Top 12 Pinoy Exotic food

     I compiled a list of exotic food in the Philippine. I came up with 40 but only choose the famous, bizarre and odd. My plan is to choose  the top ten but I end up in 14 but I made it twelve because one on my list  falls in the same category.
    

Top 12 list of Pinoy Exotic Food

12. Soup No.5

     The soup main ingredients are bulls testicle and phallic. It is believed to have aphrodisiac properties.  Soup no.5 is best to be eaten when you are drunk since the soup reduced the alcohol spirit.

11. Helmet

     Helmet is chicken head, it is called helmet because the clean chicken head without the beak and cockscomb  resembles of a helmet. This one is common street food, either you bought it as a barbecue or cook as adobo (sautéed with garlic, onion and laurel leaf seasoned with soy sauce and vinegar. )

10. Ant Caviar

     It is an egg of  tree ant, mostly can be found in mango trees where this ants make their home. Ant Caviar  is known in Ilocos Norte. Ant egg can be fried in butter for better taste, A crispy shell on the outside and creamy filling on the inside. Juicy and taste like shrimp. It can be cooked as an omelette.

9. Adobong Palaka(frog adobo)/ Fried Frog

     It can be cooked as adobo or deep fried. Kapampangan is well known for being a good cooked, I love the betute, the frog is stuffed with pork and some secret ingredients and deep fried. The taste is juicy and tastier than chicken meat.  So basically if you are in Pampanga and Nueva Ecija, Ask what food they serving  especially with your relatives or friends who live in the province. This neighboring province is well known for the love of exotic food.  

     My first experience eating frog was just an accident, I was on vacation in Nueva Ecija and saw an adobo and didnt bother to ask what kind of adobo, but my cousin let me eat and asking "so whats the taste of overly cooked chicken" I replied taste good , the soft meat was better.. and the best adobo. Then they giggled and revealed  that  it is frog.

8. Deep fried Rat/ adobo rat

      Rats from the rice field are also eaten, it is common in central Luzon where rice field are vast. These Rodents are clean because they only feed on rice. They would skin them, cut the head, the tail, and the legs or the feet then  all internal organs are removed. Cooking is done the adobo way and deep fried. It can also be breaded. I stupidly ate adobo rat  in Pampanga because I thought it is a frog since I love the taste of frog. While chewing my first bite and trying to get another one, my nephew shout at me "uncle you are eating stuart little"  and that's the first and the last bite.

7. Pritong Bayawak( fried monitor lizard)/ Adobong bayawak

     Some said Monitor lizard is taste better in pork meat and tastier than chicken meat. Adobong bayawak is perfect appetizer while drinking wine or liquor. Other ways to cook monitor lizard  Pinaupong bayawak ( similar to roasted chicken), ginataang bayawak ( cooked in coconut milk with lots of chili pepper) and or simply deep fried with vinegar and chili as a dipper.

6. Adobong sawa (Phytoon)

     Yup you read it right, Adobo again but this time the phytoon is the star ingredients. Phytoon is known for its medicinal value in Asia. You can drink the blood raw and it the bladder raw because its said to be good in health and believed to give added stamina..

5. Fried Tateg(rice worm)

    Dare to eat them? This huge worm can be found in a rotten trees or rotten stack of hay rice. They are usually cooked deep fried with lots of garlic.

4. Balut

     Balut and adobo is part of Philippine culture. Let's leave the adobo first and focus on balut. A balut is a nearly developed duck embryo that is boiled and eaten in the shell and for better tasting get a pinch of salt while eating the duck. It is healthy, good for the heart and high in protein.

3. Fried Insect Beetle /Cricket/locust

     This fried insect is common appetizer in Central Luzon. Instead of trying to kill them with insecticide , they cooked them. Deep fried salagubang( beetle) is common among provinces where mango trees abound where beetles usually thrive while the susuhong(cricket) can be found usually in the rice fields before planting season, same with the balang (locust/grasshopper) mostly you can see  them eating rice plant. 

          I learned my lesson of being aware on food while in Pampanga or I will end up again eating bizarre food the rat is enough and way to extreme to me, and rather not eat insect.  I politely refuse or If they tend to tease and dare to eat susuhong,  or the fried locust.. I will say "No thanks, I'm full" or bribe them  that I will buy another case of beer just please don't let me eat them, no offense meant but my stomach is weak for that.

2. Tamilok (mangrove worm)

     The word ‘tamilok’ was  coined by two Americans. They started calling one of their friends - "Tommy, look!" Tommy, look!",  after seeing the locals eating the mangrove tree worm.   Although tamilok looks like a worm , but it is actually a molusk that can be found in rotten mangrove tree. Its is slimy,  longer than 12 inch ruler and grayish color. Tamilok taste like oyster,  famous in Palawan, you can order this in restaurant or in a local bar. Wanna try the kinilawing tamilok( raw tamilok ) . A platter of intertwined mangrove grayish worm.

    A picture of tamilok being harvested in rotten mangrove.

1. Innasin

     This is the igorot version of ham. It is  salted  meat pork, usually neck part, Can be cooked with legumes or vegetables, best partner for this delicacy is pinikpikan (another igorot delicacy, chicken ). The meat can actually eaten raw. Why this to be exotic? the meat should preserved for 6 months and the chemical from the maggot add flavor to the meat. before eating etag make sure to remove the excess salt and the maggot.

So there's all my list... which one you like to try? I already tried the 12, 9 , 8  , 4...

Posted in: PinoyFlavor