Ilokano Foods

Listing – Ilocano Foods

            Foods are everywhere.  People of Ilocos region are known to be engaged in farming as well as fishing because of their geographic location. Because they are having large number of migrating population, there is no doubt that Ilocano foods spread throughout the Philippine archipelago and the world.

 Usually, Ilocanos eat foods cooked with salted fish (bagoong), fresh sea foods and steamed vegetables.  For those of you who are not that much familiar but are interested to try their foods, you can check out these must try Ilocano Foods!

Denengdeng na labong at saluyot is a native Ilocano dish from Ilocos. It is simple and easy yet healthy vegetable dish consisting of bamboo shoots, jute leaves, bagoong isda boiled until tender.

1.      Jelly seaweed salad or kinilaw na pokpoklo is another Filipino delicacy in Northern region. Jelly seaweed AKA (also known as) pokpoklo is another type of seaweed that normally eaten raw and toss with onions and tomatoes

2.      “tilapia sinigang” . Sinigang is the Filipino sour soup or stew. Usually, tamarind is used to come up with that distinct sourness, although some other fruits such as guava, calamansi or kamias (Averrhoa bilimbi) may also be used.

3.      Ilocanos’ pinakbet. The local garlic is wonderful, also the local vinegar called sukang iluko is renowned and some compared with really good quality Balsamic vinegar.

4.       The Ihaw (grill) part is not a very hard thing to do but when the fishes and sea food came together with the side dishes which were grilled eggplant (torta) and green mangoes with tomatoes and fresh spring onions with a bit of fish sauce, my, my, it is one mouth-watering dish!

5.       Banana flower (or heart, we call it “puso ng saging”) and sweet potato leaves salad. This one is not a mystery either. Just boil the leaves and add minced ginger and tomatoes in fish sauce. The banana flowers and potato leaves were boiled separately though. The usually rub salt to the banana flowers before boiling to remove some bitterness that come from its juice and then you have to squeeze the flowers after boiling too.

6.      Pinapaitan is one among of Ilokanos favourite dish! It is all innards from beef, frozen bile which is also from beef. Bile is the liquid from gall bladder which gives this bitter taste of  pinpaitan.

7.      Takway is a sort of roots of Gabi (Taro). Not only the Ilongos but also the Ilocanos. In Iloilo they use to cook it in combinaton of coconut milk. But in Ilocos region in combination of anchovy sauce or Bagoong. This dish is not often popular for Ilokanos but there are some that they appreciate the dish.

8.      Jerk tuna with Vegetables was today’s lunch at home. Ilokanos usually cooks this kind of dish when they have visitors from other places.

9.      Imbaliktad and Dinakdakan are also on the top list of the most favorite dishes of Ilocanos because of its delicious taste. These can also be good “pulutan.”