Filipino Food for Merienda: An Enticing Snack Culture

Newcomers to Filipino food will be delighted to learn that the nation also has a rich snack culture, which complements the country's delicious meals for sharing.

If you're looking for a light meal or snack, merienda is what you're looking for! Almost 500 years after the Spanish occupied the Philippines, Filipinos have embraced this tradition. Having seven meals a day is not only conceivable, but not all that uncommon in the Philippines, where people prefer to have merienda or snacks throughout the day.

Snacks and light meals are popular among Filipinos because of our diverse cuisines. It is common for fishermen and farmers to have a small meal before morning in order to keep their energy levels up throughout the night.

In addition to the traditional mid-morning merienda, which is eaten about 10 a.m. between breakfast and lunch, there is also a typical afternoon merienda, which is eaten from 3 to 5 p.m. between lunch and supper.

And since drinking is such a big part of life in the Philippines, the locals have invented their own version of a midnight snack to quell their hangover-induced appetites.

Merienda, or snacks, is a time when Filipinos gather to share a quick meal. Here are some of the most well-known merienda in between meals throughout the nation:

1. Glutinous rice flour or Kakanin

weet cakes produced with either rice, tapioca, or cassava known as Kakanin are all included under this umbrella term.

There are a number of rice cakes favorites, such as Puto, a sweet flour cake cooked and topped with shredded cheese and Sapin Sapin, a kind of chewy glutinous rice cake served with caramelized shredded coconut in various hues. Other varieties of kakanin that you can find in the Philippines are Pichi Pichi, made from grated cassava and wrapped in either shredded coconut or grated processed cheese, and the bouncy, chewy tapioca flour cake known as Kutsinta.

2. Ginataang Bilo Bilo or Root Crops in Coconut Milk

Coconut milk is the base for this sweet stew, which is also known by the names "ginataan" and "ginataang" in the Philippines. It includes root vegetables such as taro and sweet potato, along with sweetened jackfruit and sticky glutinous rice balls.

It is very soothing when one is exhausted or unwell, and may be consumed warm or at room temperature.

3. Banana Cue

The first thing you'll notice at every merienda food cart in the Philippines is the banana cue. As the name suggests, the cue is made of deep-fried banana covered with melted brown sugar and served on bamboo skewers. A P10 or P15 bamboo stick with two bananas is standard.

4. Pancit Malabon and Palabok (thin rice noodles)

Seafood is a major component of both cuisines. The crimson hue comes from the addition of annatto seeds, which are ground up and added to the boiling shrimp heads and shells. Before adding the seafood toppings such as ground smoked fish, shrimp, oysters, and squid, pancit Malabon noodles (which are made with thick rice noodles) are tossed in sauce.

Meanwhile, thin rice noodles are used in pancit palabok, the sauce is poured over them, and other ingredients, including meat and chicharon powder or pork cracklings, are added as desired.

5. Halu-halo

In the Philippines, halo-halo (literally, "mix-mix") is made by putting spoonfuls of sweet beans, fruits, macapuno (kopyor coconut with soft, sticky, and gelatinous flesh) and, sometimes, tapioca pearls and jelly into a tall glass and covering it with shaved ice. Optional garnishes such as leche flan and ice cream are then added to the milk before the dessert is served to the guests at the table. Using a long spoon, the meal is consumed as a whole.

6. Lugaw with tokwa't baboy

Lugaw, a kind of cooked rice that is puffed and starchy after being boiled in a gingered broth, is likely a product of the Chinese commerce that the Filipinos had with the Chinese before the arrival of the Spanish in 1521. A soy-vinegar sauce drenched plate of plain lugaw is customarily served with boiled pork head and fried tofu. Chicken arroz caldo (also known as pospas in Central Philippines) and goto (with ox tripe) are two further variations of this favorite Filipino snack.

7. Pares

Soy sauce, star anise, and five-spice powder have been simmering for hours with beef to produce a sweet and salty stew that's best served on top of garlic-fried rice when you're drunk and starving late at night.

For hungry travelers, this particular Filipino snack may be found at food cart stalls at busy crossroads or near bus stations.

8. Maiz con yelo

Sweet corn kernels, ice, sugar, and milk are used to make maiz con yelo in the same manner as the Halo-halo recipe calls for. The addition of toppings such as corn flakes, rice crispies, and ice cream is common in current variations.

9. Ihaw-ihaw

A common method of preparing street food in the Philippines is ihaw (grilled). Ihaw-ihaw is often prepared and sold on the streets of Manila. It's possible to acquire isaw (grilled chicken or pig intestine), adidas, Betamax (chicken blood), helmet (chicken head), and pig's ear for as little as Php 10 to Php 20 per stick at the street vendors. For around the same price, you can have hotdogs or smaller pieces of barbecued pork.

10. Pancit Canton

Depending on how hungry you are, you may eat this stir-fried noodles with ground pork and shredded chicken as a complete dinner or a quick snack. It is, however, the perfect accompaniment to toasted bread, eggs, and calamansi or Philippine lime sprinkled on top.

11. Tusok-tusok

Every corner of the city has a cart selling tusok-tusok (finger food), thus it's impossible to walk across Manila without running into one.

Fish balls, kikiam, squid balls, chicken balls, kwek-kwek (quail eggs), tofu, and hotdogs are all common items on tusok-tusok carts. There are so many different kinds of dips that you may use to flavor the food you're eating, and you don't have to worry about making your own sauce as you can dip these snacks directly from the frying pan.

Meriendas in the Philippines are defined by a few standards, and the most essential one seems to be that they must be tasty. It is a staple of the Filipino diet, which is why there is always a place for one throughout the workday.

It is more possible to enjoy the classic snack Filipino cuisine if you are living near the heart of the city or the town since most Filipino snack carts can be found there.

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