Philippines Recipes

Philippine cuisine Filipino Lutuing Pilipino or Pagkaing Pilipino consists of the food preparation methods and eating customs found in the Philippines 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 Indian Spanish Chinese and American as well as other Asian Indian cuisine adapted to indigenous ingredients and the local palate

Dishes range from the very simple like a meal of fried salted fish and rice to the elaborate paellas and cocidos created for fiestas of Spanish origin Popular dishes include lechn whole roasted pig longganisa Philippine sausage tapa cured beef torta omelette adobo chicken andor pork braised in garlic vinegar oil and soy sauce or cooked until dry kaldereta meat in tomato sauce stew mechado larded beef in soy and tomato sauce puchero beef in bananas and tomato sauce afritada chicken andor pork simmered in a tomato sauce with vegetables karekare oxtail and vegetables cooked in peanut sauce pinakbet kabocha squash eggplant beans okra and tomato stew flavored with shrimp paste crispy pata deepfried pig's leg hamonado pork sweetened in pineapple sauce sinigang meat or seafood in sour broth pancit noodles and lumpia fresh or fried spring rolls

Filipino cuisine centres around the combination of sweet tamis sour asim and salty alat although in Bicol the Cordilleras and among Muslim Filipinos spicy anghang is a base of cooking flavor

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 Examples include champorado a sweet cocoa rice porridge being paired with tuyo salted sundried 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 smokecured fish while tuyo daing and dangit are corned sundried fish popular because they can last for weeks without spoiling even without refrigeration

Cooking and eating in the Philippines has traditionally been an informal and communal affair centered around the family kitchen Filipinos traditionally eat three main meals a day agahan or almusal breakfast tanghalan lunch and hapunan dinner plus an afternoon snack called merinda also called minandl or minindl 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 flatwareforks knives spoonsbut 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 This practice known as kamayan is rarely seen in urbanized areas However Filipinos tend to feel the spirit of kamayan when eating amidst nature during outoftown trips beach vacations and town fiesta