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Adobo is the closest thing to a national dish in the Philippines, consisting of seared and browned chunks of meat, seafood, fruit, or vegetables mixed with white vinegar or soy sauce (or both), bay leaves, garlic, salt, sugar, oil, and black pepper.
The combination of these ingredients is left to simmer over low heat, resulting in succulent, juicy, and tender ingredients covered in thick, rich, and savory sauce. Adobo got its name from the Spanish word adobar, meaning marinade or pickling sauce.
MOST ICONIC Adobo
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Adobong baboy is a traditional stew originating from the Philippines. This type of Filipino adobo is made with a combination of pork belly, garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, bay leaves, peppercorns, and salt. The pork is marinated in a combination of garlic and soy sauce, and it's then browned in a pan over high heat.
The rest of the ingredients are added to the pan (except the vinegar), and the dish is simmered for a few minutes before the vinegar, salt, and water or soy sauce are added to the pan. Once fully cooked, this pork stew is served hot with the thick sauce and white rice on the side.
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Kare-kare is a traditional stew consisting of meat such as tripe, pork leg, ox tail, goat or chicken, vegetables, and a thick, savory peanut sauce flavored with annatto seeds. Shrimp paste (bagoong) is often served on the side in order to enhance the flavors of the dish.
Kare-kare is traditionally cooked in a clay cooking pot known as palayok, and the vessel also acts as a serving bowl once the dish is properly cooked. Nowadays, it is often served at numerous Filipino festivities. Some believe that kare-kare has origins in the Pampanga region, while others claim that the name of the dish is derived from the Indian word curry, and that it was introduced to the Philippines by Indians from the Rizal province.
MOST ICONIC Kare-kare
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Adobong manok is a traditional stew originating from the Philippines. This type of Filipino adobo is made with a combination of chicken, garlic, onions, bay leaves, peppercorns, oil, brown sugar, soy sauce, and white vinegar. The chicken is cut into pieces and marinated in a mixture of all the mentioned ingredients (except oil).
It is then cooked in oil over medium heat until browned. The rest of the marinade is mixed with water and the mixture is poured over the browned chicken. The dish is simmered over high heat until the chicken is fully cooked, and adobong manok is then served with white rice on the side.
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Kaldereta is a Filipino meat stew that is traditionally served with a side of white rice. Although any kind of meat can be used in the stew, beef and goat are the preferred options. The dish is influenced by three centuries of Spanish colonization, and the word kaldereta is derived from the Spanish caldereta, meaning cooking pot or cauldron.
Besides meat that is used in the dish, other ingredients include mashed liver, tomato sauce, and seasonings such as onions, salt, pepper, and garlic. Kaldereta is often garnished with sliced tomatoes, chopped onions, or fried potatoes on top, and can be found in numerous Filipino turo-turo joints.
MOST ICONIC Kaldereta
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Pinakbet is a traditional meat stew prepared with various vegetables and shrimp paste. It originated in the region of Ilocos, but today it appears in many regional and seasonal varieties. Most commonly, it consists of fatty pork, bitter melon, squash, sweet potatoes, eggplants, okra, and green beans.
Although the ingredients may be adjusted to personal preferences, the key element of the dish is the pungent shrimp paste, which provides pinakbet with its unique flavor. This colorful and versatile stew is usually served alongside steamed rice and enjoyed as a hearty and nutritious main course.
MOST ICONIC Pinakbet
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This comforting Filipino stew usually combines diced marinated pork, carrots, potatoes, and pork's liver with a creamy tomato sauce. Since it is one of the national Filipino dishes, numerous regional varieties often employ raisins, bell peppers, garbanzo beans, and sausages.
The name menudo probably stems from menudencias, meaning offal, which might suggest that the dish used to include other innards, though pork liver is the most common option nowadays. It can also refer to small or tiny, possibly referring to the size of the ingredients.
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Pares is a Filipino term that typically refers to a standard combination of beef stew, beef soup, and rice. The star is the stew consisting of beef chunks that are slowly braised in a flavorful stock infused with garlic, soy sauce, star anise, sugar, and a variety of other spices and condiments.
The thick, rich, and slightly sweet sauce and tender meat make pares one of the most popular beef dishes in the country. The term pares translates as pairs and stems from the traditional practice of serving this satisfying stew along with fried or steamed rice and a bowl of nourishing beef stock.
MOST ICONIC Pares
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Mechado is a Filipino fusion dish that combines beef chunks, which are sometimes replaced with pork, and a flavorful tomato sauce. Since tomato sauce is not a common ingredient in traditional Filipino cuisine, it is believed that the dish originated under Spanish influence.
Besides meat, it can also incorporate potatoes, bell peppers, carrots, and peas. It is often seasoned with soy sauce or fish sauce. Traditionally, the dish is made with inexpensive beef cuts that are inserted with strips of pork fat. The strips are known as mecha (as in candle wick), which also gave the dish its name.
MOST ICONIC Mechado
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Afritada is one of many traditional Filipino stews which use a tangy tomato sauce as the key ingredient. Since it is an incredibly popular dish, there may be variations in recipes, but it is usually prepared with diced chicken or pork stewed in tomato sauce alongside potatoes, bell peppers, and carrots.
This flavorful Filipino dish is usually accompanied by plain steamed rice, then enjoyed as a satisfying main course.
MOST ICONIC Afritada
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