Characteristics
Philippines Cuisine
Filipino cuisine is distinguished by its bold combination of sweet (tamis), sour (asim), and salty (alat) flavors.
While other Asian cuisines may be known for a more subtle delivery and presentation, Filipino cuisine is often delivered all at once in a single presentation.
Counterpoint is a feature in Philippine cuisine which normally comes in a pairing of something sweet with something salty, and results in surprisingly pleasing combinations.
Examples include:
champorado (a sweet cocoa rice porridge), being paired with tuyo (salted, sun-dried fish);

dinuguan (a savory stew made of pig's blood and innards), paired with puto (sweet, steamed rice cakes);
unripe fruits such as mangoes (which are only slightly sweet but very sour), are eaten dipped in salt or bagoong;
the use of cheese (which is salty) in sweetcakes (such as bibingka and puto), as well as an ice cream flavoring.
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Philippines Cuisine
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