Typical Filipino Meal

Filipino cuisine is distinguished by its bold combination of sweet, sour and salty flavors, and in general most dishes are not heavily spiced. While other Asian cuisines may be known for a more subtle delivery and presentation, Filipino palates prefer a sudden influx of flavor. Filipino cuisine is often delivered in a single presentation, giving the participant a simultaneous visual feast, an aromatic bouquet, and a gustatory delight. Counterpoint is also a feature in Philippine cuisine. This normally comes in a pairing of something sweet with something salty, and result in surprisingly pleasing combinations. Examples include: champorado (a sweet cocoa rice gruel), being paired with tuyo (salted, sun-dried fish); dinuguan (a savory stew made of pig's blood and innards), paired with puto (sweet, steamed rice cakes); unripe fruits such as mangoes (which are only slightly sweet but very sour), are eaten dipped in salt; the use of cheese (which is salty) in sweetcakes (such as bibingka and puto), as well as an ice cream flavoring.
Snacking is normal, a Filipino may eat five 'meals' in a day. Dinner, while still the main meal, is smaller than other countries. Usually, either breakfast or lunch is the largest meal.

Lechon

Lechón is the Spanish word for suckling pig. In the Philippines, it connotes a whole roasted pig, litsong baboy. Chicken and beef are also popular. The process of lechón involves the whole pig/piglet, chicken, or cattle/calf being slowly roasted over charcoal. Lechón is often cooked during national festivities (known as fiestas), the holiday season, and other special occasions such as weddings, graduations, birthdays and baptisms, or family get-togethers. The lechón is usually the highlight and the most popular dish of these events. It is usually served with a liver-based sauce. The typical Filipino method of roasting involves placing the pig on a spit and roasting it over charcoals while wiping the skin with a brush made out of leaves drenched in water and the pig's own fat. This makes the skin "pop" and become crunchy. The term "lechón" is also now used to refer to meat cooked on a spit (often whole) such as "litsong baka" (beef) and "litsong manok" (chicken). In fact, there are numerous brands of litsong manok stalls found scattered in the metropolis. The pig had always been the center of communal feasts in pre-Hispanic Philippines, and "lechón" is the normal manner it is prepared.

Beauty Products

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Coconut Vinegar

Vinegar is an acidic liquid processed from the fermentation of ethanol in a process that yields its key ingredient, acetic acid. It also may come in a diluted form. Natural vinegars also contain small amounts of tartaric acid, citric acid, and other acids. Vinegar has been used since ancient times and is an important element in European, Asian, and other traditional cuisines of the world. The Coconut vinegar, made from fermented coconut water, is used extensively in Southeast Asian cuisine (particularly in the Philippines, a major producer, where it is called suka ng niyog. A cloudy white liquid, it has a particularly sharp, acidic taste with a slightly yeasty note. This coconut vinegar is a product derived from the juice of the coconut fruit. When it is still attached to a tree, a picker drills a tiny hole on the fruit. Then he puts a container to catch the juice. To produce coconut vinegar, the juice must be stored in a container for about one week. The juice naturally turns sour after some time. Coconut vinegar can be used as an ingredient for cooking, dip for numerous Filipino dishes, and bleaching agent for clothes.

Danggit

You can’t talk about Cebuano food specialties without mentioning danggit. Also known as rabbit fish in English are small thin fish popularly sold in dried salted form. It is best paired with hot rice and dipped in vinegar (others prefer with crushed chili peppers). I like danggit most when is is fried(photo below).

Danggit is known to be as a poor man’s food like any other types of dried fish. But the rich and poor alike who loves to eat this typical Cebuano delicacy. This is also the most popular pasalubong aside from the otap, rosquillos and dried mangoes. So when you are planning to visit Cebu City do not forget to visit their markets and buy some danggit.

Souvenirs

When you visit the Philippines don’t forget to bring souvenir from the country. And the custom t-shirts are popular that can be found almost in every malls. There is different print technique, traditional screen printing or latest technology with direct to garment digital printing.

Cebu City

The City of Cebu is the capital city of Cebu in the Philippines, and is the second most significant metropolitan center in the Philippine Islands. The city is located on the eastern shore of Cebu, and is the first Spanish settlement in the Philippines. Cebu is the Philippines' main domestic shipping port, and is home to more than 80% of the country's domestic shipping companies. Cebu also holds the second largest international flights in the Philippine Islands, and is a significant center of commerce, trade, and industry in the Visayas, and Mindanao region. Cebu city is an important cultural center in the Philippine Islands. The city's most famous landmark is Magellan's Cross. This cross, now housed in a chapel, was supposedly planted by Ferdinand Magellan when he arrived in the Philippine Islands in 1521. This religious event is celebrated on the islands cultural festivities known as the Sinulog festival, held every third Sunday of January which celebrates the festival of the Santo Niño, the patron saint of Cebu. The Sinulog is a dance ritual of pre-hispanic indigenous origin. The dancer moves two steps forward and one step backward to the rhythmic sound of drums. This movement resembles somewhat the current (sulog) of the river. Thus, the Cebuanos called it Sinulog.

Tinola

Another Filipino dish that i like very much is Tinola. It is a soup-based dish served as an appetizer or main entrée in the Philippines. Traditionally, this dish is cooked with chicken, wedges of green papaya, and chili pepper leaves, in broth flavored with ginger, onions and fish sauce. A common variant substitutes pork for chicken, chayote instead of papaya, or moringa leaves known as marungay or malunggay, instead of pepper leaves. It is best served with fresh chicken. You can check the recipe online and here is a sample.