Travelmag
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Filipinos’ Exotic Delicacies
One of the exciting things to do when travelling around the Philippines is discovering the richness of the Filipino cuisines. There are plenty of dishes whose ingredients are unexpected, or even downright bizarre. One way to hype up your next trip's adventure factor is to try things that are unfamiliar to you, including exotic foods.
Palawan’s Crocodile Sisig
The croc meat shines when it is turned into the Filipino bar chow favorite Sisig. The naturally oily meat sizzles well with some chopped chili peppers and drizzled with calamansi. It goes well with a crisp cold beer. Interestingly, crocodile meat is very tender and has a flavor and consistency similar to pork. Because of it, any spices mixed into the croc meat enhances its flavor.
Pampanga’s Betute Tugak (Stuffed Frogs)
Though frogs' legs are considered a delicacy in other parts of the world, frog dishes are made slightly differently in the Philippines. Betute is a play of words on butete, which means "tadpole" in the local dialect. The most common way of preparing frog is to fry it or to turn it into adobo. However, in Pampanga, there is a dish called betute tugak, which are deep-fried field frogs stuffed with minced pork.
Manila and Cebu’s Soup No. 5
This story behind this soup is as mysterious as its name. It’s because they dont want the customer to be grossed out on its ingredients. Soup No. 5 looks like a regular meat soup, but it is actually made of bull or ox penis and testicles, and is believed to be an aphrodisiac. Some restaurants in Binondo serve this dish, and it can also be found in Cebu, where it is known as Lanciao.
Balut - All over the Philippines
Though considered common eats among many Filipinos, there are still those who have yet to pluck up the courage to try balut. Balut is a fertilized duck egg, either 16 or 18 days old, which has been boiled and is eaten with salt or vinegar. Though the almost-fully-formed duckling inside the egg can be offputting to some, balut is a tasty afternoon treat all over the Philippines. In fact, balut has long been known as El Dorado of bizarre edible items.
Cordillera Region’s Pinikpikan
Though similar to the traditional tinolang manok (chicken in broth with vegetables), pinikpikan is a chicken dish where the process of preparing the chicken is considered a tribal ritual which helps the people determine their tribe's fate regarding a particular course of action. The dish derives its name from the word "pikpik," which means to beat lightly, usually with a stick.
Bicol’s Kinunot na Pating
Kinunot is a Bicolano dish made up of either stingray or baby shark cooked in coconut milk with malunggay or moringa leaves. The food stall specialized in Pilipino cuisine specifically Bicol authentic dishes.
Baguio’s Sundot Kulangot
The taste and texture of sundot kulangot is similar to the more popular matamis na bao or coconut jam. Sticky and sweet (like the coco jam), the rather absurd name ‘sundot kulangot’ obviously refers to the tedious way one has to open and eat (or sample) this candy. Sampling since the nutty shell only contains a teeny-weeny bit or less than a thumb size portion of the coco-jammy substance.