Philippine Cuisine Guide

Philippine cuisine is a very good mirror of the different cultures that make up the eclectic blend of Filipino tastes. You’ll find food, which is typically Chinese- such as noodles, and the roast pig (called `lechon’) which is probably the country’s most famous dish, and you’ll find traces of Spanish influences in the `adobo’ (pork or chicken which is cooked with garlic, vinegar, soya sauce and spices) which is so well loved. The rice and coconut used so liberally in Philippine cooking is very obviously homegrown- so much like the food of the Malays, the not-too-distant cousins of the Filipinos. The food, like the food all over South East Asia, is highly flavoured, with the use of interesting flavours and seasonings- vinegar, ginger, garlic, soya sauce, tamarind, lemon, and more- which give the food a whole range of delightful and often contrasting flavours. It’s good, delicious food, and if you like seafood, you’re going to love it here- the country has some of the best seafood around. The Philippines also produces excellent fruit- mangoes, pineapples, durians and more- and they make the perfect dessert after a good Filipino meal.