The main event

Whether it’s your first time travelling to the Philippines or you’re visiting a Filipino restaurant in your hometown, you’d be remiss not to order adobo, the country’s national dish. The name is derived from the Spanish adobar, meaning to marinate, but adobo is actually an ulam, or main dish, that Filipinos were making long before Spanish colonization. It refers to a way of cooking by marinating and braising either a meat or vegetable (most commonly chicken) using vinegar, garlic and pepper. Red annatto seeds and turmeric are sometimes used to give adobo its red and yellow colour. Whatever the hue, expect a burst of sweet, sour and salty notes. Head to Grace Park or Purple Yam in Manila to try the dish or better yet, snag an invitation to a family dinner. “The best adobo is really the homecooked version,” says Ramos.

Family feasts

Although most tables are set with cutlery these days, before the Spanish conquest, Filipinos ate kamayan, or with their hands. The custom is still practised today during picnics and family events. During social gatherings, grilled seafood, pork and rice are served on top of a  banana leaf and everyone scoops up the food with their fingers. The Kamayan chain of restaurants in the Philippines has outposts across Manila, where the dining experience begins by handwashing in a giant clamshell basin. Look for kamayan pop-ups all over America, too.

I dip, you dip, we dip

At the heart of any Filipino meal are the dipping sauces, or sawsawan, that anchor the table. These widespread soy sauce and vinegar-based condiments add a spicy, salty, sour, sweet, umami — or some combination thereof — kick to the main dish. The idea is to allow diners to adjust the flavour profile to their liking. “You’re invited to concoct or use any sawsawan as you please,” says Chio-Lauri. “The concept is to accept everyone’s individuality and to make all who partake in the meal content.”

Something sweet

Filipinos have a love affair with sweets. Main courses are often laced with sweet undercurrents, and dessert punctuates most meals. There are native desserts such as kakanin (sticky rice cakes), foreign-influenced dishes such as sylvana (a cashew and meringue cookie) and custards such as leche flan. Perhaps the most beloved dessert of all time, however, is halohalo, a shaved ice sweet that translates into “mix-mix.” It combines shaved ice with sweets like fruit, jam, ice cream, Jell-O cubes and a sprinkling of toasted rice in a glass. All the elements are meant to be mixed together for the perfect bite. Head to Milky Way Café or Razon’s in Manila to try halo-halo.