Philippine Exotic Food

Every country has its own fair share of dishes that locals may love, but seem weird or disgusting from a  foreigners point of view. These are usually local delicacies cooked from often discarded innards of animals, a variety of insects and worms, and whatnot. The Philippines, having so many islands and local cuisines, is not an exemption to this. In fact, some of its local exotic dishes are rather well known. 

 

Some dishes may not be for the faint of heart or those with sensitive stomachs because visually, they are not the most appealing. If you're looking to gain new and exciting experiences, here are some notable Philippine exotic foods you can try. 

 

Photo courtesy: https://www.ststworld.com/balut/

Balut

The most famous Philippine exotic food is probably balut because eating it has actually become an online challenge for foreigners. Balut is a fertilized developing egg embryo of a duck that is boiled and eaten from the shell. It is a common street food anywhere in the Philippines. The length of incubation is a matter of local preference but generally ranges between 14 and 21 days. If you can get past looking at the chick inside, it's actually quite tasty. 

 

Photo courtesy: https://www.atlasobscura.com/foods/soup-number-five-philippines

Soup No. 5

Soup Number Five is a soup made from the bull's sex organs, mainly the penis and the testes. To unsuspecting customers, it might look like a usual meat soup, and it actually tastes quite similar. With its broth and layered taste, it is perfect for the rainy season and cold weather.

 

Photo courtesy: https://consumerlive.wordpress.com/2016/06/04/food-how-to-kamaro-filipino/

Kamaru

 Kamaru is a dish whose main ingredient is rice crickets. They are soaked in water or vinegar first so that all the dirt they contain is removed. To make the dish presentable to some, the extremities of the bugs are removed. They are either fried or made adobo-style. They are described to be quite crunchy. 

 

Photo courtesy: https://homekitchenomics.com/kinilaw-na-tamilok-tamilok-ceviche/

Tamilok

Tamilok, better known as “woodworms” for their slippery, slimy appearance, are sweet, oyster-like mollusks that make its home in the trunks and branches of dead trees. In order to eat them, one needs to crack open the wood, pull out the worm, and remove the mollusk's head and feet. It can be eaten on the spot after dipping on vinegar, or cooked deep-fried and ceviche-style. 

 

Photo courtesy: https://www.atlasobscura.com/foods/tuslob-buwa

Tuslob Buwa

Tuslob buwa is a Cebuano street food that consists of a mixture of pig brain, soy sauce, and some oil. The ingredients are subjected to blast cooking on a pan, a process that produces bubbles. They can be eaten with sticky rice straight form the pan.