Owing to the complex history of the country, the cuisine of Philippines is influenced by Hispanic, Chinese, American and other Asian delicacies. Sweet (tamis), sour (asim), and salty (alat) flavours are the highlights of Filipino cuisine. Sea food, fish and rice are the most common ingredients of Filipino cuisine.
The tastes and specialities vary with region and province in the country. Compared to other parts of Philippines, the dishes in Bicol are spicier. The most popular dishes in Philippines are adobo (a meat stew made from either pork or chicken), lechón (roasted pig), lumpia (meat or vegetable rolls) and pancit (noodle dish).
The other popular Filipino delicacies include chorizo, empanadas, mani (roasted peanuts), paksiw (fish or pork), afritada, asado, pan de sal (bread rolls), pescado (fried or grilled fish) and sisig.
Some other traditional Filipino dishes are torta (omelette), kare-kare (ox-tail stew), kilawen, pinapaitan, sinigang (tamarind soup with a variety of pork, fish or prawns) and pinakbet (vegetable stew).
The popular snacks in Philippines are halo-halo, puto, chicharon, bibingka and ensaymada. San Miguel Beer, Tanduay Rhum, lambanog and tuba are the most savoured beverages.
Desserts in Philippines are prepared using rice and coconuts. The most savoured desserts of Filipino cuisine are bibingka (a hot rice cake), itlog na maalat (salted duck eggs) and kutsinta (brown rice cake).
Pitsi-pitsi, tibok-tibok, palitaw, binatog, saba con yelo, minatamis na saging, buko pandan and halaya (mashed purple yam) are other popular desserts of this tropical oriental country.
Street food is another highlight of the country that can be had at shift or portable stalls in the streets. Roadside stands serving street food can be found outside malls, churches and stations in all major cities. Some of the popular Pinoy street foods are penoy, tokneneng, betamax, balut, didas (chicken feet) and IUD (chicken intestine).
Some other complementary dishes in Philippines are Atchara, Nata de coco and Kesong puti, to name a few. The exotic dishes of the Filipino cuisine that are prepared on special events are camaro, papaitan, asocena and pinikpikan na manok.
Tourists can find varied eateries in the country, including casual dining establishments, dampa restaurant, cafeteria dining (turo-turo), fast-food dining, café, coffee-house and others. There are also many fast food chains in the country, which serve western food. These include McDonald's, Wendy's, Pizza Hut and KFC, among others.
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