“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” 
― J.R.R. Tolkien

This quote is from John Ronald Reuel Tolkien. I really do believe that food can change our mood of the day like me, when I am sad I really wanted to eat my favorite food. One of my favorites is the “Street Food”

There are different kinds of street foods here in the Philippines. But first, let’s find out what is Street Food.S

Street Food- Many tourists come to the Philippines to experience its breathtaking beaches, climb its spectacular ranges and volcanoes, or simply visit Philippine historical sites. Some visitors come to immerse themselves with the culture of the Philippine Islands, and one good way to do this is to have a taste of Philippine Street Foods. Come and discover the more adventurous side of yourself!

Philippine Street Food, also known as Pagkaing Kalye in Filipino, is a wide variety of inexpensive cuisine that you can buy from vendors or peddlers on the streets. It is essentially influenced by other neighboring countries’ dishes like Chinese and Japanese, taken to the next level and given a Filipino twist.

Cooking Philippine Street Food mainly involves grilling, frying and steaming, while others simply require mixing of ingredients to prepare. Chicken and pork are the top choices for the ingredients in making Philippine Street Food.

So let’s find out what are my favorite Pagkaing Kalye here in the Philippines. There are a lot of Street Foods here in the Philippines but I will tell to you what are my favorites.

1. Kwek kwek

One of my favorite is the “KWEK-KWEK also known as TOKNENENG“. This streetfood is composing the flour mix and the egg of this is from the Duck or Chicken egg. The process of cooking is so simple, the egg is sinked at the orange flour mix and then deep frying, simple as that. This Kwek-kwek is very affordable from the prices of:

Small: 3 PHP ($0.057)
Large: 12 PHP ($0.23)

2. FishBall

Possibly one of the most beloved Filipino street food snacks, especially among kids in the Philippines, and throughout Southeast Asia for that matter, are fried fish balls.

Usually when you eat the street food versions of fish or chicken balls, there’s really only a little meat in the balls, but they also contain quite a lot of flour.

The balls are deep fried, and in the Philippines you grab a skewer and poke them right out of the oil, dip them into chili-onion-vinegar, and eat.

Price: 1 PHP for two pieces ($0.019)

3. Balut

There’s no street food snack in the Philippines more famous (or possibly infamous) than balut — a partially developed duck egg embryo: you could call it the king of all Filipino street foods!

It’s a snack that’s readily available, and very popular to eat, especially in the evening.

In order to eat balut, you crack a small hole at the top of the shell, and first drink out the chicken soup. You can then peel the rest of the egg, season with salt and vinegar, and eat the embryo and yolk.

Walking around a local market in the Philippines is a great place to try balut.

Price – 15 PHP ($.030)

4. Isaw or Chicken Intestines

Isaw , which refers to both pig and chicken intestines, grilled over hot fire.

Starting in the middle to late afternoon, you’ll smell the charcoal being lit, and you’ll know it’s time for your afternoon snack. The intestines are coiled onto skewers, and grilled until charred and smoky. The pig intestines are a little chewier and stronger tasting, while chicken intestines are just like mini tube sausages.

One of the best things about eating isaw (and true for lots of Filipino street foods) is seasoning with vinegar. Most people like to soak their isaw in chili onion vinegar and let is absorb as much vinegar as possible. The contrast of the smoky isaw with vinegar is extremely satisfying.

Price – usually about 5 PHP ($0.10) per skewer

5. Palamig or Street Juice

During hot season, Palamig or most likely called samalamig is a thirst-quenchers that may contain gulaman jelly or any other pulps you can add on it and usually flavored with different drink powders or from a wide variety of fruit extracts.

Price – 5 PHP or 6 PHP per cup ($0.095)

So that’s it. These are our favorite snacks or streetfoods here in the Philippines. If you want to try these streetfoods just come here in the Philippines. So what are you waiting for ? Philippines is famous in terms of Streetfood so that some tourist came here just for food.