What do Philippines/ Filipinos Eat for Breakfast?

I’m sure many will agree that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I think what makes breakfast even more interesting is that we eat unique types of food during this time compared to the rest of the day.

Like other cuisines, the Philippines or Filipinos have their own set of unique breakfast food. Curious on what types of food are eaten? Below are several delicious dishes that you’ll usually see on Filipino breakfast tables or breakfast menus in restaurants.

What do Philippines/ Filipinos Eat for Breakfast?

Here are 12 food/dishes that Filipinos traditionally cook and eat for breakfast. If you are already familiar with the listed items, let it serve as a guide if ever you need inspiration on what to prepare. We included links to some recipes we already have here on Pinoy Food Guide.

1. Lugaw, Arroz Caldo, Goto

   
   Lugaw, Arroz Caldo, and Goto are types of Filipino rice porridge or congee. All three are similar except for the added ingredients to the rice. Lugaw is a warm heavy meal that makes it a perfect breakfast to a loaded day ahead.

   If you want to try cooking arroz caldo at home, try our Arroz Caldo Recipe.

2. Champorado

   
   Champorado is another Filipino rice porridge dish, unique for its chocolatey twist. It is served warm and topped with milk and tuyo (dried fish). Even if champorado is chocolate-based, it is blended in a way that it isn’t too sweet, making it perfect for a breakfast meal.

   If you want to try cooking champorado at home, try our Easy Champorado Recipe.

3. Tocino

   
   Tocino is a Filipino sweet cured meat that originated from Pampanga. Being a cured meat, it is prepared beforehand and is good for storing over a period of time. This makes it a quick go-to breakfast viand to rice as it will only require a few minutes of frying to be ready.

   Not a fan of preserved food? You can make your own preservative-free tocino with our recipe: Easy Homemade Pork Tocino Recipe.

4. Longganisa

   
   Longganisa is the Philippine version of the sausage. It is traditionally made up of ground pork meat mixed with several spices and encased in pork intestines. Several regions have their own blend of longganisa and popular ones are Vigan Longganisa, Lucban Longganisa, and Chorizo de Cebu.

   Today, a skinless version is available and you can make this at home, and not deal with the pork intestines. Try our Homemade Skinless Longganisa Recipe.

5. Tapa

   
   Tapa is another form of Filipino cured meat. Popular meat used in tapa are beef, carabeef, pork, and sometimes horse. To prepare tapa, the meat is thinly sliced and cured in a blend of salt or soy sauce together with other spices.

   If you want to try making tapa at home, try two of our recipes: Homemade Beef Tapa Recipe and Pork Tapa Recipe.

6. Danggit Dried Fish

   
   Dried fish is also a common viand to rice served during breakfast since it is also preserved and prepared beforehand. There are many types of dried fish but danggit is one of the most popular at the breakfast table.

   Danggit is a local name for rabbitfish or spinefoot fish. It is prepared in a butterfly cut and is fried until crispy before serving.

7. Smoked Fish

   
   Aside from dried fish, smoked fish (locally called tinapa) is another preserved form of fish and is also commonly served during breakfast. Several types of fishes can be smoked and made into tinapa. The most famous ones are bangus (milkfish) and the blackfin scad.

8. Pandesal

   
   Aside from rice meals, bread is also commonly eaten by Filipinos as breakfast. The most common type of Filipino bread is called the Pandesal. It has the basic ingredients of bread and is coated with bread crumbs. It may be eaten on its own or is paired with spreads like butter, peanut butter, liver spread, and fruit jams.

   If you want to try cooking pandesal at home, try our Homemade Pandesal Recipe.

9. Corned Beef

   
   Since Filipinos usually pick easy-to-prepare food for breakfast, canned foods are part of the list. Amongst the many canned foods available, corned beef is probably the most popular. It is often served stir-fried with onions and diced potatoes.

10. Daing Na Bangus

    
    Daing na bangus is a dish wherein bangus or milkfish is butterflied and marinated in vinegar and garlic. It is then fried until crispy.

    If you want to try cooking daing na bangus at home, try our Easy Daing Na Bangus Recipe.

11. Torta

    
    Torta, in the Philippines, means egg fritter or omelette. To make torta, scrambled eggs are mixed with ground meat and other ingredients. Since egg is a common breakfast food across the world, Filipinos have their own unique way of preparing a breakfast egg dish.

12. Silog

    
    Silog is a combination of two Filipino words, Si for sinangag (fried rice) and Log for itlog (egg). Fried rice and fried egg is a staple when it comes to Filipino breakfast meals. In fact, some of the above mentioned dishes are usually served with these two.

    They are locally named after the combination of food items, here are some examples:
    Tapsilog– short for Tapa + Sinangag + Itlog
    Tocilog– short for Tocino + Sinangag + Itlog
    Longsilog– short for Longganisa + Sinangag + Itlog
    Daingsilog– short for Daing Na Bangus + Sinangag + Itlog

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