The Philippine Online Chronicles

Filipinos love food. We eat six times a day, consider eating a social experience and are in contact with all kinds of food whether at home, walking down the street or riding the bus. We love it so much we use it as a sign of welcome, even as a rite of passage for those who come visit our country.  Food as a rite of passage? Oh yes. How many of our foreign friends have we good-naturedly joshed to try a whole balut in one sitting? How many of our foreign guests have we prepared adobo and sinigang for when we were asked what the best local dishes are?

“Rites of passage” are defined as markers of transitional periods such as puberty, marriage and having kids. Rituals are usually involved, establishing a sense of community and solidarity. So yes, food can be a rite of passage when you’re visiting friends in the Philippines. It’s a sign of accepting (or at the very least being open) to the food culture. It’s a sign of pakikisama, a symbol most supreme especially since Filipinos love eating together.

So what are these Pinoy foods that can be considered for rites of passage? They don’t have to be gross (though I’m sure that thing called duck fetus is your top-of-mind item). Pinoy food as rites of passage don’t have to be an episode of Fear Factor. Perhaps we can be inspired by this line: “If you’re visiting the Philippines, you should eat _______________.” Fill in the blank with at least one food that can be found distinctly in the Philippines, that is a clear marker of foodie Pinoy culture. Let’s take it from there! With that, here are some foods that can be considered must-eats when in the Philippines.

Balut

Yes, let’s get this out of the way because one really has to try this when in the Philippines. American humor site Cracked.com puts balut on the top of its list of “The Six Most Terrifying Foods in the World.” Duck eggs are incubated until a little bit of the feathers, bones and beak grow, then it is boiled alive and eaten in its shell. Okay, that did sound kind of terrifying. The ritual of eating balut is as part of the rite of passage. First, one end of the shell is cracked open so the soup (broth surrounding the embryo) can be sipped before the shell is peeled away.  Next, the boiled yolk can be savoured. The white is usually left out because it is leathery and too tough to eat, but it is still edible. Finally, the young chick can be eaten – beak and all. This can be enjoyed with a dash of salt or vinegar. Balut is sold as street food in the Philippines, but the best by far can be found in Pateros.

It is chewy, crunchy, a little leathery, salty and even gamey in texture and flavour. It’s the most complex food you’ll ever eat in a shell. Definitely not for weak stomachs, but it does help to eat with your eyes closed and think happy thoughts. Truth is it is not that bad at all. When in the Philippines, it would be great to try this at least once. It’s not just a badge of courage. Because it is so polarizing (you either hate it or you don’t), eating it is like the ultimate sign you’ve embraced Filipino food culture. At least that’s what my foreign friends say, who have yet to gather their guts to try this delectable duck delicacy.

Lechon

From gross to grand, let’s talk slow-roasted pig on a spit. Celebrity rock and roll chef Anthony Bourdain proclaimed the Philippines to have the “best pig ever.” In his No Reservations article called “Hierarchy of Pork”, Bourdain says, “It can now be said that of all the whole roasted pigs I’ve had all over the world, the slow roasted lechon I had on Cebu was the best.” He writes it bests even the roast pigs he has tried in Bali and Puerto Rico. Lechon is a pork delicacy prepared with various spices and stuffings. It is then cooked slowly over a fire until its skin turns golden brown and crispy. Ooh la la. Bourdain said the crispy lechon skin “tastes like candy.”  With that candy-like skin and juicy meat, lechon is definitely a gastronomic luxury. Yes, you must try lechon when in the Philippines.

Street food

If street food is an indication of local culture, then this reinforces how creative Pinoys are. Out of relatively cheap ingredients, with some more odd than others, are borne delicious snacks that have become comfort food to many. Want a rundown of popular local street food? Here you go and see if you can have your foreign visitor tick off the items one by one: isaw (chicken or pork intestines), adidas (chicken feet grilled and seasoned adobo style), helmet (grilled chicken head), walkman(pig’s ears), betamax (pig’s blood), tokneneng (battered and deep-fried quail eggs), quek quek (battered and deep-fried chicken eggs), day-old chicks, balut (see above), penoy (hard-boiled duck egg without the fetus), chicharon (chicken or pork skin cracklings), banana cue (deep-fried saba banana covered in caramelized brown sugar), binatog (boiled corn kernels with sugar, coconut and milk),  carioca (sticky rice cakes on skewers), fishballs, scrambol (shaved ice with gulaman, sago and condensed milk), maruya (banana fritters) and turon (saba banana with caramelized sugar and jackfruit in a flour wrapper then deep-fried). Woah. This doesn’t cover the entire breadth of Pinoy street food. Walk down any busy street in the city and you’ll see kiosks squeezed side by side selling a variety of all of the above plus more. You have to try a country’s street food to get a glimpse into its soul and feel the local pulse.

Pork sisig

Have you ever tried roasted pig’s head and some chicken liver that’s been diced to small bits, cooked with soy sauce, vinegar, onions and chilli peppers, then served on a hot metal plate? My friends, this is what we call sisig. Sometimes it’s served with just calamansi to add another flavour dimension to the dish. Sometimes mayonnaise is mixed into the pork dish, giving it a sweeter tone. Sometimes a raw egg is cracked over the sizzling hot dish, the heat from the metal plate and the meat cooking it quickly. It’s great with beer!

Andrew Zimmern is a celebrity chef and foodie world traveller well-known for his show Bizarre Foods. You guessed it, he travels and tastes the oddest food countries have to offer. He shared that sisig is one of the weirdest things he’s ever eaten. He says that the hash is “made by taking some raw pig’s fat and smearing it on a platter, placing the platter on a flaming grill and adding pieces of chopped pig’s feet, nose, ears, heart, spleen, liver and lungs.” That DOES sound bizarre to any outsider. He adds, “In a country where all food is relatively cheap, this is the ultimate in rustic eating. Draw your own conclusions.”

I therefore conclude that if you’re visiting the Philippines, you must try pork sisig.

San Miguel Pale Pilsen

Almost every balikbayan and foreigner I know (who drinks) loves San Miguel Beer. It is the beer they look for upon arriving in the country. It is the beer I see them holding when twilight turns to evening, and evening makes way for midnight. It can’t be any other kind of beer. Red Horse? Sure, that’s one of a kind too. However San Miguel Pale Pilsen has its own personality, its own taste profile, its own steinie bottle that is just deeply iconic. A Filipino friend now based in the U.S. says “I don’t care if it’s an old beer brand. I don’t care about its light version. Pale Pilsen reminds me of the good old days and Bert Marcelo in the commercials. It’s home.” Touche. In its advertising, San Miguel has used the line “Iba ang may pinagsamahan.” Loosely translated, it means a history of companionship makes all the difference. Perhaps to a balikbayan, the memory of days gone by adds a different dimension to the beer-drinking experience. There’s nostalgia and emotion that heightens it, that’s why it’s the beer of choice. As for those who don’t have that history, it’s simply a beer that tastes great. A British friend says its taste is “world-class.”And so, if you’re in the Philippines, you have to drink San Miguel Pale Pilsen. Try it with sisig! (Disclosure: I was not paid by San Miguel Pale Pilsen to endorse their brand. I don’t even drink.)

There are a lot more dishes that one should try when in the Philippines. Sinigang and all its combinations and permutations! There’s meat-based sinigang (shrimp, fish, pork or beef) plus your choice of souring ingredient  (tamarind, batuan, guava, miso, kamias, etc.). Then there’s adobo with all its versions too – chicken and pork adobo, vegetable adobo (e.g. adobong kangkong), saucy adobo, dry adobo.

What I’ve mentioned however are the “no compromise” foods one must try when in the country.  Filipinos love to eat. They also love to feed guests. Visitors will probably be fed at least one of the dishes mentioned here. Come to think of it, these foods aren’t just rites of passage for visitors. Sure, I’ll give you a fist-bump if you down that balut. Sure, we can hop from stall to stall to sample isaw, betamax and adidas. *fist bump* More than just the desire to see you win that badge of courage, it is our way of sharing our love food, whether odd or ordinary.

Photo: “Pinoy's Pride: Penoy and Balut” by Dindin Lagdameo, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved. Photo: “LECHON BABOY” by April J. Gazmen, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved. Photo: “Filipino Meat” by Bo Insogna, TheLightningMan.com, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved. Photo: “Bohol Plaza” by Allan Chatto, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved. Photo: “Cooling off on White Island Beach (Camiguin, Philippines)” by R Trent, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved

Toni Tiu also enjoys bringing her balikbayan relatives to Dampa (wet markets where diners buy their own ingredients and have them freshly cooked whatever way they like). She also thinks nothing tops Pinoy pan de sal. For more foodie thoughts, visit her blog at WifelySteps.com.