6 Typical Filipino Breakfast Food
We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Filipinos love to eat a lot, and just like any other country, we have our own variety of delicious food that we normally eat during the first meal of the day. We’ve listed down some typical Filipino breakfast food and where to find them, for everyone who wants to explore and try what Filipinos eat first thing in the morning. There are many choices for breakfast, although most of them are composed of rice whether cooked sweet or savory. Each dish can be paired with coffee, hot chocolate, tea or any beverages you could think of.
Also read: Expats’ Guide to Breakfast Culture in the Philippines
Tapsilog
Mr. Jones’ Tapa and Fried Egg from Chelsea’s Kitchen (Php 320)
A tapsilog plate consists of 3 Filipino food: tapa (tap-) or dried cured beef, sinangag (-si-) or garlic rice topped and fried itlog (-log) or egg. Usually, tapa is a mix of sweet and savory, exact for it’s beefy goodness. Other than tapa, silog is virtually endless, there are other varieties of silog meals, such as tocilog (tocino or sweet cured pork), hotsilog (hotdog), bangsilog (bangus or fried milk fish) or longsilong (longanisa or mixed ground pork). Filipinos eat this mostly for breakfast but it can be eaten for lunch, dinner, or even as a midnight snack if desired. You can find tapsilog, in any typical Filipino food stalls or restaurants that specializes in tapa, such as Rufo’s Tapa, Rodric’s Diner and Tapa King.
Pandesal
Image grabbed from flickr.com (Kent Buenaventura)
Normally eaten or dipped with hot coffee, a pandesal is the typical bread of Filipinos. It’s cheap and packs flavor, it can be bought in any Filipino bakery or even popular bakeshops. Traditional bakers cook it with a pugon or an old over with wood to add a rustic flavor. During the morning, pandesal sells out fast among Filipinos at it has been a staple bread food. It can be eaten with butter, fruit jams or even peanut butter. Pandesal is the number one bread that Filipinos consume on a daily basis.
Champorado
Image grabbed from flickr.com (pinoydadinsg)
A sweet chocolate rice porridge, champorado is a classic favorite for breakfast. Usually eaten with tuyo, a salty dried fish. Champorado is cooked with sticky rice and chocolate tablea. A splash of evaporated or fresh milk is added to make the dish creamier. Champorado is perfect for the rainy days or even as a snack if you’re craving for some sweet rice dish. You can also try Early Breakfast Bird Club’s, Yin Yang Champorado. Champorado is easy to make at home, all you need to do have is sticky rice and chocolate tableas.
Taho
Image grabbed from flickr.com (Eastine Taneo)
Taho is a fresh soft or silken tofu, arnibal (sweetener and flavoring), and sago pearl (similar to tapioca pearls). The vendors usually sell them during the morning while the silken tofu is hot, taho can also be a snack to some. In some places here in the Philippines they add flavorings, such as strawberry and ube taho in Baguio City. You can find taho vendors wandering around the streets by day, while the silken tofu is still hot.
Arroz Caldo or Lugaw
Another dish that contains rice, arroz caldo or lugaw is a stewed sticky rice cooked with chicken broth and left simmered for hours. This dish is a combination of Spanish and Chinese influences from the past, thus the similarities to Chinese congee. This dish usually contains a boiled egg, which can be called Eggcaldo, some saffron, garlic, fresh spring onions and boiled chicken. Arroz Caldo or lugaw is served steeping hot, you can either add vinegar or calamansi to have bold flavor.
Instant Noodles
A comfort food for some, a staple for the rest. Instant noodles in the Philippines are favored by menu, either dry or with a soup base, a hot bowl of soup with noodles gets us going through the day. If you’re in a rush, instant noodles is a way to go, eat it while it’s hot and it can provide you a full stomach for the morning. Although, eating instant noodles is not commendable, we can still eat them on some days.
Do you know other food that Filipinos normally eat for breakfast? Comment below.
Sources: Champorado, Taho, Pandesal
