Pinoy Top Street Foods

Street food is very common in the Philippines. Food is an important part of Filipino culture, Street food vendors can be found practically everywhere – outside school, beside the church, at the street corners, inside jeepney or bus terminals, etc.

That is why Filipinos are very inclined with it. It’s an important part of the Filipino culture. The Philippines has many tasty treats to explore. Street food is a favorite  snacks and past time of all Filipinos wherever they go. It is easy to eat and very affordable. For a small price, one can have merienda or snacks packed with food on a stick and some refreshing drinks.

There are many street foods in the Philippines and most often, the ones you would encounter would depend on the region you are visiting. The most common Philippine street foods are: 

1. Fish Balls - are round, airy fish-flavored dough deep-fried in oil and then skewered on a stick. Various dipping sauces are provided. Although there are already fish ball stalls found inside the malls, nothing beats the fish balls sold on the streets. For five pesos only, you already have 7 fish balls in a cup topped with either a sweet or a spicy sauce.

image source: https://www.kawalingpinoy.com/homemade-fish-balls-with-spicy-fish-ball-sauce/

2. Chicken Proven - One of the deliciously tasting street foods in the Philippines is the Chicken Proben. Proben is essentially the proventriculus part of the chicken, which is dipped in cornstarch and then deep-fried. The price for this street food is from 5 pesos only. With that amount, you get a stick with 4 probens. You can have it dipped with either vinegar sauce or sweet sauce or just have it plain.

image source: https://www.kalamicebu.com/2017/02/philippine-street-foods-chicken-proven.html

3. Kwek Kwek - This street foods are hard boiled eggs with an orange colored batter coating and cooked deep fry. Another version of it is Tukaneneng, to which they use quail eggs instead of chicken eggs. These foods are served with cucumber and some spices, of which you can choose to top it with vinegar and salt.

image source: https://eatyourworld.com/destinations/asia/philippines/manila/what_to_eat/kwek_kwek

4. Taho – It is a soybean snack with sweet syrup and tapioca pearls. Taho is one of the favourite breakfast and snacks of children and adults.

image source: http://www.angsaraprecipes.com/easy-homemade-taho-recipe/

5. Banana Que - These foods are the Saba variety of bananas that are coated with caramelized sugar, deep fried and speared to bamboo sticks. It used to be only two pesos but now the price ranges from five to ten pesos.

image source: http://www.savvynana.com/recipe/banana-que-fried-ba/

6. Chicharon - These are cracklings made from different parts of chicken and pig. They are seasoned and deep fried. Just the smell of these cracklings would make you want to buy it. Chicharon street foods include Chicken Skin (made from the skin of the chicken), Chicharong baboy (from pork rind), Chicharong Bituka (from chicken and pork intestines) and Chicharong bulaklak (from Pork Omentum).

https://www.yummy.ph/recipe/bagnet-chicharon-with-sour-cream-dip-and-spice-seasoning

9.Buko Juice - There is not a single array of street foods that doesn’t include a stall of Buko Juice. For five pesos, you already have the refreshing buko juice mixed with evaporated and condensed milk.

image source: https://www.facebook.com/BukoJuice818/

10. Balut – One of Filipino’s favourite street foods is Balut. This street food is thought to be an aphrodisiac. Balut is a hard boiled duck eggs with developed embryo inside. Once you opened the egg, you may top it with vinegar or just pure salt then sip its amniotic fluid first before the other parts.

While gloriously basking in delicious Filipino food in the streets would be a wonderful adventure, a word of caution: street foods are notorious for causing stomach problems. Make sure that you watch how the vendor prepares the food for you. It is especially important to watch the sauce container as some people have the habit of biting into their food skewer and dipping back into the sauce. The best way to enjoy street Filipino food is to bring loads of friends with you.  And, along with the food, one of the most memorable parts of eating street food in the Philippines are the amazingly friendly people you’ll meet when you’re eating!

image source: https://www.aboutfilipinofood.com/balut/