Filipino Food

Kabuting Kidlat

Kabuting kidlat is the name given to a type of mushroom that appears only after thunderstorms.

A root crop used mainly in sweet preparations, ube is a favorite flavor of ice cream and for cakes and pastries. It is also added to halo-halo. The plant that bears ube has the scientific name Dioscorea alata. It has heart-shaped leaves.

Langka

Langka or Nangka is the Tagalog word for “jackfruit.” It’s the largest fruit that grows on a tree! See the other photo!

Banana Ketchup

Bottles of UFC Tamis Anghang Banana Catsup on Store Shelf. Photos by Angie Pastor.

Banana ketchup is a popular Filipino condiment made from bananas, sugar, vinegar and spices. Its natural color is brownish, but it is colored red to resemble tomato ketchup.

Putok Batok

Photo by Mayette Garcia of Chicharon Bulaklak & Crispy Pata

The phrase “putok batok” (sometimes hyphenated as “putok-batok”) refers to meals that can cause the eater to have a heart attack or stroke due to its very unhealthy nature.

Champoy

Photo by Toyang Noresa of Spicy Tamarind Champoy from Batangas. Champoy is traditionally made not with tamarind, but yangmei fruit. And do you remember the Champoy theme song? We have the recording and lyrics!

Barako

Kapeng Barako at Suman na Malagkit by Febananaaa.

The Filipino word barako is from the Spanish barraco, which means a breeding boar. Some time ago, this word in the Philippines came to mean a bully or a philanderer. And today, it refers to a native species of coffee.

Otap

Otap is a crisp, flaky, even crunchy, oval-shaped “puff” pastry that’s a popular snack in the Philippines.

Chami

Pansit Chami is a sweet and spicy noodle dish made from fresh egg noodles called miki. It is a native delicacy of Lucena, the capital city of Quezon province.

Banana Chips

Philippine banana chips are ordinarily round in shape similar to thick poker chips, because the bananas used are cut crosswise.

In recent years, long-cut banana chips, in which the bananas are sliced lengthwise, have become popular.

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