Best Filipino Dishes To Serve on Christmas
Once again, Christmas is upon us, and nobody does it better than Filipinos. With the Christmas season starting as early September, it’s no surprise Filipinos take this festival in great fashion. What can be more satisfying than a Christmas dinner cravings shared with family and close friends during the holidays? TippyMart has gathered the best Christmas dishes from Filipino classics to trendy food appetizers, main courses, side dishes, and desserts for you here in our holiday round-up.
Pinoy Style Spaghetti
Spaghetti has found its way into the Filipino food culture, not just as a celebration meal, but also as a regular meal. Spaghetti has become a staple in the Philippines at Christmas dinner parties and Noche Buena events.
With energetic kids around you, you can never go wrong with the Pinoy-style spaghetti. The Filipino version, adapted from the beloved Italian pasta red tangy version, the Filipino spaghetti-style sauce has a sweet taste to it which caters to the sweet tooth that many Filipinos have. Included in this Pinoy style spaghetti is ground meat and different types of hotdog slices. Pinoys usually add grated cheddar cheese on their spaghetti to add a touch of zest and cheesiness to the dish.
Lechon
It’s a dish for all occasions , whether it’s a birthday, a fiesta, a baptismal, or even celebrating little wins in life. Just like any special event, Christmas is one of those on the list. Perhaps the priciest thing on a normal Christmas menu is a whole Lechon as an all-time favorite Filipino dish. The Lechon (whole pig) is usually placed on a spit and roasted over a fire. This process gives the lechon its smoky flavor and crispy texture perfect for a Christmas meal with the family. With a whole lechon, you won’t have to worry about it running out!
Hamon de Bola
Hamon de Bola, aka holiday ham, is one of the key fares in a Filipino Noche Buena. In particular, Filipinos are fond of sweets and delicacies that are as sweet as honey. That’s how most of the Christmas Holiday hams are served in the Philippines, drenched with delicious glazes of syrup. You can fry it to add more flavor, eat it on its own, or pair it with a slice of kesong puti (made from carabao’s milk) to enjoy this type of ham. These types of hams are well known to be company gifts of business owners to their employees.
Morcon
Morcon is filled with sausage or hotdogs, carrots, pickles, cheese, and eggs. Making it a Filipino meat roll. It is either steamed or fried and then cut when it is cool enough and served on Christmas and New Year’s Eve. It is part of the Filipino belief that serving round-shaped foods will help make one ‘s life prosperous in the coming year, hence this is the perfect meal to serve!
Paella
To Filipinos, rice is like gold. You can definitely pair rice in every Filipino dish. During special occasions, rice is cooked in a very special manner. Filipinos have adopted Paella, a popular Spanish dish, and is usually cooked as another dish for Christmas and holidays. Paella is rice, meat and seafood all mixed into one plate. This platter is usually made in big batches to serve a number of people. Paella has a burst of different flavors that will cater to many palettes. Plattered and presented in a creative way, you and your guests will definitely get the best in every serving.
What better way to finish your Christmas dish? Desserts! This is the time to give, share, relax, and be with your loved ones, a time to be grateful for all our blessings, and a time to enjoy delicious desserts. Here are some famous desserts that you will find in a Filipino Christmas gathering:
Mango Graham Cake
Mango graham cake is a simple and basic holiday dessert. This is a known delicious no-bake dessert to serve during Christmas. It only takes three ingredients, namely graham, mango and condensed milk generally layered and chilled until served. This icebox cake that is a hit during the holiday seasons is a favorite among Filipinos of all ages. Have a sweet tooth? Why not add this to your Christmas dinner!
Bibingka
Bibingka is a famous Filipino dessert. Although sold year-round, this rice cake is more evident during the holiday season. The Bibingka is famous for its soft spongy texture, round shape, pleasant smell and banana leaf packaging. This dessert is not too sweet and heavy on the stomach either, making it a favorite go-to for many. With every bite, it will surely bring back some nostalgic memories in this holiday season. Enjoy this simple treat, you won’t regret it!
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