Are you ready for the most authentic and grandest beer festival in the Philippines?
Octoberfest indulges us with overflowing beers, colorful events, mouthwatering food, and musical excitement. From sunset to sundown, bands play pop, rock, folk, and punk while partygoers sing, dance, and drink throughout the night.
Octoberfest is an event that originated in Germany. It started as a one-night event but is now a month-long celebration hosted by different bars, pubs, and establishments.
With more than a thousand bars participating in the Octoberfest event, partygoers will surely be catered to all over the Philippines. But it is not just beers and bands that give meaning to our most anticipated Octoberfest. Pulutan is very important to get us through the night of the festivity, and every Pinoy’s favorite pulutan? Pork.
Pork Chops, rib chops, or end-cut pork chops are cut from the shoulder to the end of the loin. The high-fat content of meat from this cut makes it juicy, delicious, and less likely to dry from cooking because of its oil content. Whether pan-fried or oven-cooked, pork chops are best as a viand and as pulutan.
On the other hand, tenderloin can be pan-fried, roasted, or grilled. It is lean, tender, and can be cooked and prepared quickly. The spare rib comes from the underbelly and is very tasty because of the amount of fat. Prolonged cooking with adequate heat will break it down and bring out its primal flavor.
Finally, you can use pata, liempo, pigue and kasim for sisig—arguably the most famous pulutan in the Philippines. It is very rare to see a drinking session without the presence of a crackling pork belly, complementing the flavor of beer while bringing out the spirit of festivity in each celebration. Picture yourself with your friends and special someone dancing and singing with the crowds while drinking beers with meaty, delicious, and crispy pulutan.
The Good Meat is here to bring us the best and most delicious pulutan we can have. Deliciously seasoned with spices, Yes Efren’s Special Barbeque is here to give us the best barbeque and isaw experience that will make us say “Yes sa Sarap!” Yes Efren’s has all the delicious isaw manok and isaw baboy barbecue, special pork, and even chicken barbecue legs.
Pork Sisig delivers us the hottest and crispiest sisig that is best partnered with a smoking hot cup of rice or even better paired with our favorite alcoholic beverages. The taste of pig’s minced pork meat, ears, and head cooked together with chicken liver, onions, and chili peppers will always be the highlight of every drinking event.
If you’re looking to serve a showstopper on the table, Crispy Pata is a great choice. The Good Meat also offers fresh Lechon Kawali Cut and liempo that’s approved sa panlasang Pinoy when cooked.
Excitement and thrill await us at this year’s Octoberfest festival! Be sure to put this date on your calendar and be prepared for a month-long celebration and festivities. To fully enjoy Octoberfest, remember to always choose and prepare the best and tastiest meat for the occasion.
References:
This Resto-bar Brings Germany’s Oktoberfest Tradition to the Philippines. September 25, 2022. GMA News Online. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
8 Common Cuts of Pork (Plus What You Should Know About Each). January 08, 2021. Real Simple. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
Where to Celebrate Oktoberfest in Manila this 2022. September 27, 2022. Primer. Retrieved October 1, 2022
The Biggest Oktoberfest in Manila – German Club Oktoberfest in Solaire. September 29, 2022. Oktoberfest. Retrieved October 2, 2022
From Luzon to Mindanao, Get Ready for a Nationwide Oktoberfest Celebration. October 21, 2019. Rappler. Retrieved October 2, 2022
Filipinos love celebrating occasions from the smallest to the largest of reasons. From anniversaries and graduations to holidays and fiestas, Filipino families ensure that tables are filled with a delicious and abundant variety of hearty dishes, fresh fruits, and colorful drinks.
We celebrate with music while dancing in our beautifully decorated homes and, sometimes, we even bring out our cultural costumes or the pieces of clothing passed on to us by our ancestors. Every major celebration is a family affair and that’s why we make sure to prepare weeks or even months before.
Food brings life and flavor to celebrations and varies depending on the occasion. Here in the Philippines, we take birthdays seriously! It’s often a chance for our families to reunite.
Saucy spaghetti paired with deep-fried chicken brings smiles to children attending birthday parties. Pancit with slices of pork and vegetable toppings is prepared as a sign of wishing our beloved birthday celebrants a long and bountiful life.
From late November to early December, the smell of puto bumbong and bibingka marks the start of cold Christmas nights for us Filipinos. Pork baby back ribs and barbequed beef briskets, paella, fruit salad, lechon kawali, Celebration Ham, queso de bola, and so many more special dishes fill every Filipino household and complete each family’s Christmas Eve.
We celebrate the New Year with the utmost effort by serving different kinds of food to go with the colorful fireworks that fill our night skies.
Families and loved ones gather to celebrate and wish a prosperous new year at a lavish media Noche. Round-shaped fruits are present alongside Filipino rice cakes or kakanin, biko and tikoy, which symbolize family bonds.
We also prefer different pork and beef dishes to wish prosperity for the upcoming year.
Whether passing an exam, graduating, or receiving a promotion, every achievement of our loved ones is celebrated with joyous gatherings packed with richly flavored food.
Adobo and menudo from freshly cut pork and beef brisket are present in the course along with other Filipino foods, such as bopis, longganisa, embutido, and barbeques. We even follow other countries’ famous viands like jokbal from braised pig trotters, pork and beef samgyeopsal, pork tonkatsu, and other foreign food dishes.
Every Filipino family celebrates holidays and achievements with bountiful and delicious food. The secret to making these feasts truly special lies in sourcing high-quality ingredients—it’s the heart and highlight of every gathering.
Finding premium, fresh meat is essential, as it elevates each dish and brings everyone together in joy and gratitude.
So, why not make your family table even more special? Visit The Good Meat Fresh Hub for the finest meats that will make your celebrations unforgettable!
References:
This Resto-bar Brings Germany’s Oktoberfest Tradition to the Philippines. September 25, 2022. GMA News Online. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
11 Best Festivals to Join in the Philippines. 2022, July 5. Guide to the Philippines. Retrieved August 31, 2022
Traditional Filipino Christmas Foods for the Holidays. December 7, 2021. Instacart. Retrieved August 31, 2022
8 Culinary Traditions on the Philippine New Year’s Eve. December 29, 2021. Camella. Retrieved August 31, 2022
Eggs are a main staple in Pinoy meals. What is a Pinoy breakfast without eggs? A typical Pinoy breakfast is a Silog (sinangag at itlog) meal, which is not only prepared in households but also offered in restaurants and specific silog-type kiosks.
Even our favorite dessert, Leche flan, is egg-based. Eggs are versatile—they can be cooked in many ways on their own, as an ingredient for other main dishes, baked products, or even desserts.
The most important fact about eggs is that they are among the most nutritious and incredibly cheap foods. Eggs contain vitamins (B12, B2, A, B5, and many more) and essential minerals (selenium, calcium, iron, potassium, zinc, manganese, vitamin E, folate, and many more) for our health and nutrition.
Eggs, like meat and poultry, are a good source of protein and healthy fats. Most of the eggs’ nutrients are found in the yolks, while the whites have mostly protein. Eggs are very much accessible to most Pinoy households.
With all the benefits of eggs in our diet, nutrition, and health, we must know how to buy them, store them safely, and prepare them. You can purchase eggs in several places, such as the supermarket, wet market, or even a farmer’s market. Just make sure to buy from reputable stores or owners to ensure that you have the freshest eggs available.
Eggs are perishable food items, and their freshness matters. They can be stored at room temperature for 1-3 weeks if needed. However, after one week, the quality of the eggs will start to decline. If bought fresh and refrigerated, it can be stored in its original carton for up to 21 days in the fridge.
It is recommended to keep them in the main compartment rather than in the fridge door to prevent abrupt temperature changes when opening the refrigerator. There is no need to wash the eggs before storage, as this will remove the natural protective covering of the eggs.
Eggs can be used in many different food preparations. There are various ways to prepare eggs as a dish at home. Eggs can be cooked and served by cooking while in the shell (soft, boiled, and hard-cooked eggs), poaching, frying, and scrambling.
Overcooking eggs is undesirable as it makes the egg white gummy in texture or can result in a greenish tinge in hard-cooked eggs. To avoid overcooking hard-boiled eggs, directly put the cooked eggs in cold water or running water after boiling to stop the cooking process and make the peeling easier. Consume hard-cooked eggs within one week after cooking. Never leave cooked eggs or egg dishes at room temperature for more than 2 hours, as this can contaminate the food.
Given all the functions and benefits, we can conclude that eggs play a significant role in our diet and food habits. Eggs are a very versatile and nutritious food source. Ensuring that we have access to the safest and freshest eggs will guarantee that we get all the benefits eggs can offer.
References:
What You Need to Know About Egg Safety. May 10, 2022. US Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved August 8, 2022
6 Reasons Why Eggs Are the Healthiest Food on the Planet. April 26, 2018. Healthline. Retrieved August 8, 2022
How Long Do Eggs Last Before Going Bad. September 13, 2017. Healthline. Retrieved August 8, 2022
Everybody wants to be healthy. The famous “health is wealth” adage is more meaningful now than ever.
Nutrition is the foundation of health, and we will never be healthy if we receive poor nutrition. To most of us, nutrition is equivalent to the food we consume. Nutrition is how our bodies use the food we eat for sustenance, growth, and development.
We learn from our younger years that food can be grouped into three categories – GO, GROW, and GLOW foods. These three play a major role in our diet, nutrition, and health.
GO foods contain carbohydrates and fats that provide energy for our bodies. Examples of these are rice, bread, and root crops.
GLOW foods, such as fruits and vegetables, are high in vitamins and minerals.
GROW foods, on the other hand, are protein-rich foods that are responsible for bone and muscle health. Our primary source of protein is meat, but poultry, dairy products, fish, and eggs are also considered protein-rich foods.
Meat is a well-favored source of protein in the Filipino diet. Pork and beef (red meat) or chicken (white meat) can be purchased in local markets. We have a lot of varied recipes for our meats.
Good meat is high in amino acids, vitamins such as vitamin A that stimulates the production of white blood cells responsible for fighting body infections and B vitamins that break down complex carbohydrates, and minerals like iron and selenium. Iron is needed by our body to make hemoglobin and myoglobin while selenium helps protect against cell damage and infections. These are just some of the many benefits of protein in our diet. Thus, cooking your favorite pork adobo recipe not only satisfies your cravings but also provides your body with its needed nutrients.
Meat is critical in children’s diets while they are in their growing stage, while the elderly need an adequate intake of protein and calcium to maintain good muscle mass and bone health.
Protein-rich foods are essential at every stage of our lives and need to be included in our diet. When shopping for your homemade meals, don’t forget to shop for quality produce and fresh meat. A well-balanced diet rich in carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, and minerals is essential for good nutrition and health.
References:
Food Nutrition for Elderly: Go, Glow and Grow. Expectation Care. Retrieved July 5, 2022 from Food Nutrition for Elderly: Go, Glow and Grow – Expectationcare.co.uk
Vitamin A. The Nutrition Source. Retrieved July 5, 2022, from Vitamin A | The Nutrition Source | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Iron: Fact Sheet for Consumers. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved July 5, 2022 from Iron – Consumer (nih.gov)
What is the Role of Meat in a Healthy Diet? July 7, 2018. Animal Frontiers. Retrieved July 5, 2022 from What is the role of meat in a healthy diet? | Animal Frontiers | Oxford Academic (oup.com)
It is not a secret that we Pinoys love our meat. Most, if not all, restaurants in our country offer a variety of pork dishes. Some of the favorite pork dishes of Pinoys are Lechon, Sisig, and Pork Barbeque.
Let’s take a deeper look at why meat is so loved by Filipinos.
The Philippines is the 10th largest consumer, 8th largest producer, and 7th largest importer of pork worldwide. Pinoys consume around 25 kilograms of meat yearly, including 15 kgs of pork.
Next to pork, the average Filipino consumes about 11.6 kg of chicken and 3 kg of beef or veal. To add, unlimited grilled pork restaurants are mushrooming around the country. Understandably, each Pinoy has their own pork recipe to boot. Given this scenario, the swine industry is one of the most lucrative businesses.
Lechon, a spit-roasted whole pig, is a traditional centerpiece during Christmas in the Philippines. In special events like fiestas and weddings, a Filipino family will use a whole pig for different pork dishes. The preparation will start one to two days before the gathering and serve as a venue for family, relatives, and friends to get together. They will prepare and cook the dishes together and then serve them at the event themselves.
Historically, meats are of ritualistic importance. Long before the country was called the Philippines, pork was already a well-favored food source. Pigs are known to be indigenous in our country. The word “baboy” in Tagalog resembles Indonesian and Malaysian names for pork such as “babi” and “bawi” respectively. This proves that pork is a pre-colonial food source in Southeast Asian countries.
However, Spain also played an important role in our deep-rooted love for meat. When Spain conquered the country, they carried a sword, a cross, and a jamon. Fernando Zialcita, an anthropologist, stated that the pork consumption pattern is the same with Austronesians, the Philippines, and Hawaii and our love for pork has been with us from the beginning rather than influenced directly by colonizers. Truly, our love for pork is rooted in our ancestors and passed from generation to generation.
The Filipino’s love for pork will remain because of the meat’s versatility as a preferred dish for nearly every memorable event with friends and family. Because of this, it is essential to find a good source of juicy, tender pork with the ideal meat-to-fat ratio when serving home-cooked dishes to our loved ones. This is a meal that they will surely love.
References:
Pork Remains the Favorite in the Philippines. January 3, 2020. The Pig Site. Retrieved June 7, 2022 from https://www.thepigsite.com/articles/pork-remains-the-favourite-in-the-philippines
How Much Meat Does the Filipino Consume? April 14, 2017. Rappler. Retrieved June 7, 2022 from https://www.rappler.com/business/166870-fast-facts-meat-chicken-pork-filipino-consumption/
