Decoding the Filipino Menu 3: The Pinoy Breakfast
So it’s your first time in
the Philippines and you’re browsing the hotel breakfast menu where you might be
tempted to order the usual Continental or American breakfast as it is the most
familiar. But you know that in order to maximize your stay in a foreign land,
you need to imbibe its culture and experience its flavor. So why not start your
culinary adventure with a Pinoy breakfast? You won’t regret it.
Photo courtesy of My Twisted Recipes
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Coffee or Tsokolate?
A typical Filipino breakfast is
always accompanied by either a cup of coffee or hot and thick tsokolate (chocolate)
that is made with chocolate tablets (tablea), milk, and sugar.
Photo courtesy of DeviantArt.com
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Pan de sal (bread rolls)
If you’re the bread type, you
might want to skip the usual toast and go for the pan de sal which is made of flour,
eggs, yeast, and sugar. It can be a bit sweet to eat alone or with butter,
cheese, and jam, etc. When you order, insist on being served hot and fresh from the
oven.
Photo courtesy of Pinoy Kitchenette
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Champorado (chocolate rice pudding)
Now if
you’re the porridge or oatmeal type of breakfast eater, give the champorado a
try. Champorado is made with sticky rice boiled with cocoa powder or tablea
topped with milk. To make it more Filipino, ask for the salty tuyo (dried
herring) for that sweet and salty mix.
Silog (garlic rice meal)
However,
nothing beats rice---particularly sinangag (fried garlic rice) as a classic
Filipino breakfast. It is usually served
with eggs (sunny side up or salted duck eggs), sliced tomato and your choice of
meat. Bundled together, they are called silog. “Si” stands for sinangag (fried
garlic rice) and “log” for itlog (eggs) but the word, “silog” is not a complete
word in itself as the meat is prefixed to it.
Let’s start with those that
are bundled with familiar Western breakfast fare. You can try them first if you
want to work your way up to the true-blue Filipino silog dishes later.
Hotdogsilog Photo courtesy of Busog Sarap |
Cornsilog (Corned beef) Photo courtesy of Got Halo Halo |
Spamsilog or Masilog
Photo courtesy of Got Halo Halo
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Hamsilog
Photo courtesy of DMarj Marinduque
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Now that you have worked up
your courage to be more adventurous and Pinoy, try the following favorite
staples:
Photo courtesy of Tocino Boys
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Tocino are sweet coated pork
strips that are fried until they achieve a caramelized look. If you fly the
national carrier, Philippine
Airlines, you might encounter it on their breakfast
menu.
Longganisa is fried sausage
that can be sweet, salty or garlicky depending on what city or region in the
Philippines you are. Traditionally, it is made of pork but there are other
varieties such as chicken and fish as well. It can be served with or without
skin. (I prefer the skinless.)
Photo courtesy of The Filipino Lifestyle |
Tapa is dried cured beef
similar to beef jerky. It is fried and dipped in vinegar and often served with
achara (pickled green papaya).
Photo courtesy of Iskandals |
For some foreigners
especially from the west, fried tuyo (dried salted herring) might be too exotic
for their taste and smell. I overheard one kid with her father, wondering about eating
its head. My plate is usually bereft of everything afterwards. Those who are
not used to it might be offended by its pungent smell but to the Pinoy palette,
it’s heavenly.
Danggit is sun-dried salted
fish that is split open when served. One Westerner called it, “flat fish.” It is
fried and served with vinegar dipping sauce. Like the tuyo, you can eat
everything. The best danggit must be crunchy and definitely not rubbery.
Photo courtesy of Busog Sarap |
Another split-open “flat
fish” is the bangus (marinated milkfish). The soft gel-like belly is the most
favorite part. Unlike the other fish meals here, it is not crunchy and you
don’t eat everything unless you want fish bones in your throat. As bangus has a
lot of thin bones, it may prove to be tedious and difficult to eat. Some
restaurants offer boneless bangus though.
As everything on the Filipino
breakfast menu is either sweet or salty and often fried, the Pinoy almusal
(breakfast) may not be the healthiest but it is sure to be very tasty and satisfying!
-THE PARANOID TRAVELER
-THE PARANOID TRAVELER
Next in the Series: The Pinoy
Merienda
They're all mouthwatering meals to start your day...
ReplyDeleteindeed, the strong smell of fried tuyo is heavenly to pinoy palate!!!