by Ana Margarita Olar, via FoodfindsAsia.com |
Fiesta fever is almost over but the food served across the provinces have lingered in our minds. Having been to several of the local celebrations, I can say I have sampled (read as: feasted) the all-time favorites and even took time to write them down.
Here are some of the local Fiesta festivals and which town or province you can find the best recipes:
Caldereta
Caldereta is a meat stew with Spanish origin. It became one of the favorite foods for fiestas and other special occasions. It is more common in Luzon and Southern Tagalog Region. Traditionally, the main ingredient for Caldereta is beef. Because beef is more expensive, some use pork or chicken too. The marinated meat is cooked with garlic, onions, carrots, salt and pepper, and tomato sauce.
Morcon
Morcon is another mouth-watering fiesta dish. It is simply a meat roll with fillings of hard-boiled egg, ham, sausages, and carrots. But, if you want to taste the best Morcon; you might want to visit Pampanga.
Lechon Baboy or Roasted whole pig
Cebu is the home of the best Lechon. It is a traditional food that most Filipinos crave to eat. It is served during fiestas, weddings, and other big celebrations.
Kare-kare
Kare-kare is a pork dish with peanut butter and vegetables. The original kare kare recipe is believed to originate in Southern Mindanao. But, different region has different twist with this dish.
Bulalo
Taal, Tagaytay is said to be the origin and the home of best-tasting bulalo. It is s soup of beef bones with green leafy vegetables.
Dinuguan
The Origin of dinuguan is difficult to trace; different regions offers a variety of dinuguan twist. Dinuguan is a blood stew with intestines, heart, ear, liver, pork meat. Whenever people saw lechon, they will instantly look for Dinuguan too. It is best partner with Puto Cake.
Chicken and pork adobo
In every part of the Philippines, you can enjoy adobo. It is a preferred daily menu, but it is also a fiesta classic. The chicken or pork meat will be marinated and boiled with in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, onions, and bay leaf.
Afritada
Whenever there’s fiesta, afritada is present too. Pork or chicken meat will be stewed in tomato sauce, tomato paste, carrots, potatoes, and bell pepper.
Lechon Kawali
In the absence of lechon (which is a bit expensive), you can still enjoy fiesta with lechon kawali. It is a crispy, deep-fried pork belly.
Pancit Guisado
Pancit is a Chinese influence that Filipino loved to cook. You can find pancit in birthdays and festivals because it symbolizes long life. The Pancit or Bihon noodles are sautéed with liver, pork or chicken, cabbage, carrots, garlic, and onion.
