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Filipino Recipes

30 recipes

Filipino food blends Austronesian roots with Chinese trade influence, Spanish colonial dishes and later American-era tastes. Rice anchors almost every meal, and the table usually holds something sour, something salty and something rich, balanced with vinegar, soy sauce, garlic and calamansi (a small local citrus). Adobo, sinigang, kare-kare and pancit are household names, while whole roast pig (lechon) and leche flan appear at fiestas and birthdays. Coconut milk and chilies run through Bicol cooking, vegetable stews seasoned with fermented fish or shrimp paste are common in the north, and grilled meats are a specialty of the Visayas. During the Christmas season, bibingka and other rice cakes are sold outside churches after the dawn masses called Simbang Gabi. Breakfast is often garlic rice with eggs and fried or cured meat, known as silog meals. Merienda, the mid-afternoon snack, can be a small meal of noodles, banana fritters, sweet rice cakes or halo-halo.

Staple ingredients

Breakfast

Appetizers

Soups

Main Dishes

Breads

Desserts

Snacks

Drinks

Common questions

What is Filipino food known for?

Bold sour, salty and savory flavors from vinegar, soy sauce, garlic and calamansi, with rice at every meal. The best-known dishes are adobo, sinigang, lechon, lumpia, pancit and halo-halo.

What is the national dish of the Philippines?

The country has no official one, but adobo is most often called the unofficial national dish because nearly every household cooks a version. Sinigang and lechon are close rivals.

Is Filipino food spicy?

Usually not. Most dishes are savory, sour or sweet, with chilies offered on the side. Bicol is the exception, where dishes such as Bicol express use plenty of chilies in coconut milk.