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Top 8 Most Loved Filipino Food 2018

The menu wouldn’t be complete without these favorite Filipino food items.

By: Arrah Camillia Quistadio-Manticajon | February 18, 2018
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Filipino food menu
Image: Mesa PH

Filipinos are proud to patronize their own cuisine. Whether for ordinary days or special occasions, one can always expect familiar flavors to be present at the Filipino dinner table. With Filipino food being expected to be the next big ethnic cuisine in 2018, Filipinos have more reason to love homegrown flavors.

Last week, we asked our readers what their top most loved Filipino foods are. Read on to find out which dish made it to the top spot!


8. Halo-halo, lechon, menudo



Filipino food menu

The eighth spot is a three-way tie.

Images: Halo-Halo, Rico’s Lechon, Aji-Ginisa PH

We start off our list with a beloved dessert and two pork dishes.

Halo-halo, which is a popular sweet iced dessert, is believed to have originated from the Japanese dessert kakigori. The introduction of ice by the Americans in the mid-1800s made this cold treat readily available, and the rest is history. Nowadays, you can even get halo-halo with a twist!

No fiesta or special occasion wouldn’t be complete without lechon (roasted suckling pig). To make lechon, the pig is cleaned, washed, seasoned with herbs and spices, then roasted on a rod over a pit of hot charcoal.

Another pork dish in this poll is menudo (pork stew). It is made with slices of pork and pork liver, and mixed with potatoes, chickpeas, carrots, and bell peppers.


7. Sisig, tinapa (smoked fish), turon



Filipino food menu

Sisig, tinapa, and turon all made it to seventh place.

Images: Manam Comfort Filipino, Diádoco via Wikimedia Commons, Rosa Farms

Sisig is a Kapampangan dish is made up of chopped pig jowls and ears. It is then seasoned with calamansi (calamondin) and then served with chopped onions and a whole egg.

For a less sinful dish, there’s tinapa (smoked fish). Tinapa is made from galunggong (blackfin scad) or bangus (milkfish) which is soaked in brine, air-dried, then roasted with wood chips.

Another sweet snack that made it to our list is turon. This delectable treat is made of sliced plantain bananas and jackfruit slices that are dipped in brown sugar then rolled in spring roll wrappers. These are then fried, which turns them into crispy rolls with a coating of caramelized sugar.


6. Crispy pata



Filipino food menu

A tempting dish of crispy pata

Image: Mesa PH

SG readers can’t seem to get enough of pork dishes, as they voted crispy pata (pig thigh) at the sixth spot. Rod Ongpauco, whose family owns the Barrio Fiesta chain of restaurants, is credited with having invented this dish way back in the ‘60s. Customers kept coming back just for their crispy pata, resulting in the dish that Filipinos know and love today.


5. Goto/lugaw, itlog na maalat (salted egg)



Filipino food menu

Lugaw and itlog maalat are tied at the fifth spot.

Images: Lugaw ni Bosing, July Reye Lopez

If you’re craving for something that will warm you up on cold days, then the perfect dish to eat is lugaw (congee) or goto (congee with beef tripe). Lugaw is usually eaten when one gets sick. However, with innovative lugaw stands which offer their unique spin on this dish, one can enjoy this comforting dish any time they want.

Salted egg is made by either curing boiled eggs in a brine solution, or by dipping them in a mixture of clay, water, and salt. The latter is known as the Pateros style of making salted eggs. With its availability in supermarkets and sari-sari stores (sundry neighborhood stores), no wonder it’s a staple food item in every Filipino pantry.


4. Adobo, bulalo



Filipino food menu

Filipinos love meaty dishes like adobo and bulalo.

Images: Rekado Davao, Bulalohan sa Ramirez

The fourth spot is a tie between two meaty dishes.

Nothing has captured the national consciousness quite like adobo. This tangy dish is made by simmering meat in a marinade of vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and black peppercorns. Most restaurants have their version of adobo, but still nothing beats homecooked adobo made by moms.

Another rainy-day comfort food is bulalo or beef shanks and marrow in broth. As the soup boils, all the fat from the beef shank and the marrow from the bone melts into the broth to produce a robustly flavored dish.


3. Tuyo (dried fish)



Filipino food menu

Tuyo gets a gourmet spin.

Image: Athena Wee

Coming in at number three is tuyo or salted dried fish is a popular food for breakfast. While many types of fish can be salted and dried, tuyo specifically refers to sardines prepared this way. Nowadays, tuyo now also comes in bottles aside from vacuum-sealed packets. And since it can be easily found in public markets or local grocery stores, you can fix your craving for something salty and savory any time of the day.


2. Kare-kare



Filipino food menu

A crispy version of kare-kare

Image: 7107 Culture + Cuisine Restaurant

Just below the top spot is kare-kare, or stewed meat in peanut sauce. It is made by boiling the meat—usually oxtail, pork leg, and tripe—in water along with vegetables. It is then thickened with peanut sauce and served with shrimp paste. The rich, savory taste of this dish is the reason why it’s well loved by Filipinos.


1. Sinigang



Filipino food menu

Sinigang na baboy from Mesa

Image: Mesa PH

Landing at the top spot in our poll is sinigang. This soup traditionally uses tamarind as a souring agent, but other ingredients like guava and mangoes can be used as well. To make this dish, meat or fish is simmered with vegetables like kangkong (water spinach) and talong (eggplant) until it becomes tender. With its signature sour kick, Filipinos can’t seem to get enough of this local comfort food.


Which one of these Filipino dishes is your favorite? Let us know in the comments section below!
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About Arrah Camillia Quistadio-Manticajon
Arrah Camillia Quistadio-Manticajon is the current content supervisor for the Visayas region of ShoppersGuide Marketing, Inc. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication degree from UP Cebu. She has previously worked for a business process outsourcing company, a community newspaper, and a global technology company. When not writing, she putters about in the kitchen, baking or testing new recipes.
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Disclaimer: All articles in the Consumers Magazine of Yoorekka are for general information and entertainment purposes only. Although careful research has been made in writing them, Yoorekka does not make any warranty about the completeness and accuracy of all information presented in our articles. Our content is not intended to be used in place of legal, medical, or any professional advice.
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