Foods do not only provide nourishment, they also make every Filipino gathering more fun at the same time provide comfort regardless of the weather and for various emotional and health conditions.
Soups such as sinigang are popular during rainy days or given to someone who is feeling under the weather and needs something to ease the discomfort caused by diseases such as clogged or runny nose and headache. For hot summer days, people indulge in refreshing and cold dishes to keep themselves cool when the temperature rises.
Find out more about popular Filipino comfort foods.
For rainy days… or when sick
Being accustomed to tropical climate, most Filipinos have low tolerance for low temperatures. So when rainy days come, a Filipino will always seek comfort in things and activities that can provide relief from cold such as indulging in soups and other foods best eaten during rainy days.
Arroz Caldo
Arroz caldo is a chicken rice porridge flavored with ginger, garlic, and onions. It is then topped with scallions and boiled eggs. This comfort food is best served warm especially during cold mornings, when feeling under the weather, or when you simply need a pick-me-upper. The popularity of the dish is evident in several eateries throughout the country specializing in arroz caldo and serving the dish throughout the day.
Sinigang
Looking for something to make you sweat or give you immediate relief for clogged nose or sore throat? A bowl of newly-cooked sinigang will definitely help. Sinigang is a soup native to the Philippines in which the made ingredient could be pork, shrimp, or fish. It contains vegetables including okra, water spinach (kangkong), asparagus beans (sitaw), eggplant, radish, and taro corms (gabi). Tamarind, guava, calamansi, kamias (bilimbi), santol (cotton fruit), or batuan (a kind of evergreen tree endemic to the Philippines) is added to give the dish sourness which it is known for.
Bulalo
Bulalo is a soup dish made of beef shanks and bone marrow slow cooked in water, fish sauce, onions, and peppercorns, and later on added with vegetables such as pechay or cabbage and corn on the cob. Potatoes or carrots can also be added. Like most main dishes in the country, bulalo is often eaten with rice.
Champorado
While usually eaten for breakfast, champorado is perfect for rainy days, too. Champorado is a thick porridge with three main ingredients – glutinous rice, cocoa powder, and water. It can be sweetened with sugar and drizzled with evaporated or condensed milk. Many Filipinos enjoy the sweet dish with tuyo (salted dried fish) for that perfect balance of sweet and salty.
For broken heart
There are different ways to nurse a broken heart. While some unleash their inner daredevil or spend more time exercising, others indulge in Filipino comfort foods that can help make them feel better.
Chocolate
A comfort food not only in the Philippines, the serotonin in chocolate helps improve mood and lessen stress therefore making one feel more relaxed and happier. A bar of dark chocolate, a slice of chocolate cake, or chocolate-flavored ice cream will definitely do the trick.
Sisig
Wash away the memories of the past with sisig and a bottle (or more!) of ice-cold beer. Best done with friends who will patiently listen and prevent you from drunk texting.
Pizza
It’s a popular comfort food all over the world so no need to say more.
A Filipino is known for resilience but from time to time turning to something such as foods to give comfort in times of need is definitely understandable.
READ MORE: Top 10 Favorite Filipino Foods
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