Gastronomy in the Philippines

These flashcards provide definitions for famous Filipino cuisines and regional delicacies as described in the lecture notes on Philippine Gastronomy.

Pansit

A Hokkien word for "something quickly cooked," referring to noodles introduced by Chinese trade in the 11th Century.

Lumpia

A meat and vegetable mixture rolled in an edible flour wrapper of Chinese origin.

Siopao

Steamed buns filled with meat, influenced by Chinese traders.

Siomai

A type of dumpling consisting of meat in small wrappers that are then steamed.

Tamales

A Mexican delicacy introduced via the Vice Royalty of Mexico, made with a corn-based dough mixture filled with various meats or beans and cheese.

Balbacoa

A traditionally slow-cooked meat dish, often prepared in pits with seasonings or a light broth until very tender.

Adobo

A Spanish-renamed local dish where ingredients (commonly chicken or pork) are braised in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, peppercorn, and bay leaf.

Arroz Caldo

Literally meaning "warm rice," this is a congee or rice porridge usually enjoyed with boiled pork slices and fried tofu soaked in a vinegar mixture.

Morisqueta Tostada

A type of fried rice prepared with leftover cooked rice stir-fried with eggs, Chinese sausage, ham, shrimps, and spring onions.

Sofrito

A flavoring base consisting of garlic, onion, and tomato introduced by the Spanish.

Sapin-Sapin

A layered glutinous rice cake from Malabon.

Pancit Malabon

A noodle dish from Malabon City made with thick rice noodles, shrimp broth, and annatto oil, topped with shrimp, eggs, and crushed chicharon.

Hopia

A mooncake-like pastry with a flaky crust filled with mung beans, red beans, or winter melon.

Inutak

A sticky dessert from Pateros made from glutinous rice flour and coconut milk batter with a burnt surface; its texture resembles a brain.

Everlasting

An oval-shaped meatloaf made from pork, hard-boiled eggs, bell pepper, and chorizo, originated in Marikina.

Etag

A Cordillera native delicacy made with smoked pork cured in salt through sun-drying or steady smoke.

Pinikpikan

A Cordillera soup consisting of chicken and etag; the chicken is gently beaten with a stick before cooking to create blood clots under the skin.

Pinuneg

A native sausage from the Cordillera region made with pork blood, minced pork, innards, and cooked rice.

Binakle

An Ifugao rice cake offered to the rice god, Bulol, during the harvest season.

Binungor

A Kalinga exotic delicacy made of agurong (stir-fried water shells), rabbong (bamboo shoots), and hot chili stewed in coconut milk.

Inandila

A Kalinga rice dough shaped like a tongue, poached in water, and topped with latik and crushed nuts.

Dinengdeng

A soupy Ilocano vegetable dish containing eggplants, sponge gourd, and other vegetables stewed with bagoong.

Poqui-poqui

An Ilocano eggplant dish prepared with tomatoes and eggs.

Papaitan

A very bitter soup containing innards and bile, which gives the dish its characteristic taste.

Bagnet

Deep-fried pork belly, a popular delicacy from Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur.

Vigan Longganisa

A recado-style sausage from Ilocos with a strong garlic flavor.

Empanada (Ilocos)

A dish containing eggs, bean sprouts, and longganisa wrapped in an orange flour dough colored with annatto seeds.

Igado

A dish made with pork innards mixed with green peas.

Pinakbet

A vegetable dish containing squash, bitter melon, and other vegetables sauteed with bagoong.

Kilawing Kambing

A La Union dish containing goat skin and meat seasoned with vinegar or sukang Iloko.

Tupig

A delicacy from La Union made from glutinous rice batter, wrapped in banana leaves, and roasted over charcoal.

Puto Calasiao

Bite-sized rice cakes from Pangasinan made from fermented semi-glutinous rice.

Pigar-pigar

A popular street food in Dagupan made from thinly sliced sirloin beef stir-fried with onions and cabbage.

Binungey

A Pangasinan dish made from glutinous rice with coconut extract cooked in bamboo over a fire.

Burong Isda

A side dish made with fermented freshwater fish and half-cooked rice.

Luñis

A Batanes pork confit dish where the meat is cooked and preserved in fat.

Amay

An Ivatan delicacy made from mashed sweet potatoes and taro.

Uved (or Uvud)

The Ivatan version of meatballs made of finely-grated banana corm mixed with ground meat and minced fish.

Pancit Batil Patong

A Cagayan dish featuring miki and vermicelli noodles with a scrambled egg on top; "batil" means beat the egg and "patong" means put on top.

Tuguegarao Longganisa

Also known as Ybanag Longganisa, it contains lean meat and garlic flavored with vinegar.

Pansit Cabagan

An Isabela stir-fried noodle dish topped with lechon carajay (deep-fried pork), vegetables, and quail eggs.

Binalay

An Isabela rice cake made of glutinous rice flour and water, wrapped in banana leaves, and served with sweet latik sauce.

Lechon Carnero

A roasted lamb dish served during fiestas in Isabela, roasted on a bamboo pole like a pig.

Suman

A sweet glutinous rice cooked with coconut milk and wrapped in banana leaves before steaming.

Araro

Cookies from Bataan made from arrowroot.

Pansit Marilao

A Bulacan noodle dish using thin rice noodles with palabok sauce, topped with okoy (shrimp fritters) and diced kamias.

Bringhe

A Bulacan dish of rice cooked with turmeric, coconut milk, and chicken, giving it a yellow color.

Lumlom

A Bulacan dish where fresh fish is buried in mud to ferment for a day before being cooked as paksiw.

Sinampalukang Manok

A chicken soup from Nueva Ecija characterized by a tamarind broth.

Batutay

A longganisa from Cabanatuan made of beef, originally made from carabeef (buffalo meat).

Begukan Babi

A Pampanga pork dish cooked in shrimp paste, a variation of binagoongan.

Camaru

An exotic Pampanga dish where mole crickets are cooked adobo-style and then fried.

Buro

Fermented rice used as a side dish in Pampanga, typically paired with grilled or fried fish.

Sisig

A dish made from pork face sauteed with pork liver, onions, calamansi, soy sauce, and vinegar.

Pansit Puso ng Saging

A Cavite noodle dish topped with thinly sliced banana blossoms cooked in vinegar instead of calamansi.

Pansit Istasyon

A Tanza, Cavite dish using mung bean sprouts instead of noodles, served with shrimp and tinapa sauce.

Kesong Puti

A soft cheese from Laguna made from carabao milk.

Buko Pie

A sweet pie from Laguna filled with young coconut meat.

Kinulob na Itik

A Laguna dish made from duck boiled with garlic and spices for 4–5 hours and then fried.

Adobong Dilaw

A Batangas variation of adobo made with turmeric, giving the pork or chicken a yellow pigment.

Bulalo

A Batangas soup made from cow's kneecap and shin bones boiled until the meat is tender.

Sinaing na Tulingan

Small tuna mashed with salt and slowly simmered in pork lard and dried kamias, a Batangas specialty.

Gotong Batangas

A dish made from beef innards and head stewed with annatto oil.

Dinilawang Kanduli sa Alagaw

A tangy catfish soup from Rizal that uses annatto seeds for color and the endemic Alagaw plant as a souring agent.

Bibingka

A popular rice cake merienda (snack) usually served with latik (toasted coconut milk curd).

Minaluto

The local version of paella in Angono, Rizal, featuring various meats, seafood, and different types of rice.

Longganisang Lucban

Small sausages from Quezon made reddish with pimiento powder and flavored with oregano.

Pansit Habhab

A Lucban noodle dish eaten by holding a banana leaf liner toward the mouth and slurping, a process called "habhab."

Budin

The local term in Quezon for cassava cake.

Sarsa na Ulang

A Romblon dish made with small shrimp, coconut milk, and chilies wrapped in coconut leaves and boiled.

Kinilaw na Tamilok

A Palawan dish comprising raw woodworms marinated in calamansi, vinegar, ginger, and onion.

Pinangat

An Albay dish of meat (pork, shrimp, or crab) mixed with chilies and coconut meat, wrapped in taro leaves, and boiled in coconut milk.

Laing

A Bicolano dish similar to pinangat, but using chopped taro leaves instead of whole leaves as a wrapper.

Kinunot

A dish made with shark or stingray cooked in coconut milk, chilies, and moringa (malunggay) leaves.

Pansit Bato

A noodle dish named after Bato, Camarines Sur, made with yellow egg and flour noodles.

Gulay na Lada

Commonly known as "Bicol Express," it consists of vegetables (and pork) stewed in chilies and coconut milk.

Inubarang Manok

An Aklan chicken dish cooked in coconut milk with ubad (banana pith).

Sinigang sa Batuan

A sour soup where the souring agent is batuan, a small round fruit found in the Visayas.

Batchoy

An Iloilo noodle soup made from pork broth, guinamos (fish paste), miki noodles, and pork innards, topped with chicharon.

Tinuom na Manok

A dish where chicken, tomato, lemongrass, and onion are wrapped in a saba (plantain) leaf and steamed.

Laswa

A Western Visayan vegetable soup simmered in shrimp broth containing okra, saluyot, and other native greens.

Pansit Molo

A soup with pork and soybean curd dumplings in a chicken and shrimp head broth, named after a Chinese enclave in Iloilo.

Lumpiang Ubod

A spring roll from Silay City made with coconut pith (ubod), shrimp, pork, and garlic inside a soft wrapper.

Inasal na Manok

A Western Visayan grilled chicken marinated in calamansi, soy sauce, and garlic, basted with annatto oil and lemongrass.

Budbod Kabog

A type of suman from Negros Oriental made with millet cereal, often paired with hot chocolate.

Silvanas

A frozen Dumaguete dessert made from cashew meringue cookies filled with buttercream.

Sans Rival

A cashew-meringue cake with buttercream layers, similar to the French dacquoise.

Lechon (Cebu)

Spit-roasted pig stuffed with lemongrass, taro, saba banana, and spices, distinctive for needing no dipping sauce.

Humba

The Leyte version of adobo, where pork is cooked in soy sauce, vinegar, and fermented black beans (tausi).

Satti

Zamboanga's adaptation of Malaysian satay, featuring skewered meat marinated in spices and lemongrass, served with an orange sauce.

Kiping

Crisp Camiguin crepes made from grated cassava, fried on banana leaves, and eaten with latik sauce.

Kinutil (or Kutil)

A Northern Mindanao beverage made by mixing tuba (coconut wine) and chocolate.

Sinuglaw

A combination dish of pork sinugba (charcoal-broiled) and kinilaw (ceviche) with coconut milk.

Tuna Pakfry

A Davao dish where tuna tail is cooked as paksiw (in vinegar) and then deep-fried, similar to crispy pata.

Crocodile Sisig

A version of sisig from Davao using chopped crocodile meat.

Pastil

A Cotabato packed meal of steamed rice with shredded chicken wrapped in a banana leaf.

Sayongsong

A type of kakanin from Surigao made from purple glutinous rice, brown sugar, calamansi, peanuts, and coconut milk.

Kuning

A dish from Lanao del Sur where rice is cooked in turmeric and coconut milk; "kuning" is the Malay word for yellow.

Pyanggang Manok

A Sulu Tausug dish features a blackened chicken curry sauce made by grinding burnt coconut blended with spices.

Tiyula Itum

A Tausug soup-stew made of goat or beef, blackened through the use of burnt coconut.