Filipino Recipes

Filipino cuisine (or the cuisine of islands of the Philippines) has evolved from its Malay roots to a predominant Hispanic-based cuisine because of the dishes brought during Spanish rule. American, Arab and Chinese cultures have also influenced it. Filipinos have their own unique way of adapting to these environmental influences. Surprisingly, despite such influences traditional Filipino food recipes have still survived.

Filipino food recipes are distinguished by their bold combination of sour, sweet and salty flavors. Generally most authentic Filipino food recipes are not heavily spiced. Filipino dishes showcase a sudden influx of flavor and are usually delivered in a single presentation. This gives the eater a simultaneous visual feast, a gustatory glee and an aromatic bouquet. An important feature of Filipino food is contrastic. For instance, pairing sweet with salty; like salted sun dried fish being paired with sweet cocoa rice porridge. Delicious and inventive!

A staple Filipino food is rice that is served in all meals with different ingredients and seasonings; like it is served with fried eggs at breakfast. Fruits like coconuts, tomatoes, bananas and vegetables like potatoes, purple yam, and carrots are popular ingredients. Filipino food recipes are rich in seafood because of its geographical location – the Philippines is made up of all islands after all! Catfish, shrimp, mackerel, crabs prawns, oysters and other seafood and fish are very popular in the Filipino food dishes.

Filipino Food recipes range from a simple meal of fried fish and rice to rich paellas and cocidos. Popular Filipino food recipes include Philippine sausage-longganisa, beef jerky, omelette, goat in tomato stew-kaldereta, mechado (meat in tomato sauce), banana and tomato sauced beef- pochero, kare-kare (vegetables and oxtail made in peanut sauce), pancit or stir-fried noodles, crispy pata or deep-fried pig’s leg, hamonado (pineapple sauced sweetened pork), sinigang (fish, pork or shrimp in tamarind) and lumpia (fresh or fried spring rolls). The most well liked desserts include leche flan and buko pandan (slivers of young coconut with cream and pandan flavor).

The penchant of the Filipinos for cooking has culminated in a unique culinary art. Depending upon the availability of ingredients, many different recipes develop in the various regions of the Philippines. In the north, the Pakbet – simple nutritious vegetarian dish is the speciality of the Ilocanos. The hot spicy dish in coconut milk – Bicol Express is the speciality of the Bicolanos. A Filipino food recipe that is known over the world is the tasty pork and chicken adobo.

For festive occasions and fiestas, Filipinos display their signature dishes that they cook together. They often spread their tables with labor-intensive but affordable treats. The whole roasted suckling pig, Lechon is the center stage Filipino food recipe. Also kaldereta, hamonado (honey-cured meat), pancit canton, mechado, paella, relleno (stuffed meat), afritada, pochero, and arroz valenciana are popular Filipino food recipes. Desserts such as the sweet leche flan, sapin-sapin, sorbetes, ube and gulaman also adorn the table.

Filipino Recipes can be described best as a mixture of eastern and western influences that provide a range of rich flavours, colour and spices. These rich flavours make the Filipino cuisine unique, mouth watering, delicious and tempting. On this site we have many Filipino food recipes with pictures including an afritadang manok recipe.

Philippine cuisine 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 several centuries from its Austronesian origins to a mixed cuisine with many Hispanic, Chinese, American, and other Asian influences 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. Popular dishes include: lechón (whole roasted pig), longganisa (Philippine sausage), tapa (cured beef), torta (omelette), adobo(chicken and/or 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 and/or pork simmered in a tomato sauce with vegetables), kare-kare (oxtail and vegetables cooked in peanut sauce), crispy pata (deep-fried 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).