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PHILIPPINES
Food &
Drink
The high esteem in which Filipinos hold their food is encapsulated
by the common greeting "Let's Eat!" Filipino cuisine has
not been accepted worldwide in the way Indian or Thai has, but those
willing to experiment will discover it has more going for it than
its detractors suggest.
In fact, Filipino food is undergoing something of a nationalist
revival, with intellectuals and cookery writers espousing the virtues
of traditional home-and-hearth dishes such as Bicol Express and
sinigang. Coconut, soy, vinegar and fish sauce are widely used to
add flavour. The national dish , if there is one, is adobo, which
is either chicken or pork, or both, cooked in soy and vinegar. At
special celebrations Filipinos are passionate about their lechon,
roasted pig stuffed with pandan leaves and cooked so the skin turns
to crackling. Lechon de leche is roasted suckling pig. Fish dishes
are also good, although fish is fresher in the provinces than it
is in Manila. The king of Filipino aphrodisiacs is the balut, a
half-formed duck embryo eaten with beak, feathers and all. You can
buy balut from street vendors who advertise their proximity with
a distinctive baying cry.
The beer of choice in the Philippines is San Miguel, but with meals
many Filipinos tend to stick to soft drinks such as iced tea. Fresh
buko (coconut) juice is a refreshing alternative on a hot day. If
you fancy something stronger there are plenty of cheap Philippine-made
spirits such as Tanduay rum and San Miguel Ginebra (gin). For something
authentically native, try the strong and pungent Tapuy (rice wine).
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