Delicious Filipino dishes served during holidays, ranked.
Article by: Elyza Loraine Robles
INTRODUCTION: Holidays in the Philippines is all about celebrations, festivities, inuman, karaokes and good, good food. With some Spanish, Chinese and Malay influence, there are varieties of dishes we get to enjoy. Here are some dishes Filipinos love to serve during holidays.
10. PANCIT
Pancit is a savory stir-fry noodle dish inspired by the Chinese. There are different types of Pancit depending on the noodles or ingredients used: Canton, Bihon, Palabok and Malabon. Elders believe that eating this could prolong your life due to it’s long noodle strands.
Lechon is derived from a spanish word for “roasted suckling-pig”. It is a slowly roasted whole pig stuffed with lemongrass, garlic, peppercorns, onions and chives, with an apple on its mouth cooked on an open fire. It’s crunchy skin and tender meat makes this an absolute delight. Traditionally, it’s served with a thick liver sauce or vinegar. Not everyone gets to eat this on holidays though, because it can be expensive.
This one’s a staple to every Christmas basket received by employees. It is served with pineapples and is great as it is, a palaman, or even pulutan. It is sweet, savory and salty.
This is a sweet, custardy dessert is made with just eggs, condensed milk and sugar — it is easy to make and has a long shelf life. It is creamy, sweet and it melts in your mouth.
Now this is the actual pulutan that I’m talking about. Inihaw means grilled in Tagalog and it can be a variety of skewered meat like chicken, pork, gizzards, intestines and more. Titos or uncles would typically grill this while already drinking some beer. This is also a great bonding activity while waiting for the clock to strike 12.
This is a delicious mango dessert that does not require you to cook. It is easy to make; just layer the ingredients and set it aside in your fridge and you’ll have a good dessert later.
Menudo is a dish from Mexico that Filipinos absolutely love. It is a pork tomato stew with carrots and potatoes. This is also a staple in other celebrations like fiestas, birthdays and christenings. You would also typically find these in cafeterias.
The difference between Filipino spaghetti and Italian’s is that it is sweet due to the use of banana ketchup and has hotdogs. This is a kid’s favorite and is typically served with fried chicken. We love to serve this even on other occasions as well.
This seasonal rice cake dessert is steamed in bamboo tubes and is sold during Christmas. People love eating this after Simbang Gabi (nine-day series of Masses attended by Filipino Catholics in anticipation of Christmas.)
This is the Filipino version of a spring roll. This appetizer is made with ground pork, garlic, carrots and is wrapped in lumpia wrapper. This is another staple that you would normally see at the table especially on holidays. It’s delicious, easy to eat and to sharon (bring home).
