Street Food, The Dabawenyo Way

Pilipino food tells a story of long time integration of culture among its people. The Chinese, Japanese, American, Arabian, and European cuisines have found a way into the Pilipinos' way of food preparation and eventually into the taste of every Pilipino. Each region in the Philippines always has something to share when it comes to satisfying someone's palate.

But while influence from neighboring nations may have found its way to Filipino cuisines, the Pilipinos were, nevertheless, able to keep most of it's traditional food. In Davao, street foods are a must try. Your visit to this lovely city would never be complete without a taste of its delectable display of ready to eat foods along the streets.

Let us go over some of the most known streets foods in Davao and where to find them.

1. Isaw

Isaw is made of chicken intestine, is either fried or grilled, and then dipped in a savory barbecue sauce. This is one of the "best seller" in the streets of Davao and every Dabawenyo knows about Isaw. This tasty favorite can be found in almost all areas where street foods are sold - in front of schools, in Roxas night market, San Pedro Street, and even outside of parks and right across shopping centers. There are even restaurants that do serve Isaw although I wouldn't really recommend this because it is a bit expensive compared to the ones being sold along the streets.

2. Proben

When Isaw is around, then Proben probably is too. These two seems inseparable because just like Isaw, Proben is one of the favorites among many street foods sold in the streets of Davao. Proben is made of the "Proventriculus" of a chicken, coated with flour, and then fried. It is commonly served with vinegar or any of the local sauce prepared by the vendors.

3. Kwek-Kwek

When e talk of street foods, Kwek-kwek could instantly get on the list. It is made of an egg, hard boiled, dipped in a paste made from a mixture of flour and water, and then deep fried. Kwek-kwek is an ingenious preparation which is often served with cucumber or seaweed salad as a side dish. Are you tired of eating that boring hard boiled egg? You can never go wrong with Kwe-kwek!

4. Balut

This is one very controversial street food in the Philippines because not every Pilipino eats it. Balut is a duck's fertilized egg, hard boiled, and served with vinegar. Many Pilipinos eat Balut but quite a number of them don't. This is because they find it gross to actually eat an embryo. This however, did not stop vendors from selling it. In fact, a lot of the local variation in terms of preparation has been getting the spotlight, Even some of the famous restaurants in the country are now serving fried balut, adobong balut, and a whole lot of other yet interestingly delicious variation,

There's a variety of food you can try when you travel to Davao or any part of the Philippines for that matter. In our next palate adventure, we will experience the mouth watering Pilipino "kakanin".