I should have blogged about this more than a month ago during our first culinary trip to Pampanga but somehow the pictures got lost in my archives. At the Nepo Mart in Angeles City, I saw several carts of street food which is perhaps one of the biggest to be gathered in one place I’d seen. What’s good about these stalls is that people flock to them like flies because they’re cheap, they can ease your hunger pangs for a few pesos and some people seem to believe that the dirtier, the better (these places just have pails of water to wash the dishes, spoons and such. Ewww.)

Above is the picture of one of the most famous Philippine street food, balut. I could never call myself a true-blue Filipino or foodie because I’ve never tasted balut. I just couldn’t imagine myself eating day-old chick..yet. Balut is the premature embryo of a chick that is boiled then eaten in its shell. You are supposed to sip the broth first, then peel the egg to eat the yolk and the day-old chick. According to Wikipedia, balut is a delicacy that’s not unique to the Philippines. It’s also found in China, Cambodia and Vietnam.

Hard-boiled eggs (dipped in salt) and kwek-kwek or quail eggs dipped in orange-y batter are the other egg variations of the Filipino street food.

Because this is Asia, noodles are a common street fare. Here, they’re usually topped with bits of meat, liver, vegetables like cabbage, green onions, garlic and finally topped with slices of boiled egg.

Other Chinese-inspired variations of Philippine street food include squid balls, quekiam, siopao or meat buns and siomai (dumplings).



Chix, originally uploaded by annalyn.

Fried chicken is popular everywhere and hereabouts, every chicken part - from the neck to the legs - is dipped in tasty breading then deep-fried to cholesterol goodness.

Other popular chicken fare include the grilled chicken feet or “adidas” as well as “isaw” or grilled chicken intestine. They share the limelight with other unique Filipino names for street food like the “Betamax” or grilled pork blood and the “Walkman” or grilled pig’s ears.

Other Pinoy street food we can’t live without: bananacue ( saba bananas fried in molasses), turon, lumpiang togue (vegetable spring roll), the soya-based taho, pansit, peanuts. Add your favorites to this list.

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Posted in Munchin' |