Chichirya

Photos by Angie Pastor.

Chichirya are munchable Western-style processed snacks such as potato chips. They are thought of as junk food in the Philippines.

The Filipino word meryenda, often translated as “snack,” refers to more wholesome between-meal snacking in the middle of the morning or the middle of the afternoon. Meryenda is often a pastry, piece of fruit, or a boiled or fried root crop.

In contrast, chichirya comes from out of a plastic bag or a foil pack. Examples are corn chips and potato crisps.

The word is spelled tsitsirya in classic Tagalog orthography. Other spelling variations: chichiria, tsitsiriya, sitsirya