiw is a sour soup flavoured with vinegar and
garlic. Another sour soup from the Philippines features stewed fish, meat (pork or beef), or shrimp
and one, or two, or more of vegetables like spinach, eggplant, okra. What is this "soup-that's also-a-
main-dish" called?
_______________________________________4. What is the Filipino version of a spring roll?
_______________________________________5. Filipinos love a hearty breakfast and it usually
consists of some kind of fried breakfast meat, fried egg and fried rice. What is the fried rice that is
made from frying leftover rice in garlic and/or onion?
_______________________________________6. This is a stew made of oxtail (and sometimes tripe),
flavoured and thickened with ground roasted peanuts (or even peanut butter) and toasted ground rice .
It also has vegetables, and is served with sauteed shrimp paste.
_______________________________________7. Filipinos, especially those from Southern Luzon,
love to add coconut milk to their food, whether savory main dishes, or desserts. What do you call
Filipino foods that have been stewed in coconut milk?
_______________________________________8. What is the Filipino version of the sausage?
_______________________________________9. Filipinos love to celebrate and a celebration is hardly
complete without a whole roasted pig, also known as?
_________________________________________10. It is a dish The dish, which is widely enjoyed in
Davao, also has interesting textures from the cooked pork, raw fish and vegetables like raw
cucumbers and radishes.

Prepared by:

Maria Concepcion A. Orge,MBA

 Philippine Regional Cuisine

Chapter 3

Philippine Condiments and Cooking Methods

Chapter 3
Philippine Condiments and Cooking Methods

Introduction
In the Philippines, vinegar, soy sauce, calamansi, and patis are prominent condiments in
addition to salt and pepper. The many prevalent dipping sauces in the area are made up of a mix and
distinct regional variations of these basic sauces.

Specific Objectives
At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:
1. Demonstrate strong skills in identifying the Philippine Condiments.
2. Demonstrate a professional understanding o f the role of Philippine Condiments in
Philippine Cuisine.
3. Compare the similarities and differences of culinary arts of each of the regions.
4. Explore the cooking methods and techniques in Filipino Cuisine.
5. Develop professional skills in cooking.

Duration
Chapter 3: Philippine Condiments and Cooking Methods (6 hours)

3.1 Filipino Condiments

The generic term for condiments in Filipino cuisine is sawsawan (Philippine Spanish: sarsa).
Unlike sauces in other Southeast Asian regions, most sawsawan are not prepared beforehand, but are
assembled on the table according to the preferences of the diner.

 Atchara – a sweet pickled papaya relish. Also used as a side dish

 Bagoong – 99

/https://www.google.com/imgres?q=atchara https://www.google.com/imgres?q=bagoong
 Toyomansi - The most common type of sawsawan is the (toyo’t kalamansi), which is a
mixture of soy sauce, calamansi, and native siling labuyo. It can also be seasoned with
vinegar and patis (fish sauce). This sauce is typically served with roasted meat dishes.
 Sukang may sili - vinegar mixed with another ingredient like siling labuyo, garlic (suka’t
bawang), soy sauce (sukang may toyo), and so on. This can be elaborated further by
adding a range of spices and even fruits, resulting in dipping sauces like sinamak (spiced
vinegar). Suka Pinakurat is a popular brand of spiced vinegar in the Philippines.
Other notable ingredients added to these kinds of sawsawan include shallots, whole black
peppercorns, sugar, siling haba, wansoy (cilantro), ginger, and so on. Sawsawan are also
unique in that they can function as marinades.
 Sweet chili sauce - made from cornstarch, salt, sugar, and tomato or banana ketchup.
When made with hot peppers like siling labuyo, it becomes a sweet chili sauce. It is the
traditional /dipping sauces of fried dishes like lumpia or okoy.
 Chill garlic sauce - made from minced chilis, especially siling labuyo, and fried garlic.
Some add powdered dried shrimp or finely minced meat to the sauce. It is usually
consumed with siomai as a sauce made with soy sauce and typically spritzed with
calamansi.
 Palapa - a sweet and spicy condiment
that originated with the Maranao people
of Lanao del Sur in the Philippines. It's
made from a combination of ingredients
like coconut, ginger, scallions, and
chilies, and is often used to add flavor
to rice and other dishes. Palapa can be
used as an appetizer or condiment, and
goes well with many foods, including
grilled fish, chicken, tacos,
sandwiches, and
More

 Buro - it's a native delicacy that is common

in central Luzon. The dish is made of cooked
rice, raw fish, and red yeast rice which is then
fermented for around a week.
  Aligue - This is a savory paste derived
from crab roe or fat preserved in garlic
and oil, with other ingredients like
calamansi, vinegar, and others. It is
typically sauteed and eaten as is with
rice, with shellfish or over fried garlic
rice.

 Banana ketchup - a sweet, red condiment made primarily of bananas.

 Latik - a thick syrup made from coconut milk and sugar.
 Lechon sauce - also known as liver sauce or breadcrumb sauce made out of ground liver
or liver pâté, vinegar, sugar, and spices. A sweet, tangy light-brown sauce used in roasts
and the pork dish called lechon.
 Ensaladang mangga - green mango relish with tomatoes and onions.
 Ensaladang talong - skinned grilled eggplant with tomatoes and onions

https://www.google.com/imgres?q=ensalada

3.2 Filipino Methods of Cooking

There are many Filipino Cuisine Cooking Methods out there and it is just a combination
of procedures and basic ingredients. Although Filipino food is one of complexity with its varied
origins of Malay, Chinese and Spanish, yet the cooking methods are rather simple.
Basically, the four cooking methods that support the foundation of Filipino cookery are
boiling (nilaga), grilling (ihaw), roasting and steaming (halabos). These cooking methods form
the very basis of the modern-day demand of healthy cooking. It was not until the arrival of the
Spanish that the method of sauteeing (guisado) was “Filipinized” and introduced into the
Filipino kitchen, adding to the basic forms of Filipino cookery.

Filipino food is basically a potluck of a variety of styles. Our food traditions originally
came from the Malay, Chinese and Spanish cooking styles. There might also be a hint of Indian
 and American influences. Some foreigners might find some Filipino recipes weird simply
because of the methods of cooking, but our methods usually produce very flavorful and savory
dishes that you would surely like.
Here is a rundown of Filipino cooking methods. If you want to try several Filipino
recipes in the future, I'm sure you would encounter many of these methods in:

 Adobo - traditionally just cooked in vinegar and garlic, but after the Chinese came soy
sauce was introduced
 Binanlian - anything blanched
 Binagoongan - cooked with in a fermented fish or shrimp paste called bagoong.
 Binalot - method of wrapping in banana leaves, pandan leaves, palm leaves, parchment
paper or even aluminium foil, similar to the French “en papillote”
 Binuro - fermented or pickled
 Busal - toasted with garlic and oil
 Chicharon - dried and deep fried
 Dinaing - marinated with garlic, vinegar, and black peppers then dried and fried
 Guinataan - cooked with coconut milk and/or cream
 Ginisa - sautéed with garlic and onions, sometimes with ginger and/or tomatoes
 Halabos - cooking method where meats like seafood are steamed in their own juices,
sometimes with a bit of help from soda, stock or just plain water
 Fresh - food served uncooked
 Hinurno/Oven - baked or roasted in an oven
 Inihaw - grilled over charcoal
 Kinilaw - “cooked” in an acidic liquid such as vinegar or citrus juice
 Lechon/Nilechon - roasted on a spit
 Lumpia/Turon - wrapped in a spring roll wrapper or something similar, lumpia for
savour and turon for sweets
 Minatamis - cooked in sugar
 Nilaga - simple method of boiling food
 Nilasing - cooked with spirits or liquor like beer, gin or wine
 Pinakbet - cook with vegetables like long beans, squash, eggplant and okra
 Pinatisan - cooked using fish sauce as its main flavour
 Paksiw/Pinaksiw - stewed in vinegar
 Pinangat - boiled in salted water with vegetables and/or fruit
 Pinikpikan - a very brutal way of preparing meats where live animal is beaten with a
stick to death before butchering and cooking. This method bruises the animal and it gives
different texture and flavour to the skin
 Pinirito - anything fried
 Relleno - anything stuffed
 Sarciado - cooked with a thick sauce, usually with tomatoes
 Sinangag - pan-fried with lots of garlic
 Sinigang - method of cooking meats and vegetables in soup using sour fruits like
tamarind, calamansi, etc.
 Tapa/Tinapa - sun dried or smoke dried
 Tinola - soup dish cooked with ginger and garlic
 Tostado - method where food is toasted to a crispy state
 Totso - cooked with fermented black beans
 “Turon/Turrones” - wrapped with an edible wrapper; dessert counterpart of lumpia.
 Activity Sheet
PHILIPPINE REGIONAL CUISINE
ACTIVITY #3
NAME: SCORE:
COURSE/YEAR/SECTION: DATE:

PART I. Identification. Give the answer of what is being asked.

____________________________________ 1. One of the Filipino condiments is fermented

rice which can be colored plain or dark pink and sometimes with fish, mainly a
condiment for steamed/ boiled vegetables like okra, sweet potato leaves (talbos ng
kamote), eggplant, etc.
____________________________________ 2. It is one of the Philippine Condiments that is made of
skinned grilled eggplants with tomatoes.
____________________________________ 3. It is one of the Philippine condiments that is made
of green mango relish with tomatoes and onions.
____________________________________ 4. One of the Philippine condiments that is made of a
sweet pickled papaya relish. It is also used as a side dish.
____________________________________ 5. It is one of Philippine condiments that is also
known as liver sauce or breadcrumb sauce made out of ground liver or liver pate,
vinegar, sugar, and spices. A sweet, tangy light-brown sauce used in roasts and the
pork dish.
____________________________________ 6. It is one of Philippine condiments that is (Visayan
usage only) a thick syrup made from coconut milk and sugar.
____________________________________ 7. It is one of Philippine condiments that is made of a
sour sauce made of grilled eggplant, garlic and vinegar. Used in cocidos and as a side dish.

Part II. Identify the popular cooking methods and terms

____________________________________ 8. Sauteed with garlic, onions or tomatoes.

____________________________________ 9. Boiled in a sour broth usually with a
tamarind base. Other common souring agents.
____________________________________10. To cook with eggs in the manner of an omelette.
____________________ 11. fish or seafood marinated in vinegar or
juice calamansi along with garlic, onions, ginger, tomato, peppers.
_____________________12. Literally "wrapped." This generally refers to dishes wrapped in
banana leaves, pandan leaves, or even aluminum foil.
_____________________13. "Filled" as in siopao, though "palaman" also
refers to the filling in a sandwich.
 _______________________14. Cooked with coconut milk.
______________________________________15. Marinated with garlic, vinegar, and black
peppers. Sometimes dried and usually fried before eating

PART III. ESSAY

1. What are the examples of condiments?

2. What are Filipino spices?
3. Why using condiments is important in Philippine cuisine?
4. What is the best condiment?
5. What are the cooking methods of Filipino?
6. What are the ten (10) cooking methods?
7. What are the fourteen (14) cooking methods?
8. What is cooking in Filipino?

PART IV. ONLINE ACTIVITY

1. Prepare a food blog about Types of Cooking Methods in the Philippines.

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 Chapter 4
Luzon Cuisine
"If you're a happy person around food, you can be a professional chef. It's
fueled by passion” -Rabveer Brar

Introduction
There are several natural wonders in the Philippines. When it comes to our culinary
heritage, this is also accurate. Our food is fascinating because it is a fusion of several cultures
brought together in one pot of pleasure.

Specific Objectives
At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:
1. Explore the different cuisines in Luzon.
2. Learn the cooking methods and techniques in Luzon.
3. Discuss the origin of the dishes. Its main components and how it is being prepared by the
natives.
4. Prepare and present a selection of recipe
-
Duration
Chapter 4. Luzon Cuisine (6 hours)

Introduction

Philippine gastronomy is exclusive to the Philippines. It ranges from appetizing, to exotic and
savory. Being an archipelago, the country is divided into three major islands, namely Luzon, Visayas
and Mindanao. In the Philippines you can find nearly all of the world's cuisines-but with a twist. Its
taste is suited to the Philippine palate. Every region in the country actually has its own version of
some dishes, despite having specialties that are unique to their area

. Given that the Philippines has 16 regions, it is not surprising to taste "regional diversities" in
their food. Although Filipino food consists of simple and tropical cuisine, in major regions there
have been mushrooming of different styles. The variations in regional taste buds can be traced on the
basis of factors such as natural resources-the production of different lands and seas, animals and
plants, as well as the regional character of local people from different islands.
 Luzon cuisine varies by region but all of them are easily recognized by the local ingredients to
each destination. Luzon's most popular culinary destinations are Pampanga or the Philippine
Culinary Capital which serves a mix of savory dishes while in the south, Batangas is recognized as
the country’s culinary heritage and the Ilocos for its one of the most oldest adorned regional cuisine.
Throughout this chapter, however, Northern Luzon cuisine will be discussed, which has always been
loved by all, local and foreign alike.

4.1 Luzonese Cuisine

llocanos, from the rugged llocos region, boast of a diet heavy in boiled or steamed vegetables and
freshwater fish, but they are particularly fond of dishes flavored with bagoong, fermented fish that is often
used instead of salt. llocanos often season boiled vegetables with bagoong monamon (fermented
anchovy paste) to produce pinakbet. Local specialties include the soft white larvae of ants and "jumping
salad" of tiny live shrimp.

Due to its mild, sub-tropical climate, Baguio, along with the outlying
mountainous regions, is renowned for its produce. Temperate-zone fruits and
vegetables (strawberries being a notable example) which would otherwise wilt in
lower regions are grown there. It is also known for a snack called sundot kulangot
which literally means "poke the booger." It's actually a sticky kind of sweet made
from milled glutinous rice flour mixed with molasses, and served inside pitogo shells,
and with a stick to "poke" its sticky substance with.

4.1 Region 1 Northern Luzon Dishes

The northwestern part of the island, which comprises most of the Ilocos region, is
characterized by a flat terrain that stretches east from the coastline towards the central mountains
of the Cordillera. Ilocano Cuisine Ilocos is located at the northern most part of the Philippines. The
area is very mountainous and prone to typhoons. In the past it took very long travels to get grocery
supplies from the main cities.

Today even with better road conditions it still takes around 10 hours to get to Ilocos from
Manila via land. So Ilocanos are known to be the thriftiest race in the country. Their food is not
heavy on thick sauces or rich in condiments. They use ingredients that are abundant in their
surroundings and they keep their food simple.

In fact Ilocano cuisine is very reflective of the four foundation cooking methods of Filipino
cuisine. These methods are boiling, grilling, roasting and steaming. These were the basic cooking
methods of our ancestors before the foreign influences on our food.
Ilocano cuisine is surprisingly delicious, exotic and at the same time it is the most intriguing
of all the regional cuisines in the Philippines. I say intriguing for the following reasons:

1. For someone who is not Ilocano and the does not speak the dialect, the dishes have very
funny sounding names.
2. The ingredients used like intestines, bile, lots of liver, tripe, kidneys, crickets, cow’s skin,
ant eggs, dog, maybe a bit unusual for the regular palette.
3. Most dishes are soupy instead of saucy. From a technical point of view- they make
minimal use thickening agents like rice flour, flour or roux.
4. They use a lot of local leafy vegetables, vegetable blossoms, and if not handled properly
can easily be overcooked. the two most popular condiments used are bagoong called aramang
(fish/shrimp sauce or paste) and Ilocos vinegar. Ilocano vinegar has a higher concentration of
acidity compared to commercially produced palm vinegar. Another distinct flavor found in the
dishes of this region is bitterness. This is attributed to their love for ampalaya (bitter gourd or bitter
melon) and the sparing use of bile (bitter-tasting fluid found in the gallbladder of goats or cattle)

FESTIVITIES

 Binatbatan Festival The "Heritage City," as Vigan is known, bursts into merry colors through
its Binatbatan Festival, luring hordes of local and foreign tourists to its streets lined up with
ancestral houses. The festival got its name from the Iluko term batbatin, or separating cotton balls
from the seeds of the local fruit tree kapas sanglay. The cotton balls are then spun and used in
weaving the inabel fabric or woven cloth which is Ilocano’s living treasure of all time. Showcasing
Vigan’s delicacies like the royal bibingka, longganisa and empanada also highlight the events
including calesa and Ramada decor contest.

● Guling-guling Festival The 400-years old living festival in the country introduced by the
Spanish friars, Guling-Guling Festival is a traditional occasion that happens yearly in the month of
February in Paoay, Ilocos Norte. It takes place before Ash Wednesday or the beginning of the Lent
season, also known as "Semana Santa," which starts 40 days before Easter. It is celebrated before
the Lenten season as the last day of merry-making and fun for the townspeople. The Ilocano word
"guling" means to mark or to smear. The town mayor will smear a cross sign implying purity on
the person's forehead. They also believe that the mark in their forehead will cleanse all of their past
sins. The cross is a white color made up of wet and white rice flour. The event activities other than
dance competition, cultural shows and ulnas parade (wooden sled), dudol and basi are devoured by
the sightseers. Dudol is an indigenous delicacy composed of bel-laay rice flour, coconut milk,
sugar cane juice and anise. While basi is made from sugar cane extract and samak, which is the
official drink of the Guling-Guling merrymakers, a plant commonly grown in the Ilocos region.

● Longganisa Festival Longganisa festival is held in the city of Vigan during the month of January.
Not as popular as the Sinulog or Ati-Atihan and other festivals, this festival attracted foreign and
local tourists every year. The street festival features concourses for music and longganisa cooking.
These plump, brown loops of spicy meat, distinctly flavored with garlic and Ilokano sugar cane
vinegar, are so famed that the Ilokanos begin their year by celebrating its existence.

● Santa Ipon Festival Ipon is actually a very tiny species of fish being caught only in season during
the months of August until not later than February and its Thanksgiving celebration usually held
during the month of November. This small fish is only indigenous to the provinces of Ilocos Norte,
Ilocos Sur and Cagayan Valley.

 Empanada Festival Annually held in the city of Batac, Ilocos Norte, empanada festival is
highlighted by imaginative floats, colorful and decorated costumes during the street dance parade,
a dance drama demonstration, the sale of souvenir goods, a concert by well-known country artists
and a firework display. The Batac Empanada demonstrates the entirety of socially mediated
patterns of behavior and characteristics of Ilocanos as industrious, resourceful, imaginative, simple
and frugal people. It also characterizes the prevalent attitudes, activities and way of life of the
Ilocanos.

● Pinakbet Festival Marcos Municipality in Ilocos Sur is set to celebrate its Pinakbet Festival,
proud of the town's favorite Ilokano dish known locally as pinakbet, a mixture of native vegetables
steamed with fish sauce. Held every month of March, the celebration of Pinakbet Festival is a
repository of the town's Ani (harvest) festival.

SIGNATURE DISHES

Pinakbet or Pakbet Pinakbet is a common dish from Filipno,

originating in Ilocos. Pinakbet comes from the Ilocan word
'pinakebbet' meaning 'withered' or 'dried up' Pinakbet has lots of
ingredients. Most of these are okra, aubergine, chili pepper, onion,
eggplant, string beans, bitter melon, etc. This dish is typically
aromatized with garlic , onion, and ginger as well. It is considered a
very balanced Ilocano cuisine but there's more to this dish. This is
an enduring sign of the taste of the Ilocano, and a strong example of
the past of conflicts and struggles with the physical and social
climate of the Ilocanos. The recipe interweaves intimations of the
Ilokanos' cultural products to their dry and less competitive land.

Dinengdeng
It is also known as inabraw, and is classified as a dish based on
bagoong soup. It is similar to pinakbet but has less vegetables and
contains more bagoong as a base for soup. Sweet melon, cabbage,
sweet potato, string beans, sayote, eggplant, chili, banana blossoms,
corn, okra, winter melon (upo), mushrooms, cassava, taro, and so
much more. Some even add fried leftover fish or other meats to the
platter.

Bagnet
Bagnet is a versatile, edible food with or without
condiments. It is usually sprinkled with garlic in vinegar or in
fish paste. It is also a favorite dish among many Filipinos.
Bagnet is one of Filipinos' well-known and much-loved cuisine.
Bagnet is also called "sitsaron" or "chicharon" in other towns but
it is only synonymous with Narvacan's bagnet. Bagnet is very
popular in Ilocos Sur, particularly in the city of Narvacan where
the Bagnet Festival is held in the month of December every
year. Bagnet can be cooked in many ways to seek and explore,
such as Bagnet con ampalaya, Bagnet paksiw, Bagnet adobo,
Bagnet pinakbet, Bagnet na siopao or Bagpao and many others.

Empanada
There are essentially two types of empanadas in Ilocos,
one is Laoag's Batac empanada, Ilocos Norte, and the other is
the Vigan empanada, which can be found in Vigan , Ilocos Sur.
Such empanadas come with the same basic ingredients,
preparation process and cooking method as Batac empanada is
colored orange, as it uses achuete for fruit coloring and its
fillings consist of Laoag Longganisa which is considered salty.
On the other hand, Vigan empanadas are lighter in colour, since
it has no decoration and a thinner and more crunchy crust than
the Batac empanada. Vigan Empanada uses its very own
longganisa of Vigan as its trademark and opts to use sprouts.
Vinegar is a typical dip of the Ilocano empanadas.

Vigan Longganisa
Vigan Longganisa is the special salty, spicy sausage delicacy of
the Region of Ilocos. Although other regions manufacture sweet
sausages, the locals use a variety of marinades, such as Sukang
Iloko, to give the distinct tang to Vigan Longganisa. Garlic is
also used abundantly to create this, making Vigan Longganisa
 unique by its resulting flavour. Some parts of the region are
using thoroughly cleaned pork intestines as an alternative casing
for sausage.
-

Pinapaitan (also Singanglao) "Pait" is a Filipino word

meaning "bitter," and "pinapaitan" translates loosely into "make
bitter," 66 sums up the taste of this dish. Made of tender beef, ox
tripe, small intestines, heart, bile and large green chilies with
very thin stripes. Squeezing some calamansi into the dish to
balance the flavor will tonic the bitterness down. Singanglao is
often cooked with kamias.

Poqui-Poqui
Poqui poqui is a popular Ilocos based Filipino dish. The grilled
eggplants are first peeled to prepare, then chopped and sautéed
with garlic, onions or shallots, and tomatoes.

Pangasinan
Pangasinan is the biggest province in Ilocos region. It boasts white sand beaches,
caves, miraculous shrines and churches and other famous tourist destinations in the province.
Because of its vast area, Pangasinan also houses coastal and agricultural products that made it on
top of the Pangasinense palate. Traditional Pangasinan dishes are noted with its use of bagoong
(fish paste) in their veggie dishes and cow or goat innards with their meat soup dishes, while
desserts are primarily made of rice made sweet in sugar and coconut concoctions and made with a
tempting aroma by cooking it under wood. In the province of Pangasinan, food is diverse and
delicious—as a result of the different topography and culture of its regions.

Here are some Pangasinan Famous Dishes:

Tupig Intemtem or Tupig is a popular native delicacy from Pangasinan
which is made out of ground glutinous rice and coconuts strips wrapped
in banana leaves then cooked over charcoal. During the old days this
rice cake was served only during Christmas and New Year, it was
also believed that it was given commonly to carollers during Christmas
(Like sweet treats given on trick or treats in the West). Then in the
1960’s it started to become commercially popular and the rest was history. Now you see them
everywhere from the streets to the fresh markets and specialty shops, new types of flavours have
been created like jackfruit, pandan, strawberry, purple yam (ube) and guava to name some.

Kaleskes is a Pangasinense term for intestine, as the name suggests its

main ingredient is intestine, either from carabao or cow. While this dish
is common in Galvan street, where it had originated is a different place,
it was in Herrero-Perez and the best Kaleskesan stalls are found there.
Kaleskes in its basic form is made with intestines cooked in a soup form
sautéed in garlic, onions and chillies in annatto oil, usually it is consumed with beer as a pulutan.
Other versions add pancreas, heart, dugo (blood) and sebo (fat) but everything is served with
bottomless soup.

Pigar pigar, is a very popular street food in Dagupan, Philippines it’s so popular
it has its own festival. This dish is a very simple dish that is made out really thin
slices of beef and liver quickly deep-fried and served with fresh slices of onions.
Though the popular meat used nowadays is beef the original version uses carabeef
a meat that comes from carabao, also called water buffalo.

BINUNGEY is the popular sweet sticky rice dessert made from Bolinao,
Pangasinan. Also known as 'bamboo cake', Binungey is a mixture of sticky
rice, coconut milk, coconut meat, and water slowly cooked inside a bamboo
shell. BINUNGEY has a similar taste to tupig but tastes sweeter. It's first
wrapped in banana leaves then placed in a hollow bamboo tube. Once cooked,
it is cut into a half to expose the sticky rice cake inside. You can request for
additional coconut meat in a caramelized brown sugar as a topings.

4.1 Region II Cuisine

 *-
(Cagayan Valley) Cagayan Valley, a part of the country that not only takes pride in
its historical treasures and unexplored locales, but also boasts of having picturesque deep
caverns, wide arable lands, and the long, immense Cagayan river that is abundant of fresh
water fish, crustaceans, and other seafoods.

The Cagayan Valley region, otherwise known as region II, is located at the northern
tip of the Philippines and is composed of five provinces: Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya,
Quirino, and

Batanes. Its capital is Tuguegarao City and is located at the northeastern part of the of
Luzon. Cagayan, not to be mistaken from the city in Mindanao named Cagayan de Oro, also
includes the Babuyan Islands to the north.

Among its many features, Region II is also known to be the country's tilapia capital
(species of cichlid fishes from the tilapine cichlid tribe), as well as the country's rice and corn
granary because of its fertile lands.

People say that although the Cagayan might lack commercial sources, its people,
known as the Ibanag, Ybanag, Ybanak ,Ibanak or simply the Cagayanos, will be able to
survive through tough times not only because of the region's abundant resources, but because
of the flair of its people for making delicious delicacies.

Delicacies mostly served in the Cagayan region include rice cakes, Pinakbet, Pansit
Cabagan, Tapang Baka, Ginisa Nga Agurong, Tuguegarao Longganisa, Pancit Batil Patung,
and the Guinataang Alimasag (crabs in coconut milk) of Batanes.

Famous Dishes around Cagayan Valley

Pancit Batil Patong or Pancit Tuguegarao is made out of pansit

miki Tuguegarao, minced carabao meat (water buffalo), bean sprouts
, and other vegetables topped with egg and chicharon. Batil Patong
if directly translated means “beat the egg” for Batil and “placed on
top” for Patong and that explains the egg on top. These two combined
words are the process on how this iconic pancit is prepared. It is made
from pancit miki that is cooked in a simmering carabeef and pork broth.
The separate soup which is served together with the pancit in a separate small bowl is made
from the broth with a “binatil”/whisked egg. The pancit is then topped/ “pinatungan” with
different kinds of sautéed vegetables, ground carabeef, crushed chicharon/pork cracklings and
a poached egg.

Pancit Cabagan is a pansit version from the town of Cabagan in Isabela,

Philippines. It can be considered as one of the most popular food in the
province. This pansit version makes use of miki noodles, Lechon Carajay,
and eggs similar to that of Pancit Batil Patung. However, the eggs are
boiled and not poached. Quail eggs are commonly used to make this dish.
This pansit version also has more sauce compared to the others. The noodles are not
submerged in sauce or broth, so this cannot be categorized as a mami or noodle soup.

Another noodle dish by the Ybanags, Sinanta is usually eaten as snacks

and served during birthdays. The soup is a mix of everything—
sotanghon and miki noodles, chicken, pork and clams, all swimming on
a soup flavored with patis (fish sauce). It is usually paired with pinakufu,
a sweet rice cake, and hot choco.

42.3 Region III Central Luzon Cuisine

Central Luzon is home to seven of the Philippines’ most bustling provinces.
Pampanga and Tarlac are just two of the most popular, and each has its own unique attractions
and personalities.
Central Luzon is the place to be if you’re seeking Filipino food. Producing the
largest amount of rice for the country, Luzon is no stranger to cooking mouth-watering
culinary creations with this staple ingredient. Great food creates a great culture.

Cuisine in Luzon vary based on the regions but they all are easily identified by
the ingredients that are local to each destination. The most popular culinary destinations in
Luzon are
serves a mix of savory dishes and The Bicol region is known for spicy foods that infuse
coconut milk. Pampanga.
Pampanga or the Culinary Capital of the Philippines

Ask any Filipino what he or she thinks of Pampanga – chances are you would hear the
words sisig, beauty queens, lahar (volcano’s pyroclastic material), Clark Duty Free,
crucifixions, and the sin city of Angeles. While, partly, it does describe some of the facets of
Pampanga- the province does have something more than that.
Pampanga, 2-3 hours north of Manila, and sits on the wide plains of Central Luzon, got
its name from the word pampang or riverbank as the early Kapampangans (the natives-literally
meaning riverbank dwellers) living near the banks of the notable Pampanga River. Today,
Pampanga is known as the Culinary Capital of the Philippines and its cuisine is thought to be
the

most evolved of all Philippine culinary traditions. Kare-Kare (Oxtail in Vegetables and Peanut
Soup), Kilawin (Ceviche) and Sizzling Sisig are one of it notable contributions to this
tradition. 4Pampango’s Best and Mekeni Foods are synonymous with producing excellent
Kapampangan version of traditional Filipino-style cured meats and sausages – tocino, tapas,
and chorizos/longganisa.

Famous Pampanga Dish

On top of the list of dishes that is well known to be an original Kapampangan dish is –
sisig. The dish consists of different pig parts (mostly coming from the head) mixed with
chicken or pork liver. With these ingredients, the Kapampangan’s were able to create an iconic
dish that is very well known around the country. World-renowned television chef Andrew
Zimmern includes sisig as one of the dishes that can change the world. You can never claim
that you went to Pampanga if you have not tasted the authentic Kapampangan sisig.

Having expansive rice fields throughout

the province, it’s no doubt that the critters found
in these fields ended up in the plates of
Kapampangans. Categorized as exotic or bizzare,
the betute (stuffed frog) and camaru (crickets)
are a favorite to locals. While frog legs are
 common for the French, Kapampangan’s eat their
frog whole, stuffed with ground pork meat, and
then deep fried. And while others cringe when
thinking of eating insects, Kapampangan’s just
love their crickets cooked adobo style called
camaru.

Buro or balo-balo is basically fermented rice (mixed

with shrimp or fish) which is a popular condiment in
Pampanga. Some find eating buro extreme, maybe
because of its pungent smell and appearance, but it
makes eating much better. Once you overcome the
thought of eating fermented rice, you might find
eating buro delectable especially with deep fried
hito (cat fish), mustasa (mustard greens), and boiled vegetables (okra, eggplant, etc.) on the side.
The tocino is probably one o the famed
products of Pampanga that has been a staple of
Filipino breakfast item for many years. If it’s
your first time to hear about this dish, tocino is a
processed pork meat that is sweet and salty when
cooked, perfect for rice and sunny side up egg on
the side. While this product is available
nationwide, you should not miss-out on the
chance to taste the authentic Kapampangan
tocino that is offered only in the province which
is “Pindang Damulag” – a thinly sliced carabao
meat cured with vinegar and seasonings. The
taste of pindang is sour compared to the sweet
tocino that we are all familiar with, but pair it
with a cup of rice with sliced tomatoes on the
side, and you’ll surely experience one taste that is
uniquely Kapampangan. –

Besides their main dishes, Kapampangans also take their

desserts seriously. One dessert that you should try when
visiting Pampanga is tibuk-9tibuk. This is Pampanga’s
version of Maja Blanca that is traditionally made with
carabao’s milk, with a hint of dayap zest (local lemon)
with latik on top. Tibuk-tibuk or tibok is literally
translated as “heart beat” that describes the bubbles
pulsating up and down (that looks like a beating heart)
when the pudding is cooked.

Bataan

When it comes to food, the Philippines is always unique. In fact,

each province in the country boasts of their own delicacies that everybody
should really love. First off is the province of Bataan, which is very
well known for the Death March popular during the World War II era.

If you want to taste the top delicacies of the Philippines, Bataan is never the last to be
mentioned. Here are the best that Bataan has to offer to local and foreign tourists. Cebu has its own
‘danggit’ when it comes to dried fish, but Bataan has their own delicacy named ‘tinapa’. This is very
common as a homecoming treat or locally known as pasalubong. The milkfish or ‘bangus’ is the top
choice for tinapa that comes in boneless and savory, ready for that craving appetite. Tinapa can be
sold at the market of Balanga city. Danggit is also available within Bataan to save you some time
when buying goods as a homecoming treat for your own family.

Cashew Butter This can be comparative to peanut butter, which is

also creamy, decadent, and yummy. This can be used as ingredient for
‘kare-kare’, which is a local term for dish cooked with curry. Cashew
is harvested in Bagac town which provide the main ingredient of the
butter. This should be perfect for locals, foreigners and balikbayans
or returning migrant local citizens.

If you crave for pancit, this is a

 good place to find their own version,
which is known as Pansit Palabok. This
can be found in Orani, Bataan. If you’re a
fan of spaghetti, forget about it for a while
and taste this extraordinary flavor that
Orani is popular for

Bulacan
Regarded as the Culture Capital of the Philippines this province is the home to many national
artist, native arts, crafts and traditions.

Bulakeno food is prepared using the old fashioned way. Cooking mudfish, for example,
involves fermenting fish and packed them into banana stalks before burying them in live coals.

Bulacan food is popular with its specialty in a variety of rice cakes for desserts or locally
called panghimagas: kutsinta, sapin-sapin-suman, cassava cake, halaya ube and pastillas de leche, the
famed delicacy from San Miguel, Bulacan.

Since animal-raising is a major industry in the province, Bulacan is also known for meat
dishes. It is popular for chicharon (pork rinds). The province has its version of preparing relleno and
galantina. Bulacan also has the strange way of roasting chicken, sitting in clay pot sprinkled with salt;
asado or pot roast ; and estofado, pork leg ; and kare-kare, stewed beef in peanut sauce better than
other regions.

Empanadang Kaliskis (Malolos) – flaky and crunchy empanada,

recipe of which is more than 200 years old

.
Nilagang Manok na Puti with Asparagus – historically,
Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo’s favorite dish of an imported chicken
breed cooked like the usual nilaga (sliced saba, cabbage, etc.)
but added with asparagus stalks; today, a Malolos restaurant’s
offering, among other heroes’ favorites.
Pilipit – traditional Filipino deepfried twisted doughnut.
It is made with flour, eggs, milk, salt, and baking powder. It is crunchy and has a hard texture.

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PHILIPPINE REGIONAL CUISINE 49
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PHILIPPINE REGIONAL CUISINE 50

PHILIPPINE REGIONAL CUISINE 51
PHILIPPINE REGIONAL CUISINE 52
References:

Melchor, Jose Antonio R., Manzano, Vizconde, Angelie Marie L., Philippine Regional Cuisine,
Edric Publishing House, 2021

Barretto, Glenda., Calalang, Conrad., Fores, Margarita., Segismundo, Myrna., Sincioco, Jessie.,
Tayag, Claude., Kulinarya, Anvil Publishing Inc, 2016

https://kc.qsu.edu.ph/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Philippine-Regional-Cuisine.pdf

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