While I don’t intend to make a list of my top eats on a monthly basis, I thought of making one in reference to my recent vacation in the Philippines. I can come up with a huge list, but I decided to point the following which are a combination of same-old and new tastebuds’ triggers.
Flower Salad [Bohol Bee Farm]. This organic garden salad is an assortment of freshly picked romaine lettuce, radish, turnips, mustard greens and of course the indigenous flowers. While it was not the first time I tasted a flower, it was a first when it comes to eating a bunch of flowers. All the petals tasted reasonably acceptable, especially that the honey mustard dressing was delicious. How to know if the flower is edible? I am still contemplating about the information shared by the guide (Bohol Bee Farm staff), that any flower being sucked by bees is not poisonous and therefore edible.
Spicy Kinilaw na Talong [Bohol Bee Farm]. I am not fond of kinilaw, but I liked how the eggplant was broiled, with cocomilk, ginger, onion, and honey.
Ginger and Malunggay Ice Cream [Bohol Bee Farm]. If you are adventurous enough, the ginger ice cream is a must-try. Well, it tastes so much like… a ginger, a spicy ginger! On the other hand, the malunggay ice cream was surprisingly delicious. I guess that is due to the amount of milk (and butter?) in it. You may order per scoop just like we did which I think is practical if your intention is to explore the different flavors. Other flavors available, which are more familiar to our tastebuds, are mango, avocado, pandan, choco, ube, honey, and halo halo.
Grilled Scallops [Balicasag Island, Bohol]. Among the dishes served to us during our sumptuous lunch after the snorkeling, I liked best the scallops. I missed it a lot since I’ve never had any scallop dish in the UAE due to lack of fresh supply in the emirate. (Let me know if there is and where it is hiding.) I started to fancy baked scallops when I was doing frequent work-related visits in Cebu. There is a carinderia-like near a university in Escario which serves it best.
Sea Urchin [Virgin Island, Bohol]. I regret that I didn’t try it! Munching on a sea urchin with vinegar while walking on the beautiful Virgin Island could have been wothwhile. Though I have no tangible idea on how it tastes (I gathered it probably replicates a lobster’s liver), I still consider it a top edible.
Lechon Pizza [Pizza Hut]. We have tried it just to kill the curiousity. Our group had mixed reactions while we were biting the crispy lechon toppings with the sarsa (sauce) on it. It was not bad at all, but I can only consume a single slice. More than that would be overwhelming. If you are interested to know more, interesting reviews were shared by kitchencow and upto6only.
Tuyo with Calamansi [Laiya, San Juan, Batangas]. I remember liking tuyo since I was a fetus, huh. That is, my mother craved for it (and balut, a fertilized duck egg) when she was pregnant. I always take spicy vinegar as a condiment until I tried calamansi on it in one of those buffet breakfasts we had in Laiya. Try this combination!
Abnoy [Siniloan, Laguna]. It is one of my classic-never-fails-to-bring-me-home favorites. It is made of duck eggs which got spoiled that didn’t qualify to be a balut. You need a spicy and/or strong vinegar to counter the stinky smell. It is hell-y smelly but delicious!
0 thoughts on “My top 8 Philippine edibles in December 2010”
mordsith
i can’t imagine eating a bunch of flowers. they’re too pretty to eat. =)
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cza
pretty flowers!!! 😀 Parang kung ako magdadalawang isip akong kainin. Or… malulunod sya sa dressing. Hehe!
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PM
looks like someone had a nice time eating in bohol. lol i am so intrigued by the flower salad. i think i’d feel very weird eating that. lol
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Kero
saraaap and so exotic! I love kinilaw…..we always have that in Batanes. it is inexpensive and easy to prepare.
Curious tuloy ako sa abnoy and lechon pizza. Bohol really is a must visit!
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upto6only
hmmm flowers??? yung sa santan lang yung natikman ko nung bata pa hehehe. but i like the tuyo much. parang daming calamansi nyan ah.
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Amelia
kakakgutom naman….malungay and ginger ice cream….bago ito for me ha…
nice post 🙂
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kg
oh my! akala ko centerpiece yung una! pati pala flowers kinakain? that’s something new for me! he he!
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marikoy
totoo nga, these foods are making me curious! nagulat din ako, pagkain pala yung flowers sa 1st picture. ang galing naman!
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Iluvgreen
I want to try the flower salad and sea urchin
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Photo Cache
oh i need to eat right now. that abnoy is interesting as is the lechon pizza. they found a way to load up more calories in the pizza.
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kayni
i’ve never heard of abnoy until now. i had sea urchin back in alaska; i think it’s more oyster like in taste. this post is making me hungry especially the tuyo with calamansi.
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eds
that tuyo with calamansi and that grilled scallop are my top choice. ginutom naman tuloy ako sa post mo wits. hehehe
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luna miranda
natakam naman ako sa mga litrato mo! these are all beautifully photographed–mouth-watering, lalo ang ang tuyo na may calamansi! i haven’t tried flower salad–it’s too pretty to eat. at teka, cosmos ba ang nasa center? kinakain pala ang cosmos! LOL i’ve tried gumamela shake, masarap din.
the sea urchin is delicious! i once convinced a British friend to try it, mukha syang brains, rich flavor at lasang dagat.:p
the ginger & malunggay ice cream is interesting! gusto ko syang tikman. pati ang abnoy, haven’t tried this one yet.:p
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witsandnuts
Yes, that’s cosmos. 🙂
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Josiet
I don’t know about the petals. I don’t think I could eat it. However the kinilaw na talong had me drooling. I love eggplant and anything with coconut milk. Yum!
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kaoko
Uy, naiintriga ako sobra dyan sa calamansi on tuyo mo. Dapat masubukan ko soon!
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Gwen
Maganda idea and tuyo at calamansi (kesa isaw-saw sa suka). And interesting yung mga bulaklak parang gusto ko silang ilagay na lang sa vase (kahit wala nang stalk).
~Gwen
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dyanie
naintriga ako sa tuyo and calamansi. abnoy talaga pangalan nung last photo? ahihihi 😀
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witsandnuts
Ang weird no, abnoy ang pangalan. Pwede namang pie something, heehee.
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fortuitous faery
i sipped the nectar off the thin pistils of the santan flower as a kid, because i remember being told that anything the bees consumed, we can, too! fiber from flowers! wow!
that lechon pizza is a heart attack in a pie crust! haha.
the “abnoy” is very bizarre! i’ve never seen/tried one!
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witsandnuts
I did that to the santan flowers, too. Memories!
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Nomadic Pinoy
Abnoy sounds so peculiar a name for a food (although I’ve heard references to one who’s “abnormal”) but your description makes it a challenge for the foodie adventurer. I despise balut but I could probably try this one.
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witsandnuts
Taking the abnoy is more psychologically manageable. Just imagine it as a pie. 😉
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ceemee
Cool compilation! I’d never thought of ginger and malunggay ice cream. The abnoy looks like cake but hindi pala.
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Faith
their bread at Bohol Bee Farm is the most unforgettable bread I have ever tasted!
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witsandnuts
I also liked that bread and the pesto spread!
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