Lumpia. Adobo. Ube. Some foods from the Philippines sound familiar and are comforting to many. However, the cuisine boasts an array of different – and I mean different – types of food. So here’s a list of the top 8 unconventional Filipino foods that you may not have heard about.
1. Sisig
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Sisig is a meat dish traditionally made out of the head and liver of a pig, and is usually seasoned with chili peppers and calamansi. It may sound gross, but it’s seriously delicious. If ever you’re in the Philippines, you should give it a try.
2. Taho
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Taho is a Filipino snack made out of tofu or bean curd, sweet syrup and sugar, and sago (small tapioca pearls). Although this combination may sound a little strange, this drink is delicious and a childhood staple to many Filipinos. Also, did you hear it’s incredibly healthy?
3. Kwek Kwek
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You’ve heard of deep fried Oreos. Deep fried Nutella. Even deep fried butter! But the Philippines’ deep fried quail eggs in an orange batter. Crispy on the outside, soft in the inside, this popular street food item is a less adventurous, yet tasty, alternative to many other unconventional dishes the Philippines has to offer.
4. Adidas
Photo courtesy of burntlumpiablog.com
This photo might scare you but this dish involves grilling marinated chicken feet for a simple, yet impactful, dish. Want to try making it? Try following this recipe.
5. Dinuguan
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“I’d like to add more blood to this soup, please.” That’s an example of a phrase you don’t hear everyday. Unless, maybe, what you’re eating is blood soup.
Dinuguan mainly consists of pork and pork blood, and is usually seasoned with vinegar, onions, garlic, and sugar. It’s a household staple to many, although it may seem like a strange flavor for stew.
6. Isaw
Photo courtesy of tumblr.com
From afar, these look like thick noodles zig-zagged across a stick. Up close, it becomes more evident that these are NOT noodles. Nope. Not at all. They’re intestines.
Don’t worry though. These grilled intestines are cleaned and cooked thoroughly to make sure that nothing funky (or, at least funkier) enters your mouth.
7. Betamax
Photo courtesy of traveleatfun.com
If you didn’t get enough blood from your dinuguan, try this. Another rather quirky Filipino dish, the blood is extracted from the chicken in its liquid form, but is cooled so it turns gelatinous, then is grilled. Some people love it, some hate it, and some just claim it lacks taste. Why not try one for yourself?
8. Balut
Photo courtesy of tanglenoodle.blogspot.com
More people consider eggs vegetarian…but I doubt any vegetarian would be happy to open up this egg and see a developing bird embryo inside. Believe it or not, this is one of the most well-known snacks in the Philippines.