Street food in Philippines and dishes you must try

Filipinos’ love for food is unparalleled. Despite three large meals comprising their day (all of which typically consist of at least a cup of rice), they still enjoy taking several snacks in between. This is where street food comes in. Filipinos like having access to a quick bite anywhere, anytime. So a great variety of street snacks have developed — some sweet, some savory, and some just outright bizarre.

Kikiam

Kikiam was originally taken from Chinese cuisine, and authentically consists of minced meat and vegetables. The kikiam used by street food vendors in the Philippines however, are a more scrimped version, sometimes containing fish meat instead and a lot of fillers. They are brown in color and about the size of a finger.

Kwek-Kwek

These brightly colored treats could be quite deceiving to the unaware foodie. They are round and a vibrant shade of orange, but they aren’t sweet, nor do they taste like the Cheetos they match in color. They are actually quail eggs, coated in an orange batter and then deep fried. Most of its goodness relies on the sauce the street food cart has to pair it with.

Balunbalunan

Not only do Filipinos skewer and grill chicken intestine, they also do the same to chicken gizzard. In Filipino cuisine, nothing goes to waste. Balunbalunan has a chewier, more rubbery texture than isaw, slightly resembling that of squid. But like isaw, it gets much of its flavor from the sauce it is brushed with during grilling, or its dipping sauce after.

Betamax

This is one that’s definitely not for the faint-hearted. Betamax, named after the black tapes of the 70’s it resembles, is grilled coagulated pork or chicken blood. Yes, you read that right. But in fact, grilled animal blood is not as repulsive as it may sound. It doesn’t possess any foul or robust taste or smell. Aside from the variety in texture, many of these grilled animal innards depend on sauces for taste.

Turon

This is a classic Filipino favorite, made by enclosing slices of saba banana and jackfruit in egg roll wrappers and deep frying them along with a generous coating of brown sugar.

Kakanin

Kakanin refers to Filipino delicacies made mainly of sticky rice. With the country’s love for rice, a long list of desserts fall under this category, and that might just need a separate article to explain it altogether. Keep an eye out for these especially during Christmas time. The best kakanin are the ones they sell outside churches after the late night masses held during the weeks approaching Christmas.

Sorbetes

Sorbetes or “dirty ice cream” (dubbed as such for being sold in the streets, and not necessarily mean a lack in cleanliness), is Filipino ice cream sold from colorful wooden carts. Though there’s still the usual chocolate, mostly Filipino flavors are available such as ube (purple yam), queso (cheese), mango, and coconut. Have it the Filipino way and opt to have it served in a burger bun instead of a regular cone or cup.

Read more: Explore typical breakfast in the Philippines

Source Internet