Philippine cuisine (Filipino: Lutuing Pilipino or Pagkaing Pilipino) consists of the food, preparation methods, and eating customs found in the Philippines. The style of cooking and the food associated with it have evolved over many centuries from their Austronesian origins to a mixed cuisine of Malay, Indian, Spanish, Chinese, and American, as well as other Asian Indian cuisine adapted to indigenous ingredients and the local palate. Dishes range from the very simple, like a meal of fried salted fish and rice, to the elaborate paellas and cocidos created for fiestas of Spanish origin. Popular dishes include: lechón (whole roasted pig), longganisa (Philippine sausage), tapa (cured beef), torta (omelette), adobo (chicken and/or pork braised in garlic, vinegar, oil and soy sauce, or cooked until dry), kaldereta (meat in tomato sauce stew), mechado (larded beef in soy and tomato sauce), puchero (beef in bananas and tomato sauce), afritada (chicken and/or pork simmered in a tomato sauce with vegetables), kare-kare (oxtail and vegetables cooked in peanut sauce), pinakbet (kabocha squash, eggplant, beans, okra, and tomato stew flavored with shrimp paste), crispy pata (deep-fried pig's leg), hamonado (pork sweetened in pineapple sauce), sinigang (meat or seafood in sour broth), pancit (noodles), and lumpia (fresh or fried spring rolls).

Top 10 Filipino Dishes

10. KALDERETA

Kaldereta is a dish popular in the Philippines, especially in Luzon. Its common ingredients are cuts of pork, beef or goat with tomato paste or tomato sauce with liver spread added to it. This is an authentic Filipino dish. Guaranteed!

9. SISIG

Sisig refers to Sizzling sisig, a Filipino dish made from parts of pig’s head and liver, usually seasoned with kalamansi and chili peppers. This is an authentic Filipino dish. Guaranteed!

8. MORCON

Morcon is a Filipino meat roll stuffed with sausage or hotdogs, carrots, pickles, cheese, and egg. This is considered as a holiday dish and is usually served during Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) and Media Noche (New Year's Eve).

7. CRISPY PATA

Crispy pata is a Filipino dish consisting of deep fried pig trotter or knuckles served with sawsawan, a soy-vinegar sauce. It can be served as party fare or an everyday dish. Many restaurants serve boneless pata as a specialty.

6. SINIGANG

Sinigang is a Filipino soup or stew characterized by its sour flavor most often associated with tamarind. Meat varies from fish, pork, shrimp and beef.

5. LUMPIA

Lumpia are pastries of Chinese origin similar to spring rolls popular in Indonesia and the Philippines. Filipinos love this so much that they made different versions of it: Lumpiang Shanghai (fried spring rolls), Lumpiang Sariwa (fresh spring rolls), Lumpiang Ubod (spring rolls made with coconut julienne or heart of palm) and a lot more.

4. PANCIT PALABOK

Pancit or pansit is the term for noodles in Filipino cuisine. Pancit Palabok is made from rice flour noodles topped with crab sauce, eggs, shrimps, squid, garlic, chicharon, veggies seasoned with lemon juice, and much more. Okay, you don't usually eat it with rice, but it so good it has to be on the list.

3. kare-kare

Kare-kare is a Philippine stew. It is made from peanut sauce with a variety of vegetables, stewed oxtail, beef, and occasionally offal or tripe. Meat variants may include goat meat or (rarely) chicken. It is often eaten with bagoong (shrimp paste), sometimes spiced with chili, and sprinkled with calamansi juice. It is a comfort food for Filipinos, and is a perennial family favorite in both local and overseas Filipino households. This is an authentic Filipino dish. Guaranteed!

2. LECHON

Lechón is a pork dish in several regions of the world, most specifically Spain and its former colonial possessions throughout the world. The word lechón originated from the Spanish term leche (milk); thus lechón refers to a suckling pig that is roasted. Lechón is a popular cuisine in the Philippines, usually served during fiestas.

1. ADOBO

Adobo is Spanish for sauce, seasoning, or marinade. The Philippines was colonized by Spaniards for over 300 years, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that most of our dishes have Spanish or some international feel to it. Adobo is considered the national dish of the Philippines. This dish consists of chunks of chicken or pork or both cooked in soy sauce, vinegar, bay leaf, lots of garlic and whole peppercorns.

There we have it, the top 10 Filipino dishes; known and loved by Filipinos, so when you visit the Philippines, add these to your check list. Stay healthy :) What is your favorite Filipino dish? Comment below.