When you go to any country for a visit, the next best thing to the hotel rooms/suites that you carefully choose to stay in, is the array of food that meets your eye when you go to the different restaurants. Here in the Philippines, there is definitely a wide variety of food to pick from.
For a country that boasts of its 7107 islands, there are dishes found common to the regions or localities. These dishes include adobo, sinigang, bistek, lechon, inihaw or broiled fish or meat, laing and a lot more.
Adobo or Pork Stew
Adobo is a common dish from chicken, pork, squid ( pusit ) or vegetables cooked in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, peppercorns and bay leaf.
Lumpia
Lumpia or spring rolls in English is filled with vegetables and meat. Served with soy sauce, vinegar or a slightly sweet sauce, this is a tasty delight to enjoy.
Sinigang
Typically Filipino and maybe considered as one of the “national dishes”, the sinigang is a soup cooked using souring ingredients like unripe guavas, tamarind leaves and flowers, kamias and tomatoes. Different varieties of sinigang such as sinigang na isda (sour vegetable soup with fish) and sinigang na baboy (sour vegetable soup with pork) can be found and made healthier with the addition of vegetables like eggplants, kangkong, okra and long beans ( sitaw ), plus some green chili pepper for the aroma.
Bistek
Another popular national cuisine of the Philippines is the “bistek” or beef and onion rings braised in soy sauce. Originally derived from beef steak, bistek is the Filipinized and reinvented version with an Asian touch of soy sauce or oyster sauce.
Lechon or Roasted Pig
An important dish at many fiesta occasions, lechon or litson is served too as a dish in many restaurants. Lechon is a suckling pig, roasted slowly over live coals to make it crispy, tender and tasty . Often served with a thick liver sauce, simmered with vinegar, sugar and herbs, the lechon is a real treat for everyone to enjoy.