Filipino Food What Expats Should Try First Philippines

Filipino cuisine doesn't get the international fame of Thai or Vietnamese food, but it rewards a little curiosity. Here's a sensible first-month eating plan for a new arrival.

The core five

Adobo — the unofficial national dish. Chicken or pork braised in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic and bay leaf. Every household has its own version; order chicken adobo first and you will understand the concept of "sawsawan" (the dipping-sauce culture).

Sinigang — sour tamarind soup with pork, shrimp or fish plus kangkong (water spinach), radish and eggplant. It's the comfort food Filipinos crave when it rains. Sour, not spicy.

Lechon — whole roasted pig, and the Cebu version (lechon Cebu, try Rico's or CnT Lechon in Cebu City) is considered the best in the country. Crispy skin, herb-filled belly. Anthony Bourdain called it "the best pig ever."

Kare-kare — oxtail stew in a thick peanut sauce with banana blossom and bok choy, eaten with bagoong (fermented shrimp paste) on the side. Strange at first, addictive by the third bite.

Silog breakfast — garlic rice plus egg plus a protein: tosilog (sweet cured pork), tapsilog (beef tapa), longsilog (sausage). Available from ₱80 in any carinderia and the fastest way to feel local at 7 a.m.

Where to eat

• Carinderias (small neighborhood eateries): display-cooked viands over rice, ₱80–150 per meal. Best value in the country.
• Fast-casual chains: Jollibee (order Chickenjoy once, for science), Mang Inasal (unlimited rice grilled chicken), Goldilocks and Red Ribbon for Filipino sweets.
• Malls: surprisingly good food courts — try the regional stalls at SM food courts and Landmark.
• Street food: kwek-kwek (orange-battered quail eggs), fish balls, isaw (grilled chicken intestines). Stick to busy stalls with high turnover.

Sweet finishes and drinks

Halo-halo (shaved ice, sweet beans, ube, leche flan, ice cream) is the summer ritual. Ube — purple yam — appears in everything from cheesecake to lattes. Try calamansi juice over iced water; it's the local lime and beats soda in the heat. San Miguel Pale Pilsen is the beer benchmark, and local rum (Tanduay) is absurdly cheap.

The one to skip (for now)

Balut — fertilized duck egg with a partially developed embryo. Even many Filipinos eat it selectively. Nobody respectable will pressure you; if you do try it, go for the 16-day version rather than the fully formed ones. Start with salted duck egg in your tomato salad instead.

A few etiquette notes

Filipinos eat with a spoon and fork — the fork pushes food onto the spoon; knives rarely appear. Meals are social events, and if you're invited to a home, accept whatever is offered and leave a little praise for the cook. "Kain tayo!" ("let's eat!") is an invitation you'll hear even when someone is mid-bite — it's politeness, not a command.

Budget expectation: you can eat very well on ₱300–500 a day eating local, and far more in BGC. Start local; your wallet and your waistline will both thank you — well, mostly your wallet.