5. Pinikpikan
This dish is just made with native chicken. That doesn’t sound weird at all but wait until you find out how it is prepared.
The chicken is beaten to death via process called pikpik, hence the name of the dish. However, this raises some eyebrows especially from animal welfare groups.
Pinikpikan is popular in Cordillera region and is considered as a traditional dish for them. It is prepared by lightly beating a live chicken with a stick prior to cooking. The beating bruises the chicken’s flesh, the blood clot under its skins, which makes it tender and more flavorful. However, the process of beating the chicken should be done with utmost care. The chicken should not be bloody and its bones should be kept intact.
4. Sundot-Kulangot
This isn’t really a gross food to try but the name, which translates to “pick a snot or booger”, can scare picky eaters. Actually, sundot-kulangot is simply made with gelatinous rice cooked in coconut milk and brown sugar.
It is named as such due to the way it is eaten, similar to picking your nose.
The sweet, gelatinous delicacy is contained inside small wooden orbs. You crack the orb open to get the gelatinous rice.
Sundot-kulangot is popular in Baguio City and some provinces in the northern part of the country.
3. Tamilok
A popular delicacy in Palawan, tamilok is shipworm eaten raw by just dipping it in a concoction of vinegar, onion, and chili.
This slimy and salty delicacy is not really appetizing but is a must-try especially when you are in Puerto Princesa.
Roaming around that part of Palawan, locals will most likely offer you to try it. And it’s not for the paint of heart.
2. Balut
The ultimate street food, balut is duck embryo or fetus that was boiled to perfection.
It is considered as one of the weirdest food in the world but locals and even some foreigners love it. It can be horrifying to eat, seeing the duck fetus and actually devouring it afterwards. However, it is extremely popular in the country that you can easily find it in almost any street corner at night.
Keep in mind, add salt first before eating it.
1. Sisig
A popular pulutan and ulam, sisig is said to have originated in Pampanga.
There are many variants of sisig. The most common is pork sisig, made from the pig’s head and liver that is seasoned with calamansi and chili.
A weirder variant is the crocodile sisig, which is a must-try in Palawan. The preparation is similar with pork sisig but the pork is replaced with crocodile meat.
Sisig is best enjoyed with rice or with an ice-cold beer or with both.
