Exotic Filipino Food

[savvy]

I have a friend in the Philippines who tricks me into eating something weird everytime I visit. I admit after a few Red Horses it isn't hard to talk me into trying something new when it comes to filipino food. The first thing he tricked me with was Adobong pusa or cat adobo. Yes, it is cat and it wasn't bad at all. Then he got me with camaro which are field crickets cooked in soy sauce, salt, and vinegar. Not bad either. I have also had Soup #5 made with bull testicles. I could take it or leave it.

Before anyone gets upset I know there is alot of great food in the Philippines. I love filipino food. I am just wondering what other surprises my friend may have in store for me when I visit again. Are there many exotic foods in the Philippines?

[thekfc]

What we (the west) define as exotic is considered "normal" everyday food for other parts of the world & vice versa. I have eaten many "exotic" food since I was a kid - mountain chicken (frog legs), escargot, different kinds of insects, different kinds of animals as well different parts of animals, etc, etc,. I have also eaten bull testicles before but not sure if I have eaten cat - with all the crap that I have eaten .....who knows plus I would fit right in with the far east "exotic eating culture" .   


So far, there are 2 "exotic" foods that I cannot bring myself to eat - balut & durian fruit. With all the stuff I have eaten they should be no problem for me to eat but I just cannot bring myself to eat them.

[jm21-2]

Durian won't kill you. Just smells horrible. Some people like it and some don't. Personally I don't really like it, but it's not horrible and it won't make you sick. I wouldn't worry too much about that one.

[thekfc]

Not horrible? ha ha. Here is what 3 "culinary experts" had to say about Durian.


Andrew Zimmern said that "it taste like completely rotten, mushy onions".


Anthony Bourdain said that "Its taste can only be described as...indescribable, something you will either love or despise. ...Your breath will smell as if you'd been French-kissing your dead grandmother."


Travel and food writer Richard Sterling says "its odor is best described as pig-s**t, turpentine and onions, garnished with a gym sock....."


I have the Andrew & Anthony episodes at home somewhere - I will post them later.


Also, I will wait until RA, Piglett, Zulu, Woody & some of the other guys try it and then they can give me their assessment. 

[jm21-2]

Yeah, I saw those shows after I had eaten it. I don't get what they're making a big deal about. It's really not that bad. The smell is pretty bad but eating it won't make you gag or anything. I've had it two, maybe three times. I thought the first time I had it, it may have been spoiled because it had a funky taste, but it appears to just be the way the fruit tastes. I never felt the desire to spit it out or anything, just not good. I'd say it tastes better than most seaweed I've eaten. I would never go out of my way to find any, but if someone offered me some I would probably be polite and eat a little.

[thekfc]

jm, when it is offered to me I will send my share over to you. 

[jm21-2]

There was a show for either Zimmern or Bourdain where they had durian in a salsa or something and actually thought it tasted decent. Can't remember what episode though....


I love a few eps of Zimmern's show where he gives peanut butter to kids in another country and they all seem to hate it. It really does depend what you grew up with.


The only meal I wasn't able to finish in Taiwan was some small shrimps that were deep-fried with their shell on, then you eat the whole thing (with no sauce). Was like eating crunchy, pokey, salty cardboard.


She buys a couple things I don't like, but they're really just for her...some puddings that just taste weird and some aloe vera snacks I don't really like the taste of. Also seaweed in various forms which I have just never acquired a taste for and doubt I ever will.


But I use some things she doesn't like too...particularly butter. She can't even stand the smell of it. I used to cook with it all the time but can't use it  much now.


Some things are really good though like this drink made with basil seeds and cane sugar. Probably the most unique drink I have ever come across. No clue what the American name is if there is one...

[Jeff S]

Don't worry, you'll get used to the odd things. Many foods have an acquired taste. There were a few foods that I didn't care for at all when I was dating and first married that I now think are great.

[thekfc]

I have tried & ate just about everything that my wife have bought from the Filipino stores in the NYC area. There were some things that I didn't like at first but are now enjoy them. There is one other thing that I shy away from and that is Bagoong (fermented fish sauce). I have tasted it and it isn't that bad - it is just the smell.


On my way home today, I will pass by the Filipino store and buy her some Bagoong, Ampalaya (bitter mellon), Pinapaitan and a few other stuff. I will also stop by Jollibee and buy her some burger steak.

[jm21-2]

It would be nice to live near some more Asian stores. We were going into Seattle or Tacoma every weekend or so to buy stuff at first. Now we've down to a trip to Tacoma every 2-3 weeks or so. We have stockpiles of about a dozen types of noodles, another dozen or so types of wrappers, a small wall of Taiwanese snacks....we bought three book cases to hold more food (I have a small kitchen with limited storage). Thinking about getting a freezer as well. They'll have some Taiwanese snack she likes and it will get bought up in about 2 days and then they'll be out of stock for weeks. Particularly the Taiwanese-style taro and snacks/ice cream made from it are really tough to find here.


So far the only real sticking points are that I just can't get used to seaweed and she can't get used to butter and most cheeses. Otherwise our tastes are pretty similar and getting closer. I used a ton of butter in cooking and was a bit worried, but I've found that duck fat is even better. She'll just snack on some seaweed or add it to her meal after we're done cooking. Really hasn't been much of a problem.


Actually we don't eat all that much Taiwanese food. A lot of what we eat is Thai or experimenting with various cuisines or fusion. She really likes western/European style BBQ too, which I do as well, but getting a little cold now for it. I wish there was some all you can eat hotpot restaurant or something nearby we could go to now and then though.


I remember the first time I cooked with shrimp paste...phew...what a smell....is bagoong something like that smell? Like some seafood that has been dead and rotting for a week or so?


We finally got to Seafood City this weekend (big Filipino grocery store) but neither of us were really familiar with the Filipino foods there. And the parking situation was enough to just about drive me nuts.

[thekfc]

I remember the first time I cooked with shrimp paste...phew...what a smell....is bagoong something like that smell? Like some seafood that has been dead and rotting for a week or so?

Yep, that is bagoong.  They are either made with shrimp or fish - my wife like the fish one.

The liquid (non paste) version is called patis in the Philippines, hom ha in Chinese, nam pla in Thai & [snip]suru (sp?) in Japanese.

[robert angel]

I don't recall not at least trying any Filipino food offered to me at least once, except for dishes with liver in them. But I have always disliked liver, whether prepared USA style or any other way. In fact, when I was a kid, if my mom bought liver home with the groceries, I would call all my friends, to make sure I was invited to someone's home to eat, so when the fateful 'liver and onions' night came, I had a way out for each night of the week. I never fancied brussel sprouts or split pea soup either, but I could stomach them.

When I tried durian the first time, it was on the street and it wasn't even rinsed, which is said to lessen it's swarminess and stench somewhat. It was already hot outside, but it wasn't until I ate the durian that I began to sweat-and I mean REALLY sweat--it was somewhat medicinally intense. They say it's an aphrodisiac and I have no reason to doubt that.

There's a frozen yogurt place around here that occasionally makes durian frozen yogurt, as well as taro flavored. I don't think many folks go for the durian flavor--personally I much prefer the taro.

I have eaten the dried fish that's so popular here with Filipinas (it's actually a bit pricey over there for most folks) and I'll occasionally nibble a bit--it's almost like smelly potato chips, but I don't mess with the sardines--had enough of those as a kid and prefer them w/o tomato sauce. I like adobo and cooking down the pork belly until it's mostly meat, with some crispy fat. Like almost everyone I know, I like lechon.  Pancit is OK, but it's not really a satisfying 'comfort food'.

I think a lot of Filipino food is patently heart unhealthy and have seen too many dishes where the fat was an integral part of the recipe. I had eaten oxtails and pigs feet before I met my first Filipinos, but food like that is not healthy. When you consider the amount of saturated fat on that and then how your body converts rice to sugar, it's no surprise that heart disease and diabetes are major concerns over there. It's even sadder that drugs to treat such diseases are not inexpensive.

Sometimes we go to parties where there's dozens of interesting looking dishes and while I'll usually put almost anything not alive on my plate, my wife usually watches and will precaution me "Honey--you won't like that" and she's right. She also seeks out stuff she knows I'll like, bringing it to me and saying "Try this".

One thing that sort of relates to a previous post is that she gets annoyed when we're at a big party--or even at the table at home and I cut up a chicken, a roast or take a helping  from a serving dish and don't serve her at the same time, instead dishing up my food and digging right in. It is bad manners I admit, but especially at a crowded party, with all that food and people crowded in, I sometimes forget my 'Ps and Q's'. I'm better at opening doors, although I don't always go to the other side of the car to open hers--I'll open hers if I'm approaching from that side.

She's always private about it, but when my manners are obviously missing, she will quietly say something like "I wish you would ________--my father always does that for MY mother".....

[thekfc]

RA, my wife was beside me reading your post and she said that she do not like durian, she said the ripe ones look like "poo poo of a baby". 
 She say that the way it smell is the way it taste.  She also said that one of her sisters use to buy it but no one would eat it he. ha ha.

She just finish eating the Pinapaitan that I bought her. I also bought her burger steak from Jollibee, milkfish & bbq pork.
She told me what pinapaitan is made of (beef innards = tripe, liver, kidney, heart, intestines, etc), it may sound disgusting but it taste pretty good. If you eat it blindfolded, I don't think you would know what it is (unless you had it before).

[thekfc]

Since we are on the subject of food, one thing that my wife do not like is boneless chicken breast, she say that it have no flavor. She prefer the parts of the chicken which have the bones.

[KanoJoe]

I always wanted to try pinikpikan chicken where the chicken has been beaten to death to tenderize the meat and to infuse it with blood. It is then burned in fire to remove its feathers then boiled with salt and pork. The act of beating the chicken in preparation of the dish apparently violates the Philippine Animal Welfare Act 1998.

I wonder if you can find it or even make it yourself in the Philippines anymore.

[piglett]

I always wanted to try pinikpikan chicken where the chicken has been beaten to death to tenderize the meat and to infuse it with blood. It is then burned in fire to remove its feathers then boiled with salt and pork. The act of beating the chicken in preparation of the dish apparently violates the Philippine Animal Welfare Act 1998.

I wonder if you can find it or even make it yourself in the Philippines anymore.

i'm sure way out in the province they still do what they want to do & if that includes roughing up a chicken or two so be it.
 
 
piglett

[savvy]

Thanks for the information guys. What does this balut and durian fruit look like. That sounds like something my friend would pull on me. Knowing that it tastes bad probably won't stop me from trying it but knowing ahead of time should take some of the surprise out of it.

[Ray]

 

What does this balut and durian fruit look like.

 

 
 
 
 

[thekfc]

What does this balut and durian fruit look like.

I will help you with that - just click the links below.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=balut

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=durian

Know you know what they are & looks like....enjoy your meal. 

[jm21-2]

Since we are on the subject of food, one thing that my wife do not like is boneless chicken breast, she say that it have no flavor. She prefer the parts of the chicken which have the bones.

My wife likes chicken wings the best. We buy a big 10-lbs bag from costco and she uses it for pretty much everything. I like the drumettes and she likes the other part so it works out pretty well. Maybe try boneless skinless thighs? They have a lot more flavor. We use them for stir-fries now and then. We both prefer duck or goose but it's a helluva lot more expensive than chicken where I live and somewhat of a pain to find.

[thekfc]

Already tried the boneless skinless thighs - don't like them.
She like to get a whole chicken and when she do not use it would, she would cut it up the way she want. Last weekend she roasted a chicken and she stuff that sucker filled with lemongrass, I though the "excessive" amount of lemongrass would affect the taste of the chicken but it didn't. The chicken was actually 'flavorful".
 
My wife also like duck and we get it at the one of the Asian supermarket in Chinatown.

[robert angel]

My wife likes the (pricey) chicken from Fresh Market. They will tell you that their beef and pork really isn't any different than what other stores get, but that their chicken certainly is. We don't eat ANY Walmart meat (or produce) it has that added liquid 'to enhance flavor' that is actually a lot like embalming fluid--it keeps it on the shelf longer w/o it looking weird and adds $$$ weight too.
 
She says that like home, the bones on the chickens are thinner, although  she  claims you can see through the bones on the chickens back home. That said, she still really liked to eat at Kenny Roger's Roasters fast food chicken, an American fast food place that I think went out of business here.
 
I don't know about eating chickens that were beaten to a pulp, then cooked feathers and all. My mom used to buy poultry--this is kind of funny--that was killed 'gently'--like they snuck up on it from behind or something. She says the birds don't have the same chemical makeup they get from being stressed out being raised and killed in a harsh manner and taste better. I dunno--they did taste good!

[thekfc]

There are 2 "meat" markets in my area. You just go in and buy the live "product" and they would kill and clean it for you. I like shopping at the "Halal" shop closer to me, their cleaniness beats a lot of the supermarkets that I have gone to in the past.
 
There is a fish market near me and the place stinks, I don't see how people can go in there and buy fish.

[thekfc]

Jm, how much is the duck on your side of the country?
 
Roast duck here is around $18 for a whole one - we usually buy half a duck for around $8.50/$9.
 

[piglett]

 We both prefer duck or goose but it's a helluva lot more expensive than chicken where I live and somewhat of a pain to find.

around here they are swimming in almost all of the ponds/lakes. maybe i'll have to buy a big net 
 
 
pig