ABOUT FILIPINO FOOD

Egg Cracklets. Photo by Mildred Cruz.

Featured photo of Ginisang Ampalaya by Mayette Garcia

Ampalaya is the Tagalog word for “bitter gourd” or “bitter melon.” Ginisa means “sautéed.” Here is a simple recipe for sautéed bitter gourd in Philippine cuisine.

Ensalada and Salted Egg by Eva Argenos… Hilaw na mangga, itlog na maalat, sibuyas, kamatis, talong, okra, sitaw, kangkong, bagoong… Unripe mangoes, salted eggs, onions, tomatoes, eggplants, okra, string beans, swamp greens, fermented seafood paste…

tinapa + sinangag + itlog

Featured Photo by Kaycel Corral.

Balut country — Pateros — and the neighboring Rizal towns have variations of this ubiquitous boiled duck’s egg with the little black chick curled up inside.

Kwek-Kwek (aka “orange eggs”) are boiled quail eggs coated with an orange batter and then deep-fried until the batter is crispy.

What’s the difference from Tokneneng?

The Tagalog word for “egg” is itlog.

In the Philippines, eggs are often plainly eaten boiled or fried. They can be mixed in with ingredients to make sarciado or torta. And of course, they are used in many Filipino pastries and baked goods!

Yema is the Spanish word for “egg yolk.” This soft Philippine candy is shaped into a pyramid or a ball, and then wrapped in cellophane. It originated from Spain, where nuns in monasteries used egg yolks donated to them by winemakers (who used only the white part of eggs in their winemaking process) to make sweets and pastries.

Photos by Jeric Travis of Hotsilog (hotdogs, sinangag at itlog)… Filipino meal…

The proper way to eat turtle eggs is boiled.