OFW Life: Foods we bring from Philippines to our host country

Bringing something back when you travel has been widely practiced in any part of the world. From souvenir items like key chains, t-shirts, refrigerator magnets, figurines, to different foods like dried fruits, sweets and chocolates, and a delicacy that only a specific place has. Kris Fade’s household helper has travelled from the Philippines to Dubai and brought back extra-ordinary delicacies:

But before that, watch this video till the end and you will be surprised what we, Filipinos love to bring back home in the Philippines

Longganisa

Kris’ household help also brought back longganisa from the Philippines. Longganisa is a mixture of meat, garlic, and other spices, rolled just like sausages – except it’s larger. Longganisa can be bought in the local markets in the Philippines, but some of the best places that offers this delicacy is in Vigan and Alaminos, Pangasinan.

Some other delicacies and souvenirs that is a hundred percent Filipino

Dried fish and dried squid

Often regarded to as “danggit” (dried fish) and “pusit” (dried squid), these two are one of the most common delicacies one brings back from the Philippines. These can be bought at any local markets in the area. Basically, these are just fish and squid diluted in salt and dried in the heat of the sun. Preparation of this delicacy is also very easy; all you have to do is fry it in oil and serve it with spicy vinegar and rice once cooked.

Dried mangoes

The name says it all: these are mangoes which are diluted in sugar and dried in the sun. Since the Philippines is a tropical country, production of mangoes is very overwhelming, most especially during harvest time at summer. This can also be bought at local markets for a very cheap price and is one of the Filipino’s favourite snacks.

At one point, Kris Fade said that he appreciated his household help bringing back souvenirs and delicacies from the Philippines, but said he was worried because they might catch salmonella as they brought back raw meat from the country. The two ladies said that they really wanted to bring back these delicacies from the Philippines because it is much cheaper there compared when it is bought from the local markets of Dubai. Kris Fade’s generosity can also be seen in the video as he even paid for his household help’s extra luggage just so they could bring back something from Dubai to the Philippines. When he asked what they needed the extra luggage for, their response got Kris laughing out loud – he was asked to pay the extra luggage so that the two ladies can bring back onions from Dubai to the Philippines!

Truly, the Filiipino’s hospitality can be evident inside and outside of the country. This is one trait that Filipinos would always carry with them wherever they may go.