Asia · Traditional

Filipino cuisine

Filipino cuisine combines Austronesian foodways, regional agriculture, Chinese trade, Spanish colonial influence and American-era change. Rice, vinegar, seafood, pork, coconut and fermented seasonings create food that can be sour, savoury, smoky, sweet or deeply comforting depending on the region.

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Food history

Why Filipino cuisine is worth exploring

Filipino cuisine reflects Austronesian roots, centuries of regional trade, Spanish colonial rule, Chinese migration and later American influence. Vinegar, salt and fermentation were practical tools in a tropical climate, and remain central to the cuisine's character.

Why it is famous

The best-known parts of Filipino cuisine include adobo, sinigang, lechon, pancit, lumpia, kare-kare, sisig, kinilaw and halo-halo. Behind them is a much broader everyday food culture, where family recipes and regional habits often reveal more about the country than the internationally famous dishes alone.

Regional food story

Luzon includes Ilocano, Kapampangan and Tagalog traditions; Bicol is known for coconut and chilli; the Visayas have strong seafood and lechon cultures; Mindanao reflects Muslim Filipino and broader Southeast Asian influences.

How to cook it

Flavours, ingredients and menu ideas

Signature ingredients

To understand the flavour of Filipino cuisine, pay attention to vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, rice, coconut, pork, chicken, seafood, calamansi, fish sauce, annatto and tropical fruit. These are recurring building blocks rather than rigid rules, and the most interesting recipes often show how one region interprets them differently from the next.

Cooking style

Filipino cooking is comfortable with bold sourness, deep savoury flavours and sweet-salty contrasts. Braising in vinegar, grilling, frying and sour soups are common, while celebratory dishes can be extremely elaborate.

Build a menu

Pair a rich main such as adobo or lechon with something sour, fresh or brothy. Add rice and a vegetable dish, then finish with halo-halo, leche flan or a coconut-based sweet. Contrast matters more than making every course similarly intense.

Starters Mains Desserts

Cook by course

Filipino recipes

Start with a starter, choose a main, then finish with a dessert to build a complete country-inspired menu.

Starters

Filipino starters

Kinilaw

Kinilaw is Filipino raw fish cured briefly with vinegar, citrus, ginger, chilli and aromatics.

Starter 50 mins

Lumpiang Shanghai

Lumpiang Shanghai are small Filipino spring rolls packed with seasoned pork and fried until exceptionall…

Starter 50 mins

Ukoy

Ukoy are Filipino shrimp and vegetable fritters fried into crisp, lacy discs and served with vinegar dip.

Starter 50 mins

Main courses

Filipino main courses

Bangus Sisig

Bangus sisig replaces pork with crisp milkfish tossed with onion, chilli, calamansi and creamy seasoning.

Main 1 hr 50 mins

Bicol Express

Bicol Express is pork cooked in coconut milk with shrimp paste and generous chilli.

Main 1 hr 50 mins

Chicken Adobo

Chicken adobo braises poultry in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, bay and peppercorns until glossy and deeply…

Main 1 hr 50 mins

Inasal na Manok

Chicken inasal is Bacolod-style grilled chicken marinated with vinegar, calamansi, lemongrass and annatt…

Main 1 hr 50 mins

Kare-Kare

Kare-kare is a Filipino oxtail and vegetable stew in a thick roasted-peanut sauce, served with fermented…

Main 1 hr 50 mins

Laing

Laing is a Bicolano dish of dried taro leaves slowly cooked in coconut milk, chilli and fermented shrimp…

Main 1 hr 50 mins

Lechon Kawali

Lechon kawali is pork belly simmered until tender, dried and deep-fried for shatteringly crisp skin.

Main 1 hr 50 mins

Pancit Canton

Pancit Canton is Filipino stir-fried wheat noodles with meat, seafood and crisp vegetables.

Main 1 hr 50 mins

Pork Sinigang

Pork sinigang is a deeply sour Filipino soup with tender pork and a generous assortment of vegetables.

Main 1 hr 50 mins

Desserts

Filipino desserts

Bibingka

Bibingka is a Filipino rice cake baked in banana leaves and traditionally topped with salted egg, cheese…

Dessert 1 hr 10 mins

Halo-Halo

Halo-halo is a layered Filipino shaved-ice dessert mixed with sweet beans, fruits, jellies, milk, ube an…

Dessert 1 hr 10 mins

Leche Flan

Filipino leche flan is an exceptionally rich caramel custard made with egg yolks and condensed milk.

Dessert 1 hr 10 mins

Wine and drink pairings

What to drink with Filipino food

When pairing wine with Filipino food, match the structure of the dish first: fresh whites for seafood and herbs, medium reds for tomato, spice or roast meat, sparkling wines for fried or salty starters, and sweet or fortified wines for desserts.

Red

Cabernet Sauvignon / Bordeaux

Structured red with blackcurrant, cedar, graphite and firm tannins. Best with roast beef, lamb, steak, rich gravies and…

Grape: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc Region: Bordeaux, Napa, Coonawarra, Maipo

Red

Malbec

Plush, dark red with blackberry, plum, cocoa and smooth tannins. Excellent with beef, charred meat, pies and smoky dish…

Grape: Malbec Region: Mendoza, Cahors

Red

Syrah / Shiraz

Peppery, dark-fruited red with savoury spice and medium-to-firm tannins. Great with grilled meat, pepper, smoke, sausag…

Grape: Syrah, Shiraz Region: Northern Rhône, Barossa, South Africa

White

Dry Riesling

A precise, high-acid white with lime, green apple, blossom and mineral tension. It loves pork, fish, cabbage, spice and…

Grape: Riesling Region: Mosel, Rheingau, Alsace, Clare Valley

White

Gewürztraminer

Highly aromatic white with lychee, rose, ginger and spice. Works with fragrant dishes, rich cheese and lightly sweet de…

Grape: Gewürztraminer Region: Alsace, Alto Adige, Germany

White

Off-Dry Riesling

Slightly sweet, high-acid Riesling that balances spice, salt, smoked pork and sweet-sour sauces without tasting heavy.

Grape: Riesling Region: Mosel, Pfalz, Alsace, Austria

Dessert

Sauternes / Botrytised Sweet Wine

Luscious sweet wine with apricot, honey, marmalade and balancing acidity. Good with custards, fruit tarts, blue cheese…

Grape: Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadelle Region: Sauternes, Barsac, Monbazillac, Tokaj-inspired regions

Dessert

Sweet Muscat

Fragrant sweet wine with orange blossom, grape, peach and honey. Best with pastries, custards, fruit desserts and light…

Grape: Muscat Blanc, Moscatel, Muscat of Alexandria Region: Rutherglen, Beaumes-de-Venise, Setúbal, Asti

Plan the full table

Build a Filipino menu

Keep good rice, cane or coconut vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce, dried noodles and coconut products. Buy calamansi, garlic, ginger, chillies and seafood fresh when available. Vinegar styles are not interchangeable, and adobo should be balanced to the household or regional style rather than forced into one fixed recipe.

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