Defining “What Is Filipino Food” can be a complex question, even for Filipinos themselves. The cuisine is a vibrant tapestry woven from indigenous traditions and centuries of global influences. From Spanish-named dishes like embutido and lechon to Chinese-influenced lumpia and pancit, alongside native staples like kinilaw and sinigang, the Philippines offers a unique and diverse culinary landscape. As Doreen Fernandez notes, Filipino cuisine is dynamic, constantly evolving by absorbing influences and adapting to new tastes. This makes it difficult to pinpoint a single, all-encompassing definition.
Instead of getting caught up in definitions, a more accessible approach is to explore the key dishes and culinary traditions that make Filipino food so special. This includes iconic dishes like adobo, pancit, and lumpia, alongside the ways Filipinos share and enjoy their food.
Understanding Filipino Food Through Key Categories
Filipino meals aren’t typically structured around courses. Instead, food is served family-style, with a focus on sharing and abundance. Here’s a look at some essential categories of Filipino cuisine: rice, soups and stews, pulutan, fiesta food, and sweets.
In Filipino homes, large bowls and platters of food are placed on the table, encouraging everyone to serve themselves. White rice is a constant companion, and dishes meant to be eaten with rice are placed in the center. Small bowls of vinegar, fish sauce, bagoong (fermented seafood), and calamansi (a citrus fruit) provide opportunities for diners to customize their meals. For special occasions, kamayan is a traditional way of eating where food is served directly on banana leaves.
Rice: The Heart of Filipino Cuisine
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Filipino-Features-RICE-8d457fa31f794803afffa8b574188a94.jpg)
Rice is fundamental to Filipino life. It’s more than just a food; it’s a symbol of prosperity and wealth. Plain white rice accompanies virtually every meal, acting as the perfect canvas for the bold and flavorful dishes. Elizabeth Ann Besa-Quirino emphasizes, “Every Filipino dish was meant to be eaten with rice…rice was meant to catch those sauces.” Yana Gilbuena adds that plain rice complements, rather than competes with, the other strong flavors on the table.
Leftover rice often transforms into sinangag (garlic fried rice), which, when paired with an egg, becomes the basis for silog, a popular breakfast. Add a salty protein like Spam (Spamsilog), cured beef (Tapsilog), corned beef (Cornsilog), or bacon (Bacsilog) to complete the meal.
Arroz caldo, the Filipino version of congee, is a comforting chicken and rice porridge seasoned with garlic, ginger, and patis (fish sauce). It’s enjoyed as part of a meal or as a snack, and often used as a remedy for colds.
Soups and Stews: A Taste of Home
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Filipino-Features-Soups-and-Stews-1e81ba12ce10481caf3ff58981c347ab.jpg)
Soups and stews are staples in Filipino cuisine. The Filipino word “sabaw” refers to both soup and broth. During meals, it’s common to be asked if you want more sabaw to pour over your rice.
Adobo, often considered the national dish of the Philippines, is a must-try. This dish, which predates Spanish colonization, is both a cooking method and a type of stew made with vinegar. The most common version is chicken or pork stewed in soy sauce, vinegar, peppercorns, bay leaf, and garlic. Variations exist across regions and families, with some using fish, squid, or shrimp, adding coconut milk or turmeric, or cooking the adobo dry or wet.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/optaboutcomcoeusresourcescontent_migration__serious_eatsseriouseats.com201911__20191030-filipino-Sinigang-na-Baboy-pork-vicky-wasik-14-0c4f581b8fd54f4c84385eaf31633297.jpg)
Sinigang is a sour and refreshing soup featuring meat or seafood and vegetables. The sourness can come from tamarind, guava, calamansi, green mango, tomato, or kamias. Pork sinigang is a popular choice, but chicken, salmon, or shrimp are also common. Vegetables like long beans, radishes, taro, eggplant, cabbage, and okra are frequently added.
Dinuguan, sometimes called “chocolate meat”, is a rich pork stew featuring a sauce made from pork blood, vinegar, garlic, onion, and chiles. Traditionally, it’s made with offal, but modern versions often use pork belly or shoulder. Dinuguan is typically served with white rice or puto, a steamed rice cake.
Pinakbet is a savory vegetable stew seasoned with fermented seafood paste, often including eggplant, long beans, bitter melon, okra, and squash. The flavor profile depends on the type of bagoong used: bagoong isda (anchovy paste) offers a deeper, funkier flavor, while bagoong alamang (shrimp paste) has a hint of sweetness.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Kare-KareStep10-ddfc9e69db3f493b95647d59655c6755.jpg)
Kare-kare, meaning “curry-curry,” is a rich stew made with oxtail and tripe. The gravy is thickened with toasted rice and peanuts, or peanut butter for a smoother texture. Annatto gives the gravy its distinctive orange color, while patis adds umami flavor. Kare-kare is typically served with bagoong alamang to cut through the richness.
Pulutan: The Perfect Accompaniment to Good Times
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Filipino-Features-Pulutan-f41edbc2a3f548f3bfe893160de7af1e.jpg)
Pulutan refers to snacks served during inuman (drinking) sessions. These crunchy, salty, and fatty bites are best enjoyed with alcohol. Pulutan can range from simple chicharron (fried pork rinds) dipped in vinegar to more elaborate dishes.
Ukoy are deep-fried shrimp and vegetable fritters. They can be made with whole shrimp or dried shrimp and include a mix of vegetables like sweet potato, cabbage, squash, and bean sprouts. These fritters are delicious dipped in spiced vinegar.
Sizzling sisig, a favorite of Anthony Bourdain, is a chopped dish of pork ears, cheeks, and organs seasoned with soy sauce, calamansi, and chiles. Mayonnaise can be added for creaminess, or a fried egg for richness. Some Filipinos consider it a cure for hangovers.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/20210805-Sisig-Rezel-15-13d8cf604ed942a3af6892b4c2d4538e.jpg)
Lechon kawali is crispy, deep-fried pork belly. The pork is parboiled with seasonings, dried overnight, and then fried until golden. It’s served with vinegar or lechon sauce, a pork liver-based sauce.
Kinilaw is a raw fish dish marinated in vinegar or citrus juice. Similar to adobo, the name refers to both the dish and the marinating method. Variations can include coconut, tabon-tabon (a bitter fruit), sweet mango, or sugar. The kilaw method can also be used on grilled meats, resulting in kilawin.
Fiesta Food: Celebrating Together
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Filipino-Features-Festival-89b533a27efb46c9afcfaed98e21721a.jpg)
Fiestas are a cornerstone of Filipino culture, representing a celebration of labor, community, and life. These gatherings feature special dishes that require significant preparation. A centerpiece of any fiesta is lechon, a whole spit-roasted pig. It’s also customary to receive pabaon, a package of food to take home, symbolizing friendship and goodwill.
Embutido is a meatloaf made with ground pork, raisins, hard-boiled eggs, and ham or sausage. It’s typically steamed or baked and served cold, warm, or fried with sweet and sour sauce or banana ketchup.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/20220328-Embutido-Rezel-Apacionado-39-hero-79e4180e08ca45a3a02bf31564b0b339.jpg)
Lumpiang Shanghai are small egg rolls stuffed with pork and vegetables. Making lumpia is a labor-intensive process, often involving a family assembly line. These crispy snacks are a party favorite.
Pancit, introduced by Chinese traders, symbolizes prosperity and long life. Common pancit dishes include pancit bihon, made with rice vermicelli, chicken, shrimp, and vegetables in a soy sauce-based sauce, and pancit palabok, featuring rice noodles topped with a shrimp-infused annatto sauce and garnished with shrimp, chicharron, hard-boiled eggs, and scallions.
Sweets: A Treat Any Time of Day
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Filipino-Features-Sweets-209858febde24764a61e323d067c2b18.jpg)
Sweets in Filipino cuisine aren’t just for dessert; they’re enjoyed at any time of the day. These sweets can be broadly classified into native sweets, Spanish sweets, and American sweets, all of which have been Filipinized over time.
Native sweets often consist of kakanin, or rice cakes. Examples include biko, a sticky rice cake topped with latik (coconut curds or caramel), and bibingka, a rice cake decorated with cheese and salted duck egg.
Leche flan, a dense custard, is a Spanish influence. Buko pandan, a refreshing fruit salad with pandan jelly, young coconut, cream, and condensed milk, is a Filipino take on American fruit salad. Halo-halo, an iconic shaved ice dessert with leche flan and ube ice cream, offers a unique Filipino experience.
Ultimately, “what is Filipino food” is best answered through exploration and experience. It’s a cuisine rich in history, flavor, and cultural significance, with something to offer every palate.
