Traditional Philippine Food

The Ilocanos make great traditional Philippine food and are often called the frugal gourmets and like the French cuisine, has its roots in peasant cooking, making something interesting out of something simple and basic. The Philippines, an archipelago of over 7,000 islands, is not only a mosaic of cultures and languages but also a culinary treasure trove. Filipino cuisine is a vibrant fusion of indigenous traditions and centuries of foreign influence, from Malay and Chinese to Spanish resulting in a uniquely bold, comforting, and diverse food culture

The first things people think of with Ilocano food is its signature foods such as pakbet (pronounced as pak-butt); the delicious bagnet (bag-nutt) and of course longganisa. Pinakbet is the contracted form of the Ilocano word pinakebbet which means shrunk or shriveled. Try these other great Ilocano Cuisine ideas that are unique Philippines Foods.

Traditional Philippine Food

At its core, Filipino food reflects the country’s agricultural abundance and coastal geography. Rice is the staple, served with nearly every meal, while fish, pork, chicken, and vegetables form the backbone of most dishes. The cuisine is deeply regional, with each province offering its own specialties shaped by local ingredients and traditions.

Spanish colonization left a lasting imprint, introducing techniques like sautéing and baking, and dishes such as lechon (roast pig), menudo, and paella-inspired arroz valenciana. Chinese traders brought noodles and dim sum, which evolved into Filipino favorites like pancit and siopao. American influence introduced canned goods, hotdogs, and sweet-style spaghetti, now staples in Filipino comfort food.

Traditional Philippine Food

Ilocanos use bagoong or fish paste or fermented monamon which is a fish variety. The basic vegetables used include the native bitter melon, eggplant, tomato, ginger, okra, string beans, lima beans, chili peppers and winged beans. As a note nearby Serrat is famous for its very delicious tomatoes and they are a great part of dishes.

Ilocos Norte was never an easy place to live and the Ilocanos got this reputation for being very frugal with limited resources and the fact is nothing is wasted in the Ilocano kitchen.

They use everything that can be eaten and demand the freshest ingredients. Try these other great Ilocano Cuisine ideas. and expand your Philippines foods taste trip.

Ilocano cooking us quite distinct from other Philippine foods in other regions as they have a large range of bitter flavors and this much sought after. The source of bitterness often comes from common ampalaya or bitter melon and the Ilocano cook will retain the bitter juice by cutting it only halfway, where elsewhere in the Philippines both the white membrane and seeds are completely removed, before being blanched with salt before use.

Another common source for the bitter taste is derived from the papait or apdo (bile) of the cow, carabao or goat. The papait, which for most is just waste, is an essential ingredient for famous dishes such as pinapaitan, imbaliktad and sinanglaw that give it that distinctive signature Ilocano taste. Taste Philippines foods in Ilocos Norte.

Traditional Philippine Food

Filipino cuisine is known for its bold flavors—savory, sour, sweet, and salty often collide in a single dish. Here are some iconic examples:

Adobo: Often considered the national dish, adobo is meat (usually chicken or pork) marinated in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and peppercorns, then simmered until tender. Its tangy, umami-rich flavor is unmistakably Filipino.

Sinigang: A sour tamarind-based soup, sinigang features pork, shrimp, or fish with vegetables like kangkong (water spinach), radish, and eggplant. It’s a comforting dish, especially during rainy days.

Lechon: A festive centerpiece, lechon is a whole pig roasted over charcoal until the skin is crisp and the meat juicy. It’s often served with liver sauce and is a must-have at celebrations.

Kare-Kare: This rich peanut stew includes oxtail, tripe, and vegetables, traditionally served with bagoong (fermented shrimp paste) for a salty contrast. Lumpiang Shanghai: Filipino spring rolls filled with ground pork, carrots, and spices, then deep-fried to golden perfection. They’re a party favorite and often served with sweet chili sauce. Balut: Perhaps the most infamous Filipino delicacy, balut is a fertilized duck egg with a partially developed embryo, boiled and eaten from the shell. It’s a street food that sparks curiosity and debate.

Traditional Philippine Food

Filipinos have a sweet tooth, and desserts are often colorful and indulgent:

Leche Flan: A silky caramel custard made with egg yolks, condensed milk, and sugar, often served chilled.

Halo-Halo: A summer favorite, halo-halo is a shaved ice dessert layered with sweet beans, jellies, fruits, leche flan, and purple yam, topped with evaporated milk and sometimes ice cream.

Bibingka and Puto: Rice cakes steamed or baked, often enjoyed during Christmas season or as merienda (snack).

Philippines Foods - Fish Ilocano Style

Grilled and fried fish are treated similarly where the gills are removed, and the innards are left intact inside the fish belly. The bangus is usually grilled whole, along with scales and intestines. When you eat the fatty belly, you get a bitter aftertaste from the innards and bile, not unlike having papaitan and dipping this with bagoong na isda, kalamansi and sili. In the whole Ilocos region fried fish entrails sprinkled with salt and dipped in sukang Iloko (which is a naturally fermented sugarcane juice infused with dried parts of samak, a medicinal plant) and is a favorite pulutan. Try something different in Philippines foods.

Philippines Foods 

Filipino street food is a world of its own—grilled skewers of isaw (chicken intestines), betamax (coagulated blood), and fish balls are sold by vendors across the country. Tapsilog (beef tapa, garlic rice, and fried egg) is a beloved breakfast combo, while silog variations abound.

Filipino cuisine also embraces practicality and resourcefulness. Leftover rice becomes sinangag (garlic fried rice), and nearly every part of an animal is used in dishes like dinuguan (pork blood stew) and chicharon (crispy pork rinds).

What is Bagoong?

There is another indispensable ingredient in every Ilocano kitchen and that is fish bagoong. This is also frequently used as a dipping sauce and is present in most meals. Inabraw, which is also called dinengdeng, is the fairly generic term for a delicious vegetable stew that is flavored with the bagoong, tomatoes and ginger. The pakbet is also flavored in the same way. Taste Philippines foods in Ilocos Norte.

The pakbet is cooked in a kawali or palayok, with the different vegetables laid in layers. The firmest vegetable pieces are placed at the bottom before being covered with tomatoes and then chunks of bagnet. Lastly it is doused with bagoong before being covered and cooked. The dish will actually be cooked in the vegetables own juice. Ilocano cooks say that pakbet with squash or flavored with bagoong alamang or shrimp paste isnt real thing. Enjoy great Philippines Foods in Ilocos Norte. Philippines foods have some interesting and as yet undiscovered cuisines and flavours.