Bicolano Cuisine

Bicolano cuisine is the food culture centered in Bicol, a region in the southeast part of Luzon in the Philippines.

The Bicol region is famous for its use of chilies and coconut cream. Bicol cuisine is closely related to other cuisines of the Philippines and uses similar ingredients and techniques. Stewing is a common cooking method in Bicol and elsewhere in Luzon.

Bicol cuisine also shows similarities to in the Pacific islands, especially in the ingredients used. Taro and coconut are important ingredients. Although not commonly used, a native seeded variety of breadfruit is a specialty food similar to breadfruit eaten in the Pacific islands. Taro leaves are cooked throughout Bicol and used to wrap other ingredients in a similar way to how taro leaves are used in Pacific island cuisines. For example, Bicol pinangat is very similar to palusami of Fiji and various Polynesian islands; Bikol laing is similar to Chamorro gollai hagun suni and Fijian rourou.

Bicol cuisine traditionally uses clay cooking pots(koron)

Ingredients

Rice is a staple food in Bicol. Medium-grain rice is common.

Bikol has a great climate for growing coconuts, which are used extensively.

Labuyo chili(siling labuyo) is a very popular spicy chili in the region.

Taro is popular in Bicol, and the taro leaf(natong) is especially common.

Another local vegetable is moringa leaf(malunggay), valued for its medicinal properties.

Santol is a local fruit related to mangosteen with unusual texture and flavor; it can be eaten raw but is commonly cooked in savory dishes or used for flavoring.

Pili nut is a specialty food of the region and normally enjoyed boiled as a snack.

Krill is fermented and mashed into a paste(balao), which is added fresh to various dishes.

Shark or ray meat may be used in dishes such as kinunot.

Dishes

• steamed rice
• sinantolan: grated santol cooked in coconut cream and chili
• gulay na lada or ginataan: stew of ingredients such as young jackfruit(nangka) or seeded breadfruit(kamansi) in coconut cream and chili
• Bicol Express(sinilihan): stew with coconut cream and a generous amount of chili
• laing: spicy taro leaf stew in coconut cream
• tilmok: taro leaf packet filled with coconut meat and shrimp or seafood and stewed in spicy coconut cream
• adobo sa asin: simple pork stew with salt
• kinunot: shredded shark meat or other ingredient cooked in vinegar, coconut cream, and chili with moringa leaf
• sinigang: stew with tamarind
• sinapot: fried banana