Philippines

The big island: Manila's culinary buzz, Pampanga (the food capital), the austere Ilocos and spicy coconut-loving Bicol.

Nothing with that filter in this region — try another.

• Adobo vinegar & soy stew nationwide 320–480 kcal →
• Sinigang sour tamarind soup nationwide 280–420 kcal →
• Tapsilog sweet cured beef + rice + fried egg nationwide 550–720 kcal →
• Sisig chopped pig's-head meat seared with onion, calamansi and crushed chicharron, served sizzling on an iron plate nationwide 500–750 kcal Spice 1/3 →
• Bagnet whole pork belly boiled and double-fried until glass-crisp 650–900 kcal →
• Pinakbet vegetables slowly wilted in their own juices with fermented bagoong monamon anchovy paste 150–300 kcal Spice 1/3 →
• Longganisa de Vigan garlic and sugarcane-vinegar fresh sausage from Vigan, browned in its own fat 380–520 kcal →
• Kare-kare oxtail stewed for hours in a dense peanut sauce with banana blossom and vegetables 550–750 kcal →
• Bulalo clear soup of beef marrow bones simmered for hours until the marrow melts 450–650 kcal →
• Bicol Express spicy pork in coconut milk 350–550 kcal Spice 3/3 →
• Pancit Palabok rice noodles with shrimp and annatto sauce 300–500 kcal →
• Taho hot silken tofu with sago and arnibal syrup nationwide 200–300 kcal →
• Halo-Halo shaved-ice dessert with evaporated milk and Filipino sweets nationwide 400–650 kcal →
• Lechon Kawali boiled and deep-fried crispy pork belly 500–700 kcal →

The heart of the sea: Cebu and its lechon, Iloilo's noodle soups, Bacolod's grills. Fish and pork are religion here.

Nothing with that filter in this region — try another.

• La La Paz Batchoy Iloilo noodle soup 450–620 kcal →
• Lechón de Cebú herb-stuffed roast pig 420–580 kcal →
• Chicken Inasal Bacolod charcoal chicken 380–520 kcal →
• Ki Kinilaw Filipino ceviche in coconut vinegar nationwide 150–250 kcal Spice 1/3 →
• Pancit Molo Molo wonton soup with fried garlic 350–480 kcal →
• KB KBL (Kadyos Baboy Langka) Ilonggo stew of pork, pigeon peas and green jackfruit soured with batwan 450–600 kcal Spice 1/3 →
• La Laswa Ilonggo vegetable soup with thickener 100–180 kcal →
• Humba sweet-savory braised pork with pineapple, saba banana and hard-boiled egg 550–700 kcal →
• Si Sinugba charcoal-grilled meat or fish in calamansi-soy marinade 280–420 kcal Spice 1/3 →
• Na Napoleones puff pastry square with egg-yolk custard and glaze 250–320 kcal →
• Piaya flat pastry filled with muscovado 200–280 kcal →
• Bi Binakol chicken stewed in coconut water with lemongrass 300–400 kcal →
• Binignit sweet stew of tubers and fruit in coconut milk 350–450 kcal →

The flavorful frontier: General Santos tuna, Davao durian, and Maranao & Tausug cooking with coconut, chili and spices you won't find up north.

Nothing with that filter in this region — try another.

• Pastil rice bundle with shredded chicken 300–420 kcal Spice 1/3 →
• Pa Panga de Atún a la Parrilla grilled tuna collar 420–560 kcal →
• Satti meat skewers in spicy annatto sauce 380–520 kcal Spice 3/3 →
• Tiyula Itum Tausug black soup of burnt coconut 400–550 kcal Spice 2/3 →
• Piaparan chicken in coconut milk with Maranao palapa 450–600 kcal Spice 2/3 →
• Si Sinuglaw fish ceviche with grilled pork belly 280–400 kcal Spice 1/3 →
• Ch Chicken Inato Palawan-style charcoal chicken 420–560 kcal Spice 1/3 →
• Curacha spanner crab in coconut-coral sauce 300–450 kcal →
• Lo Lokot-Lokot crispy fried glutinous rice coils 180–280 kcal →
• Durian Pasalubong durian candy gifts 80–140 kcal →
• Ka Kalderetang Kambing goat stew with liver paste and peppers 480–650 kcal Spice 1/3 →
• Dodol glutinous rice and coconut toffee 140–220 kcal →

The full country calendar. Green: in season. Orange: peak flavor and price. Pick your arrival month and see what the market will look like. In the tropics the calendar follows the rains (Jun-Nov) and the dry season (Dec-May).

• Carabao mangoofficial calendar Many call it the world's best mango: sweet, fiberless, eaten by hand. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Lanzonesofficial calendar Small sweet clusters; Camiguin throws a festival for them in October. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Rambutanofficial calendar Hairy outside, sweet grape inside. Peel it, don't bite the seed. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Durianofficial calendar Davao's king: smells intense, tastes like caramel cream. Banned in hotels, mandatory on your list. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Mangosteenofficial calendar The queen of fruit: sweet-sour, the perfect foil to rich durian. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Calamansiofficial calendar The Filipino lime: in EVERYTHING (juice, marinades, sauces). The most useful fruit in the country. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Young coconut (buko)official calendar Iced buko water = the tropics' best sports drink, for 30 pesos. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Saba bananaofficial calendar A cooking banana: fried (banana cue), in halo-halo, on a stick with caramelized sugar. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Papayaofficial calendar Year-round; green too, shredded into atchara (fresh pickle). 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Pineappleofficial calendar The Philippines is a top world producer; the Formosa variety is intensely sweet. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Watermelon~ estimated Dry-season fruit: April in Manila is pure watermelon juice. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Guava (bayabas)~ estimated Often wild; its leaves are also used in traditional antiseptic washes. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Santolofficial calendar Sweet-sour cotton around seeds; also cooked into spicy sauces. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Chico (sapodilla)~ estimated Tastes like pear mixed with brown sugar; rarely seen outside the Philippines. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Star apple (caimito)~ estimated Purple outside, sweet and jelly-like inside. January's fruit. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Soursop (guyabano)~ estimated Shakes and juices: creamy, tangy and refreshing all at once. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Jackfruit (langka)~ estimated Ripe, it's dessert; green, it's for stews (it goes in Iloilo's KBL). 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Sugar apple (atis)~ estimated Black seeds wrapped in creamy sweetness; ripe when it yields to the touch. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Makopa (java apple)~ estimated Bell-shaped, crisp and hydrating; a light mid-afternoon snack. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Pomelo (suha)~ estimated Davao's suha is sweet; eaten with salt or in shrimp salad. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Tamarind (sampalok)~ estimated The fruit behind sinigang's sourness; also made into tamarind candies. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Avocado~ estimated Not eaten in salads here: it is blended with condensed milk and ice. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

The tropics have no spring or autumn: rains (Jun-Nov) and dry season (Dec-May). Almost everything grows year-round, but each vegetable has its good months, and highland crops (Baguio, Benguet) only reach the markets in the dry season. This is the calendar local cooks use.

• Water spinach (kangkong)~ estimated The country's everyday green: stir-fried with garlic or in sinigang. Grows in any ditch; dirt cheap in the rainy months. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Bitter melon (ampalaya)~ estimated The beloved bitter: pinakbet, salad with egg and tomato. The more wrinkled the skin, the more bitter it gets. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Long beans (sitaw)~ estimated Half-meter beans: ginisang sitaw with pork or adobo-style. Snapped by the handful, never finely sliced. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Okra~ estimated Goes whole into sinigang. Filipinos want it small and tender; let it grow and it turns to wood. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Eggplant (talong)~ estimated Small and slender, not the globe type: charcoal-grilled for ensaladang talong or fried into tortang talong. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Kalabasa squash~ estimated The local sweet, starchy squash: ginataang kalabasa with coconut or with sitaw. The flowers get eaten too. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Chayote (sayote)official calendar King of the Cordillera: harvested on the Benguet slopes in the dry season. In soups, stews and ginisa. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Moringa (malunggay)~ estimated The backyard superfood: its leaves go into tinola and postpartum soups. A tree in every barangay. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Taro (gabi)~ estimated The root that thickens laing and sinigang. Raw, it itches: gloves or salt-rubbed hands. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Sweet potato (kamote) and its leaves~ estimated The root and its greens: hiker's snack (fried kamote cue) and the green of many soups. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Bottle gourd (upo)~ estimated Mild and watery: sautéed with tiny shrimp or sardines (ginisang upo). Only when tender; fibrous means discard. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Luffa (patola)~ estimated Queen of misua soup with sardines. Sweet and spongy: don't confuse it with its bitter cousin. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Tomato~ estimated In the cool dry season it's cheap and flavorful; scarce and pricey in the rains. Base of nearly every Filipino stew. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Onion (sibuyas)~ estimated Dry-season harvest; out of season it's imported and prices spike (a national scandal every year). 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Garlic~ estimated Same story as onion: local in the dry season, imported the rest. Sinigang and adobo demand it. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Cabbage and brassicasofficial calendar Grown in the cool highlands of Baguio and the Cordillera. In the dry season they fill markets nationwide. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Carrotofficial calendar A highland crop (Benguet). Sweet and juicy in the dry season; during typhoons it soars or vanishes. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Potatoofficial calendar Another Cordillera crop: planted on the same slopes as carrots and cabbage. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Cucumber~ estimated Filipino salad: cucumber, onion, vinegar, a pinch of sugar. Refreshing with anything grilled. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Daikon radish (labanos)~ estimated White and juicy: in sinigang and in tomato salad. Market ones grow arm-long. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12