About balut, lechon and lapu-lapu (features of Philippine cuisine). Philippine fish: names, photos, recipes From the depths of the sea

Lapu-Lapu City is a highly urbanized city in the Philippine province of Cebu, occupying most Mactan Island, located a few kilometers from Cebu Island. The city's territory also includes Olango Island and several other small islands. According to the 2007 census, 292 thousand people lived in it.

Lapu-Lapu is connected to the city of Mandaue on the island of Cebu by two bridges - Mactan-Mandaue and Marcelo Fernan. This is where it is located international Airport Cebu, the second most important city in the Philippines. And here is the only aquarium in the Visayas region.
Mactan Island was colonized by the Spaniards back in the 16th century, but it was only in 1730 that monks from the Augustinian order founded the settlement of Opon, which two centuries later, in 1961, received city status and was renamed Lapu-Lapu City.

The name of the city was given in honor of the leader of the local Lapu-Lapu tribe, who in 1521 killed the Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan. In memory of this event, the Lapu-Lapu Memorial was erected in the city - a 20-meter bronze statue and a small chapel in the town of Punta Engaño. Lapu-Lapu himself, also known as Caliph Pulaka, died in 1542. He was not only the leader of one of the local clans, but also the ruler of the entire island of Mactan. When the Spaniards, who appeared in Cebu, began to actively convert local residents to Christianity, it was Lapu-Lapu who spoke out against the colonialists. Today, Filipinos equally revere both heroes of that era: Magellan - as the discoverer of the country for Europe, Lapu-Lapu - as the first national hero, a fighter for the country's independence. Therefore, it should not be surprising that the memory of both historical figures is immortalized on the island of Cebu.

Another attraction of Lapu-Lapu City is cable-stayed bridge Marcelo Fernan, one of two bridges connecting the city with the island of Cebu. The bridge was opened in 1999 to ease traffic on the older Mactan-Mandaue Bridge. The total length of Marcelo Fernan is 1237 meters, it is considered one of the widest and most long bridges in the Philippines. The bridge received its name in honor of local politician Marcelo Fernan.

Tourists should also definitely visit the Mactan Aquarium, the only one in the Visayas region. The oceanarium was opened in 2008, and today it features about 30 exhibitions introducing visitors to some of the most beautiful and amazing marine life on the planet. The highlight of the aquarium is the attraction during which anyone can feed a real shark! By the way, this is the only attraction of this kind in Asia.

The tourism industry in the Philippines is growing very quickly. This is quite natural, because there are all conditions for a wide variety of recreation. The Philippines offers its guests beach, extreme and even sex tourism.

The most best beaches countries are located on the islands of Boracay, Cebu, Bohol, Panglao and Mactan. Fans of eco-tourism will love the island of Palawan and its amazing underground Puerto Princesa River. Divers from all over the world travel to the Philippine islands for new underwater experiences. The islands of Boracay and Palawan, as well as the reefs of Apo and Tubbataha, are especially popular among diving enthusiasts. The many volcanoes of this country create excellent conditions for active or extreme mountaineering.

The best time to visit the country is from December to May, when comfortable air temperatures are combined with calm and dry weather. Tourists should also try original local dishes. Philippine cuisine can be quite spicy, so when ordering, you should tell the waiter in advance the desired amount of spices in the dish.

As a souvenir from this hospitable country They usually bring local coconut oil, pearl jewelry, and a wide variety of handicrafts, from frog wallets to rattan furniture.

The best hotels and inns at affordable prices.

from 500 rubles/day

What to see in the Philippines?

The most interesting and Beautiful places, photographs and brief description.

The capital of the Philippines, one of the most densely populated cities planets. Founded in 1571. The city is currently part of the National Capital Region. Manila is famous primarily for its historical Intramuros district, various museums, Rizal Park and official palace President Malacañan.

On the banks of the Pasig River is the capital's famous historical district, Intramuros. At the end of the 16th century, it was erected to protect Spanish families. Today, tourists from all over the world come here to see with their own eyes the ancient fortress of Intramuros, visit one of the oldest churches in the country, San Agustin, built in 1607, and also get acquainted with the local defensive structure - Fort Santiago.

One of the most popular tourist centers countries. There are excellent places for diving, windsurfing and kitesurfing, and lovers beach holiday attracted by famous White beach. Boracay Island has many hotels, cafes and restaurants, and night partygoers can expect fashionable DJs and daily lively discos.

Jungles, mangroves and mountains are the main natural characteristics of the island of Palawan, which began to be settled in the 12th century. Currently, people come here to stay in luxury eco-hotels, go diving and trekking, and also visit the famous Tabon caves, in which the remains of ancient humanoid creatures were discovered.

The length of the White Beach on Boracay Island is about 4 kilometers. There are always a lot of vacationers here, and newlyweds often use White Beach for wedding ceremonies. Conventionally, the beach is divided into three parts, according to the numbers of boat stations. The purest sand and gently sloping entrance to the water make White Beach great place for family holidays.

One of the oldest urban parks in Asia is Jose Rizal Park. This special place was named after a famous 19th century Filipino figure. And in 1946, it was in this park that the country’s independence was proclaimed. Among other attractions, there is the Jose Rizal Monument, the Independence Flagpole, the Japanese and Chinese Gardens, the National Library of the Philippines, the Orchid Conservatory and the Butterfly Pavilion.

In 2008, the Manila Ocean Park was opened in Jose Rizal Park. The main local attraction here is the 25-meter Living Ocean Tunnel, whose walls bend at an angle of 220 degrees. Manila Ocean Park itself is divided into several thematic zones. Also in the aquarium you can see musical fountain, whose height is more than 35 meters.

The first historical mentions of the city of Vigan date back to the 16th century, when the local population traded with Chinese merchants. The buildings of this city combine architectural designs from the Philippines, China and Europe. Among the attractions of Vigan, it is worth mentioning such places as Cathedral, birthplace of Filipino patriot Jose Burgos and presidential residence.

The river is located on the island of Palawan. For 8 kilometers it flows in a large cave, where excursion trips are regularly made. Just over 1 kilometer of this underground river is available for inspection.

On the island of Bohol, famous among tourists, there is an unusually picturesque mountain system - the Chocolate Hills. Yours original name These geological monuments were created thanks to the grass that covers them. During the dry season, the grass dries out and turns from green to brown - hence the name of the hills.

One of the most beautiful active volcanoes on the planet is the Philippine Mayon Volcano, located on the island of Luzon. At the base of the volcano you can see the remains of the city of Sagzava, destroyed by the 1814 eruption. You can see Mayon from a bird's eye view from the cockpit of a seaplane; those who wish have the opportunity to hike to the volcano.

To see one of the smallest active volcanoes on the planet, you should move south from the capital of the Philippines. The volcano is located in the center of the lake of the same name, so the most convenient route is by water. The volcano is not too high, and you can reach its top in literally 20-30 minutes. Taal offers amazing views of the lake and its surroundings.

The unique man-made fields, created more than 2 thousand years ago, are a national treasure and a popular tourist attraction in the Philippines. Beautiful irrigation system Rice terraces in the Philippine Cordillera are still used to this day for growing vegetables and rice.

These structures are located in different geographical points Philippines. They are UNESCO sites and are combined into one pool of attractions thanks to the unique interpretation of the Baroque style by Filipino and Chinese masters. St. Augustine Church is located in Manila and is the oldest church in the country. The Church of Saint Thomas of Villanueva was built in the city of Miagao in the 18th century. Paoay and Santa Maria churches are located on the island of Luzon.

In the southeast of the island of Palawan is the famous Tubbataha Reef, which gives its name to the local national park. A huge number of fish species live here, including barracudas, moray eels, stingrays and hammerhead sharks. Divers from all over the world rush to dive near Tubbataha Reef to see with their own eyes all the aquatic diversity of these places.

Famous mountain tourism site in the Philippines. This active volcano over 1,400 meters high, it last erupted in 1991. It was then that the crater was formed, which later turned into a lake. This lake attracts tourists with its beauty almost as much as the volcano itself.

At the request of the Chinese diaspora living on the island of Cebu, a Taoist temple was built here in the 1970s. Made in traditional Chinese architectural style, it looks original among the Philippine landscapes. Except rich interior decoration, tourists are attracted here by the original method of fortune telling about the future.

One of the largest reefs on the planet, Apo Reef is a popular attraction in the Philippines. To protect the local natural diversity, a park of the same name was created here. natural Park. From late winter to May, diving enthusiasts come to the reef to personally admire the variety of corals and the many fish that live here.

The highest point in the Philippines, which potentially represents active volcano. These are favorite places of pilgrimage for climbers from all over the world. The trails of Mount Apo are ready to accommodate climbers of all skill levels, and the climb to the top takes from 2 to 9 days, depending on the route chosen. Volcano Apo is part of the national park of the same name.

The military-defensive structure, located in the city of Cebu, begins its history in the 16th century, when the first stones of this fort were laid. After the last restoration carried out in the 1970s, a museum was formed on the territory of the fort, where documents and photographs from the time of Spanish ownership of this structure are stored. Outside, the fort is surrounded by a park decorated with a monument to the famous Spanish conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legazpi.

This military structure was initially built of earth and logs, and after the Spanish-Chinese War, the fort was built of stone. Among the Filipinos, these places are revered as last refuge famous Philippine national hero Jose Rizal until his execution. Today there is a museum here, and tourists use Fort Santiago for picnics and leisurely walks in the fresh air.

In 1521, the ships of the famous navigator Ferdinand Magellan reached the island of Cebu. Locals and their ruler, impressed by the power of the weapons of the Spanish team, adopted Christianity. In honor of this significant event, Magellan ordered the installation of a wooden cross in the city center, which today is a popular tourist attraction.

One of the most unusual attractions in the Philippines - Magellan's Tomb and the monument to Chief Lapu-Lapu - is located on Mactan Island in the Mactan Shrine Park. When Magellan arrived on the islands, only the leader of Lapu-Lapu opposed the expansion of the Spaniards. To teach a lesson to the rebellious natives, Magellan entered into battle with them, but lost and was killed during the retreat. As the legend goes, it was Chief Lapu-Lapu who did this.

Mashid al-Dahab is called the Golden Mosque for its huge dome covered with gold. Its construction took place in 1976 specifically for the visit of Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan president. Although the visit did not take place, Mashid al-Dahab is still a sacred place for many Filipino Muslims today.

In 1962, the fossilized remains of three ancient people were discovered in the Tabon Caves on the island of Palawan. These remains were called the "man from Tabon". Also found here were special funerary vessels, jade jewelry and various stone tools. Tourists can only explore Tabon Cave with a guide.

One of the oldest Roman Catholic churches in the Philippines is the Basilica of Santo Niño on the island of Cebu. It began to be built in the 16th century from wood and clay. Then, on the site of the first building, they erected stone church, which organically combined neoclassical, Romanesque and Muslim styles of architecture. Inside the Basilica of Santo Niño there is a museum of the history of Christianity on the island of Cebu.

The main residence and office of the vice-president of the country is located in the suburbs of the capital. The Coconut Palace was opened in 1981 specifically for the visit of Pope John Paul II, but the pontiff refused to stay in what he considered to be an overly luxurious building. Coconut shells and special coconut lumber were used to build the palace, and the roots, bark, trunk, fruits and even flowers of coconut were reflected in the design and decoration of this building.

The island of Bohol is home to the picturesque Loboc River, which is now one of the popular attractions in the Philippines. They regularly organize here river cruises, during which you can stop to have a snack at floating restaurants and listen to traditional Filipino songs sung by locals. These river cruises start near the Loai Bridge and finish near the Busai mini-waterfalls.

Funny tiny monkeys with big eyes - tarsiers - can be seen on the island of Bohol. These rare primates live here in natural conditions in a specially fenced park, and can even leave it if desired. When visiting the Tarsier Center, you should be quiet and not touch or scare the small animals.

The three-stage Kawasan Falls, located on the island of Cebu, attracts tourists not only with its beauty. The fact is that this water cascade is located in a real jungle. First, tourists are picked up in jeeps or buses, and then adventure lovers move independently following the guide. To visit Kawasan Falls, you should wear shoes with ridged soles or special trekking boots.

Friday's post is about how to stay sane at the Philippine fish market. The variety of shapes and colors of sea creatures can sometimes make you dizzy. Personally, such a large selection of fish in the Philippines simply boggles my mind. You are standing in the market and wondering: what criteria should you use to choose your dinner? Does the color and size of the fish matter? My Filipino friend Melanie helped me figure it out and even gave me a couple of delicious and simple recipes.

Let's start with the simplest. Tuna (BlueFin Tuna). Huge tuna carcasses are sold in steaks and pieces of flesh of 300-400 grams. Such large carcasses cost 240-280 ($6-7) pesos per kilogram at the market in Puerto Princesa. The tuna is grilled over charcoal or rolled in egg and bread crumbs and fried in a frying pan. As for me, the tuna in both cases is a bit dry. I prefer to eat it as sashimi - that is, raw.

When choosing a good piece of flesh for sashimi, look carefully between the fibers. If there are black or brown threads, then it will no longer work for sashimi. I won’t spoil your appetite by telling you why. Another secret when choosing: dark-colored meat is a sign of freshness. When it sits on the counter, it begins to lighten.

Another variety of tuna is sold on the market - Yellow Fin Tuna. The carcasses are smaller, and the fin is bright yellow. This tuna costs less - from 80 to 140 pesos ($2-3.5) per kilo, it all depends on the weather and the amount of fish caught. Filipinos often grill this fish, wrapping it in banana leaves. You can put onions, garlic, and tomatoes inside the carcass. On the streets of Puerto Princesa in the evenings they often sell ready-made fish. Costs 60-70 pesos per piece.

The traditional Philippine soup Sinegang is also prepared from this tuna. Melanie shared the recipe with me: fry the onion, sweet potato and fish in a pan with butter, after 30 seconds add water. When it boils and the fish is almost cooked, add long green beans, pan choy, and water spinach to the pan. At the very end, add some green mango. For those who have difficulty identifying Asian vegetables, I recommend reading my post about.

The rich soup Sinegang is also made from fish heads. Matangbaka (a type of horse mackerel). The fish costs 60-70 pesos per kilo ($1.5) and belongs to the second class (1st class is considered elite). The meat is not dry; you can grill it or create a more refined dish.

A small fish with spots is Lapu-lapu. This is the hallmark of the Philippine island of Palawan. If you are in Puerto Princesa, be sure to try this fish of the first and highest class in sweet and sour sauce - a great delicacy. Although it is quite possible to prepare it at home yourself. Lapu-lapu costs from 80 to 140 pesos ($2-3.5). The recipe is simple: fry the fish, remove from the heat. Then fry the ginger and garlic, put a little flour in the water and stir, pour the resulting mass into a frying pan and wait until the sauce thickens. Dip the fish into it, add black pepper, a little sugar, salt and chili powder. When it boils, the dish is ready. A few rules that should not be broken: do not grill Lapu-lapu, do not add vinegar to the dish. Warning: People with asthma should not eat lapu-lapu. May cause a serious allergic reaction!

Another delicious fish - Talakitok (mackerel). It is marinated with garlic, pepper and a little vinegar, and then fried on the grill or in a frying pan. It turns out quite tasty. Often, the market sells already cut and pickled carcasses, so the hassle of preparing horse mackerel in Filipino is minimal. Marinated carcasses, slightly larger than the palm of your hand, cost about 100 pesos per kilogram ($2.5).

Name Suran (Suran) in the Philippines there are fish that look like small flat whales. They are like this...

or like this...

Filipinos cook Suran only on the grill, and only in those moments when a big drinking party is planned. Judge for yourself. A kilogram of fish costs only 60-70 pesos ($1.5), the fish are large, you can fry one and feed big company. Suran meat is dry and not very tasty, so expats and tourists are unlikely to like it.

Dalagang bukid (Yellow Tail Fusilier) costs 60-70 pesos per kilo. A small fish, dry and with little pulp. The best way cooking - on coals. Another way to make a decent lunch out of it is to fry onions and garlic in a frying pan, add fish, and a little vinegar. When it boils, add a little water. Don't overdo it - this is not soup! At the end, add okra (aka okra) or bitter melon (an option for perverts who love the taste of bitter pills).

But Melanie named this fish as StoneFish, but my experience as a diver tells me that it goes by a completely different name. Maybe someone knows what it's actually called? Of course, I would cross her off the list altogether, but Melanie’s warning doesn’t allow it. This fish has a rather unpleasant smell, and many Filipinos do not like it because of this. Most people try to avoid this stink altogether. This miracle costs 60-70 pesos per kilo ($1.5). So not everything is tasty and colorful...

And the last fish is a guest at all youth parties. Small translucent Dilis, but in Russian it’s just anchovy. You can fry it with eggs and onions, put it on hamburgers, or make it into deep-fried crispy sticks. All the fun costs 40 pesos per kilo ($1). What a guest at a budget party on a stunning beach on one of the seven thousand Philippine islands...

And if fish isn’t enough for you, then please check out these must-try dishes in the Philippines.

People living in different parts of the world have certain ideas about delicious food. Treats from Asian cuisine - one-day-old deep-fried mice, scorpion snacks or fiery-hot Thai tom yum goong soup - are a real culinary shock for Europeans. However, those who come to the Philippines in search of such extreme sports will be somewhat disappointed. Although, of course, one of the local specialties - balut - will not leave any lover of exotic cuisine indifferent.

Once you find yourself on the evening street of Manila, do not rush to respond to the calls of bicycle dealers " Freshest balut!”, because this is an egg “with a surprise”, which not everyone will like.

The main center for the production of balut is the city of Pateros, located in a remote area of ​​​​Greater Manila. Duck farms, namely, the eggs of these birds are used to prepare a delicacy, bring 23% of the city’s income. They are arranged simply. Eggs are laid out in huge boxes in special cells; they are covered with bags of rice husks for insulation. Modern electric incubators are not used here; it is believed that this method spoils the taste of the contents. On the ninth day, the eggs are candled, those in which the embryo has not formed are discarded, and those that are suitable are left to “ripen” in the incubator for a few more days (to prepare the delicacy, the embryo must be almost completely formed). These eggs, after boiling, become balut. First, having made a small hole in the shell, you need to drink the duck “broth”, which is the amniotic fluid, and then, after salting and pouring onion sauce, eat the rest of the contents of the egg - an embryo of 16-18 days of development, in which the skeleton, head, beak are visible and wings. Balut is valuable not only for its high protein content. It is believed that this product is also a powerful aphrodisiac (which is probably why the busiest trade in it occurs in the evening and at night). Locals are always happy to watch strangers trying this dish for the first time, adding with a smile: “I love balut. I already have six children.” It is believed that balut - boiled duck embryos with plumage, cartilage and beak - is an exclusively male dish, as it affects the fertility of representatives of the stronger half of humanity.

Simple menu

Most Filipino village families live in palm huts on stilts. In such dwellings there is little furniture, and the bed is replaced by mats made of palm leaves. Food is cooked over an open fire. The food of the villagers is primarily boiled rice, then ground corn grains, vegetables with fresh or salted fish, and fruits. Many tribes, as they did centuries ago, clear an area of ​​forest by cutting down and burning small trees and shrubs. Rice, corn, sweet potatoes, fruits and vegetables are grown on the resulting plot for several years, and after the top layer of soil is depleted, the whole cycle is repeated in a new place. Some small peoples, such as the Ifugao, managed to create permanently cultivated and irrigated rice fields. In the village of Banaue, in the mountainous province of the island of Luzon, both steep slopes descending into the river valley for many hundreds of meters took on the appearance of a giant staircase of terraces devoted to rice crops. Some have stone-lined retaining walls reaching six meters in height.

From the depths of the sea

Most of the inhabitants of the Philippines are descendants of the Indonesians and Malays who settled in the archipelago over thousands of years, as well as the Chinese traders who first arrived here in the 9th century, the Spaniards who arrived here in the 16th century and owned these lands for almost three centuries, and the Americans who took over the country in the 16th century. 48 years old. Such a mixture of peoples and cultures inevitably influenced both the local way of life and the local cuisine - it is a kind of mix of gastronomic traditions of the East and West, a prototype of the modern fusion culinary style.

Total length coastline The Philippine archipelago, which includes 7,107 islands, reaches more than 36,000 kilometers, and it is clear that fish and seafood are an important part of the national cuisine. There are many options for dishes from them. Shrimp here is offered in the form of a salad with daikon and grapefruit, stewed in coconut cream (sugpo sa gata), boiled in a broth with seasonings (sinigang na hipon), fried in potato batter, salted, allowed to ferment lightly and served with pieces of green unripe mango ( bagoong) or dried into chips (krupuk).

Equally varied and impressive are the hot dishes, such as kilawin, fish marinated in coconut vinegar, and relleno, stuffed trout. Here you can try sailfish, blue marlin, sea bream, tuna, barracuda and bangus. Traditional preparation involves frying briefly and then baking with finely chopped carrots, potatoes, onions and tomatoes. The most commonly used side dish is rice, which rather resembles porridge. Noodles, which clearly come from Chinese cuisine, can also be served with seafood. They are made in different ways - from beans, rice or buckwheat flour, but the most popular are Cantonese-style noodles - from wheat flour with the addition of egg yolks. A distinctive type of Filipino dish is deep-fried balls of fish, scallops or squid, strung on a wooden stick.

Local residents say to themselves that their tongue is sour. Therefore, they do not use as many hot spices as their neighbors - the Thais and Malaysians.
It must be said that food in the Philippines is prepared only from fresh ingredients, especially when it comes to fish or sea creatures. All these seafood are purchased daily at fish markets, which begin their work while it is still dark. Looking at the variety and quantity of live goods, it seems that they themselves go into the hands of fishermen. However, it is not. Coral reefs do not allow the use of trawl nets, and fish have to be caught using shore nets or spinning rods, and squid and other arthropods using flashing lights.

Fish named after the hero

The most popular fish in the country is the red grouper. This is a type of sea bass, which is locally called paw-paw. This name was given to the fish in honor of the national hero of the Philippines - Chief Lapu-Lapu, who ruled on the island of Mactan. He became the first fighter against Spanish colonialism. On April 21, 1521, Lapu-Lapu killed Ferdinand Magellan, who had erected a Christian cross on the island. He ordered the body of the great traveler to be dismembered and buried in different parts of the island. Today, the name of the national hero is immortalized in the names of the city, the business street of Manila and a delicious local delicacy, as evidenced by its price, which exceeds the prices of many others. This fish is usually steamed, after which you need to separate the flesh from the bones and serve it with rice. However, catching a paw-paw is a great success. It is the most delicious, and therefore the most expensive.

Meat pluralism

Among modern Filipinos there are many Christians who are allowed to eat both beef and pork. Therefore, meat dishes are no less popular among the inhabitants of the archipelago than fish dishes. For starters, they traditionally prepare kare-kare soup made from oxtails with pork or beef, crushed peanuts and shrimp paste, or bulalo soup, which is made from beef shin with Chinese pechai cabbage, potatoes and bananas. The main thing in this dish is the marrow inside the bone, which is scooped out using a special folding butterfly knife - a balisong. The originality of the design of this knife, called the Philippine knife, lies in the fact that the blade is located in the handle, longitudinally divided into two halves. When the knife is opened, the halves rotate in opposite directions and converge on the reverse side, forming a handle. You can open a balisong in a split second, almost as fast as an automatic knife. This skill even has its own name - flipping (from English to flip - “turn over”, “throw over”, “throw up”). Flipping masters consider this activity good remedy to calm the nerves. Although masterful use of edged weapons has the opposite effect on Europeans.

Speaking about meat dishes, we cannot fail to mention the main treat of the festive and especially wedding tables - lechone. Its name indicates the Spanish origin of the dish (from the Spanish leche - “milk”). This whole suckling pig roasted on charcoal. In Quezson City, which along with 17 other cities and municipalities forms part of the Greater Manila metropolitan area, lechon restaurants and kitchens occupy an entire city block, each selling up to a hundred roast pigs on holidays or weekends. The popularity of lechon is so wide that a big holiday is dedicated to this dish - the Pig Parade. It is held annually in the city of Balayan, Batangas province, on June 24, a day that for Catholics around the world is associated with the name of John the Baptist. The main event of the holiday is the “procession” of roasted pigs dressed in funny costumes through the streets of the city. However, this celebration does not last long: after the parade, the piglets are eaten, and at the same time the best cook is determined.

Gourmets also appreciate chicharon - simply fried pork skin. If you first boil a pork leg with onions and garlic, and then fry it in oil until crispy, you get a crispy pata. But the most common method of cooking meat in the Philippines is adobo, when pieces of chicken or pork, previously marinated in soy sauce and vinegar with garlic and pepper, are stewed and fried in the same marinade until the liquid completely evaporates. As a result, the meat, while remaining tender, is covered with glaze on the outside. Each province adds its own ingredient to the dish: cream from coconut milk, pork liver pate, etc. It happens that not only meat, but also fish, squid, vegetables, and even mushrooms are prepared in this way.

State within a state

More than a million Chinese live in the capital of the Philippines. The local Chinatown is a state within a state, with its own beliefs, customs, way of life and, naturally, its own cuisine. The narrow streets are full of small mobile kitchen-restaurants, shrouded in clouds of fragrant steam with the smells of soybean oil, garlic, onions, bean sauce and other spices. They offer the most inexpensive food - all kinds noodles steamed, or fried dim sum(dumplings made from rice flour), simple meat and vegetable snacks. In most cases, a special wok frying pan is used for cooking - a concave metal hemisphere with one or two handles, thin and cone-shaped. The main quality of wok cookware is the speed of heating and, as a result, high-speed frying of meat, seafood, and vegetables. It’s interesting to see how deftly the cooks handle them: they wash them with bamboo whisks, throw food and spices into hot oil and, when frying, masterfully throw the contents up - so that everything, having flown up in the air, comes back, and is doused in open flame along the way. The flash of this fire, so spectacular and spectacular, has its purpose - the instantly flared and burnt sauce gives the dish a smoky aroma and a piquant caramel quality.

The Chinese instilled in the Filipinos a love for one of the most exotic dishes of South Asia - swallow's nest soup, which is called nido here. It must be said that the rooted name is not entirely accurate. The food is eaten by nests made not by swallows, but by salangans - one of the species of sea swifts. Unlike swallow nests, where clay, feathers and other “building materials” are only held together by bird saliva, swiftlet nests consist entirely of unique bird saliva. In cooking, as a rule, only those nests in which chicks have not yet been raised are used. Old nests are darker in color and contain feathers, so they are valued much lower.

They are mined in caves, crevices and rock cracks that are located near the northern tip of the island of Palawan, located 700 kilometers southwest of Manila. Collecting nests is difficult and dangerous: poisonous insects lie in wait for the miners in dark caves. The collectors climb under the ceiling of the cave to a height of 40-50 meters using bamboo poles and remove the nests. The delicacies obtained in this way are pressed, dried, packaged and sent to restaurants.

Island sweets

Residents of the archipelago widely use tropical fruits for desserts. For example, traditional halo-halo is made from pieces of fruit, sago palm pith, sweet corn, beans and gelatin. All ingredients are mixed with finely crushed ice, poured with sweet condensed milk, sprinkled with rice flakes and purple yam powder and served in a tall glass.

In addition, other sweet dishes are also popular, such as Maha maize- blancmange made from corn and coconut cream, puto- cakes made from heavily boiled and pressed rice with spices, Turonian- fried sliced ​​banana slices, flan at manga- open puff pastry pie with mango filling, ginataan- a fruit dessert made with coconut milk (buko), a pie with pieces of young coconut, and sherbet made from sugar cane and calamansi, a local variety of lemon.

Anti-stress restaurant

Some people relieve nervous tension with good food, while others need to smash or break something for emotional release. For those who want to put this together, in the Philippine city of Gerona (Tarlac province) a restaurant was opened with a “wall of rage”, on which are written various words like “grumpy wife”, “boss tyrant”, “jilted lover”, “annoying neighbor” " It is not surprising that such an establishment is very popular, because almost everyone has certain irritants. The cost of such a discharge is low - only 15 pesos (about 10 rubles) for a “portion” of plates, a little more expensive for vases and dishes, and richer clients can even order televisions for 1,300 pesos.

Recipes

It is not difficult to prepare dishes of national Filipino cuisine yourself, because many of its ingredients can be bought in domestic supermarkets. But still in the Philippines it will have a special charm. This is evidenced by everyone who was able to feel the difference. Taste buds are hard to fool.

Chicken and pork adobo
Ingredients: 650 g chicken pulp, 650 g pork pulp, 1/2 cup vinegar, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 3 cloves garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon crushed black pepper, 1 bay leaf.
Preparation: Cut the meat into 3x3 centimeter cubes. In a large bowl, mix vinegar, soy sauce, salt, crushed garlic, freshly ground pepper (take regular black peppercorns and crush them before cooking), add bay leaf. Place pieces of meat into the resulting marinade, shake gently so that the sauce covers the meat cubes, and leave to marinate for about three hours. When the meat is marinated, put the container with adobo on the fire and bring the contents of the bowl to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 30-45 minutes (if the adobo is only from chicken, the meat should be simmered for 30 minutes, if only from pork - 45 minutes). At the end of the stew, remove the lid from the bowl to allow the liquid to evaporate. Simmer the meat with the lid open for 15 minutes until the pieces are brown and all the excess sauce has evaporated. Serve adobo with parsley sprigs and tomato slices.

About the Philippine lapu-lapu, or red grouper, Marina Gladkaya told Victoria Parkhomenko, founder of the GastroSreda project.

— Why was the red grouper given such an unusual name in the Philippines?

- Yes, indeed, lapu-lapu is a red grouper, or merow, a fish of the red grouper family. The fish is beautiful, and is also capable of changing color depending on its mood: it can be red with dark polka dots, and after a while - striped. In the Philippines, lapu-lapu is an absolute favorite and favorite fish, this fish was named after the national liberator hero, Chief Lapu-Lapu. We look at sailors as discoverers: they went to distant lands and painted all the blank spots on the maps. Well done, of course, but for the islanders they were uninvited guests, invaders. Lapu-Lapu, the chief of the island of Mactan - this is the Visayas Islands of the Philippine archipelago - is famous for killing Ferdinand Magellan. Oddly enough, in the city of Cebu, monuments to one and the other stand almost side by side. Both heroes are dear to the Filipinos: the native Lapu-Lapu was the first who was not afraid to resist the invaders, and the European Magellan opened Europe and Christianity to the Filipinos, for which they are grateful to him to this day.

- Why else do they love paw-paw?

“In addition to the fact that lapu-lapu bears the name of the leader, red grouper is a real delicacy. Fishermen are incredibly happy when this particular fish falls into their net. Compared to other seafood, red grouper is very expensive, which means that a couple of fish will bring more income to the seller than a hefty tuna steak or a huge crab. Lapu-lapu remains the number one delicacy on the islands, even though the markets here have everything! We have been holding Gastro Wednesday on the road for a long time, we have been traveling around Asia for 15 years, and believe me, we have seen a lot of markets, but there is nowhere as abundant as in the Philippines. Everything that is considered a curiosity in our country is common food in the Philippines, such as lobster or stingray.

— How much does lapu-lapu cost in the Philippines compared to other seafood?

— In the Philippines, it is customary to bargain, and if you see a paw-paw, the first price they offer you can be over 1,500 pesos, which is about $30 — not per kilogram, but just for one fish. An accommodating seller is a great success. We managed to bring down the price for one lapu-lapu fish to 700 pesos. A kilogram steak of tuna, marlin or reef shark, very delicious things, will cost 600 pesos, and the same price for lapu-lapu, a fish weighing 400 g. It turns out that red grouper is on the same price level as lobster and large crabs - tastier for the islanders and there is nothing more expensive than lapu-lapu, they even have an incredibly beautiful parrot fish that costs only $2 per kilogram.

— Do they eat parrot fish in the Philippines?

— Yes, pan-fried parrot fish is a common thing in Philippine markets. This is difficult for us Europeans to understand. Filipinos don’t see the tragedy - parrotfish have filled the coastal area, there are a lot of them, there’s enough for everyone. We can’t handle such beauty, I didn’t dare to cook this fish with a blue-green tint, in fact, everyone in our team of gastro travelers was against it. In defense of the Filipinos, I will say that they respect the parrot fish, because it works day and night, saving coral reefs by cleaning off polyps. Another plus is that there are no sharks where the parrotfish lives. The fish pecks at the reefs with its beak, and this noise frightens the sharks; it seems to the predators that a terrible massacre is taking place near the coral reefs, and they fearfully stay away. Many people say that if it were not for the parrot fish, these wonderful beaches would not exist, because they are not sandy - it is the fine dust of coral polyps processed by the fish. For divers, it’s just happiness here - you can dive and not come to the surface for half a day, it’s so beautiful there - corals, and among them bright fish, including paw-lapu with its eternal desire to change its pattern.

— How is it customary to prepare lapu-lapa?

— Lapu-lapu is a special fish, and the attitude towards it in the Philippines is not the same as other seafood. Grouper is very popular, but it is prepared only in two ways; only the sauce or marinade can be changed. It's easy to navigate - whatever suits sea bass will also suit lapu-lapu - shrimp sauce, coconut milk or Asian marinades. In general, in the Philippines, in particular on the island of Boracay, there are special conditions. There are restaurants in the markets where it is customary to come with your own food, bought here at the market. I think it’s wonderful - you choose the products yourself, exactly what you want - scallops, lapu-lapu, king prawns, lobsters, give it to the cook, and he fries or steams the catch as you want. It is surprising that in a restaurant where it is customary to pay not for food, but only for cooking, we were allowed to enter the kitchen as cooks. And this is in the middle of the working day! Of course, we cooked a little slower next to the fast, Filipino cooks. But we received incredible pleasure from the process, products and hospitality. In general, standing up to the stove with a basket of scallops and a delicious lapu-lapu to steam and eat with rice is a great success, just like a good catch.