Philippine street food consists of simple fare that is easy to prepare and eat and
consequently have become the staples of street vendors. Some of the foods are
sold already prepared while others are cooked on the spot.
Street food is often seen as dirty, but
this is mainly a problem with unlicensed vendors. While most street foods are
not particularly nutritious, they are convenient, and the foods and vendor's
carts and equipment are very much a part of the urban landscape. There are many
types of street foods, here are certain favorites found in almost every place
in the Philippines.
Adidas - Grilled chicken feet.
Balut - Boiled fertilized duck eggs.
Banana cue - Skewered saba bananas sprinkled with sugar and
deep fried. Another version involves grilling the skewered saba bananas, which
are then brushed with margarine or butter and rolled in sugar.
Barbecue - Skewered pork or chicken strips marinated in soy sauce and calamansi and cooked
over charcoal. In Luzon, it is often dipped in vinegar; in Visayas and
Mindanao, the dip is a special sauce.
Betamax - Dried chicken blood that are shaped into cubes
and then grilled.
Buchi - Mashed sweet potatoes coated with batter, deep
fried and sprinkled with sugar.
Calamares - Fried breaded squids usually dipped in vinegar.
Chicken skin - Deep-fried chicken skin breaded with flour,
usually dipped in vinegar.
Corn on the cob - Boiled or roasted corn, either the cheaper starchy local
white corn or the more expensive sweet yellow corn.
"Dirty" ice cream - Light ice cream in flavors like ube, keso
(cheese), and chocolate served from a colorful cart. Also known as sorbetes.