Like other countries, each Philippine destination is synonymous with one particular food. Iloilo, one of the best places to visit for heritage tours is also home to many flavourful treats but one food reigns on top – La Paz batchoy.

No one knows how the word “batchoy” was coined. But it was “invented” by a local butcher who wanted to create a dish from pig’s internal organs from liver to its intestine. He created a soup and added noodles since his first market were Chinese living in the city. The result is a mouth-watering noodle soup with pork meat, internal organs topped with freshly cut scallions, fried garlic and pork crackling known as chicaron.

Yes, it is one heavy meal but do you know that it is eaten in Iloilo as a snack? It is paired with rice cake or puto as the local call it. Sometimes, pan de sal is eaten along with this noodle soup. You can also choose what kind of noodle. The most popular is the miki, a thick yellowish noodle.

Though served by some diners in Metro Manila, get a taste of authentic batchoy in Iloilo, in La Paz in particular. La Paz is one of the districts that compose the city of Iloilo and in its market is where this famous soup was born. It is unique in a sense that this noodle soup is not really Chinese in origin.  The most famous names when it comes to La Paz batchoy are Deco’s and Ted’s.

You can have them in malls or in special restaurants. But if you are aventurious, go to La Paz market. The original stores are still there. No worries, Iloilo is one of the safest and cleanest places in the Philippines. You can have a complete meal of batchoy, puto and a cola for less than 100PHP.

La Paz batchoy is one of the living testimonies of a Pinoy’s ingenuity and resourcefulness. Travel to Iloilo and end your day with a bowl of batchoy.

Never leave Iloilo without satisfying your hunger with a bowl of batchoy.

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If your main goal for your Philippine visit is to witness local festivals, then travel during January.  Why? Because, it is during January that major festivals are held in the country specifically in the Visayas region. And one of the highly-anticipated events is the Dinagyang Festival in Iloilo.

Dinagyang is held every third Sunday of January along with famous Visayan festivals like Cebu’s Sinulog and Kalibo’s Ati Atihan Festival. Why do they occur simultaneously? It’s because these festivals pay homage to the  Child Jesus or the Santo Nino whose feast day is on every third Sunday of January.

A celebration of both religion and local culture, Dinagyang fever is simply inevitable. Orchestrating drum beats, fancy costumes and frenzy energy – no wonder Iloilo’s Dinagyang has been recognized by the local tourism agency as the Best Tourism Festival.

The main event of Dinagyang is the Ati Street Competition which is participated by “tribes” formed by local high schools in the city. Jumpacked are spectators in the city proper section of Iloilo which is also one of the most historical places in the country. Then, all are ushered to go with the beat, enjoy the sun and be merry. After all, the word Dinagyang comes from the Hiligaynon word ” dagyang” which means ” to be happy”.

A month-long celebration, come to Iloilo and enjoy the once “Queen City of the South”. Meet some friends  ( old and new) and party around the city. Dive in to culinary treats with various food festivals in the city. Take this opportunity to explore the city and its neighboring town. The province of Iloilo is home to colonial and heritage churches. Fro the fashion savvy, check out their local weaving industry.

Have fun. Iloilo is one of the safest cities in the country. Experience Iloilo’s Dinagyang and see for yourself why this celebration is one of the most highly-anticipated and popular events in the Philippines.

It never cease to amaze us every time we travel when we devour on a local cuisine.  Ultimately, these dished would ten to lose their primary purpose which is to feed our hungry stomach but more on satisfying our curiosity and quest for travel adventure. Likewise, local dishes is the best venue to learn about a destination’s local culture.

Philippines is home to a plethora of food with most of them labeled as “exotic” by non-locals. From the infamous balut to the refreshing halo-halo every province in the country has their own food for everyone to try.

One food that might tickle not just your taste buds but your flair for something unusual is sinuglaw. The word sinuglaw is coined from two common cooking methods – sinugba and kilaw. “Sinugba“is the Cebuano word for grilled while kinilaw is a local cooking method of “cooking”  fish fillet with vinegar and spices .

But sinuglaw is not just an offspring of two FIlipino cooking methods but from two different dishes. Pork and fish. To the eyes, it is kinilaw ( with fish tuna) topped with grilled pork belly. The contrast of two dishes makes it very explosive. Tangy yet sumptuous, spicy and creamy, savory and moist. Sinuglaw is a must-try when you visit the Philippines.

Born in the southern city of Davao, you can still enjoy this wonderful Pinoy dish in various restaurants serving local dishes. Still, nothing can beat the authentic taste of sinuglaw in Davao. Mindanao is very famous for their kinilaw.  Sinuglaw is often eaten as an appetizer as well as a pulutan. Match sinuglaw with an iced-cold beer and you will see for yourself why this dish has captured the hearts of many.

Everybody knows that Pinoys are noted for their spirituality with our own culture and tradition deeply rooted in our faith specifically that of  the Catholic faith. Religion is also not just plain devotion and adulation but also a social event as seen in various festivals revolving around annual feast days of various saints. Well, going home for our respective fiestas is obviously very common.

In terms of religious festivals, the most distinct perhaps is the Feast of the Black Nazarene. It has captured golbal attention not just for its more than 200 years of observance but the devotion itself towards the Black Nazarene (Nuestro Pade Jesus Nazareno), locally referred as “Itim na Nazareno”.

The procession for the Black Nazarene falls every January 9 with thousands of devotees from all walks of life attending.  Devotees of the Black Nazarene are mostly males and its healing and miracles has been venerated by millions of people. Every Friday afternoon, prayers are heard at the Quiapo Church in Manila for the Black Nazarene.

Witnessing the procession has been very interesting and has caught massive attention from the global media to local travelers. The black statue that originally hailed from Mexico is paraded in the streets with millions of devotees in maroon, try their best to hold the rope. It is common to see towels and cloths being thrown into the statue then tossed back to the crowd. It is said that it can bring miracles to those who owns that towel that wiped from the statue. The ropes used to move its carousel is also believed to be have some magical powers – some  would intentionally cut the rope and use them as talismans.

For newbies, it is highly discouraged to join the procession. Reports of injuries while many devotees would pass out during the processions are common. Though a very interesting event and something worth sharing to the rest of the world, travelers are advised to watch in the sidelines.

If you are interested to watch this famous Feast of the Black Nazarene, travel to the Philippines with TravelAccess.

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Okay, we will save you from a “horrifying” photo of a balut. Unless you live under a rock or you are absolutely clueless when it comes to Filipino food, balut is one of the most famous culinary wonder in the Philippines. No, we are not talking about au gratin dishes here, it is more of an adventure for non-Filipinos. It has been one of the “must foods to eat” while in country especially among international tourists.

Here’s why.

Balut is a boiled fertilized duck egg. Boiled egg is a usual breakfast feast but with balut, the chick is forming waiting to be born. Yikes! You may say. But those who have tasted it or patrons to this somewhat out-of-ordinary food attest of its juiciness.  Some even say that it is an aphrodisiac. As an egg, it is rich in protein too. For those on a diet, this is a certified calorific treat!

There are many towns in the Philippines that are known for balut like Pateros in Luzon but balut is a streetfood in the country. You can easily buy them from peddlers. Look for that small ice box that reads , “Balut”.

So how do you eat a balut?

Are you ready? First, you remove the uppermost part of the egg; like 1/4 of the whole egg. There, you will see the little chick with the yolk swimming in the juice. Now, you sip the juice draining the whole egg. Onced dried”, its time to eat the unhatched egg.

Balut can be eaten as it is but most Filipinos eat it with a dash of salt. For some it is theb est pulutan. Eat it with an iced-cold beer and viola! Perfect drinking season.

Balut also comes in “number of days” which corresponds to the number since the egg was hatched. For starters, choose “16 day, the chick is not that formed yet for the most adventurous ones, there is “21 days” where you can munch chick’s tender bones.

When visiting the Philippines, try eating balut. If you bring along friends and family, dare yourselves to discover its uniquely Filipino gourmet treasure. A fun activity to do while in the country that will surely be one of your best memories while on vacation.

TIP: Due to scarcity of ducks in some places, chickens are used and called “balut sa puti“.