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The most famous weird Filipino foods are balut (a boiled fertilized duck egg), dinuguan (pork stewed in pig’s blood), isaw and betamax (grilled chicken intestines and blood cubes), tamilok (raw shipworm from Palawan), kamaru (fried mole crickets from Pampanga), papaitan (bitter innards soup), soup no. 5 (bull testicle soup) and Cebu’s tuslob buwa (rice dipped in bubbling pig-brain sauce). Most are everyday street food or regional specialties, cheap, and safe to eat when cooked fresh at a busy stall.
Nervous about trying balut alone? A local-led food or city tour takes you to the best stalls.
Weird Filipino foods at a glance
| Food | What it is | Where to try it | Dare level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Balut | Boiled fertilized duck egg | Street vendors nationwide, usually at night | 🔥🔥🔥🔥 |
| Dinuguan | Pork stewed in pig’s blood and vinegar | Carinderias nationwide | 🔥🔥 |
| Isaw | Grilled chicken or pork intestines | Barbecue stalls nationwide | 🔥🔥 |
| Betamax | Grilled cubes of chicken or pork blood | Barbecue stalls nationwide | 🔥🔥 |
| Adidas, Helmet, Walkman | Grilled chicken feet, chicken heads, pig ears | Barbecue stalls nationwide | 🔥🔥 |
| Chicharon bulaklak | Deep-fried pork mesentery | Restaurants and beer houses | 🔥 |
| Sisig | Chopped pig’s face and ears on a sizzling plate | Pampanga and nationwide | 🔥 |
| Tuslob buwa | Puso rice dipped in bubbling pig brain and liver sauce | Cebu City | 🔥🔥🔥 |
| Papaitan | Goat or beef innards soup flavored with bile | Ilocos and northern Luzon | 🔥🔥🔥 |
| Soup no. 5 | Soup made with bull testicles | Specialty restaurants and eateries | 🔥🔥🔥 |
| Kamaru | Fried mole crickets | Pampanga | 🔥🔥🔥 |
| Betute | Frog stuffed with seasoned ground pork, then fried | Pampanga | 🔥🔥🔥 |
| Abuos | Ant eggs and larvae, sautéed or in salads | Ilocos | 🔥🔥🔥🔥 |
| Ginataang kuhol | Snails cooked in coconut milk | Provinces nationwide | 🔥🔥 |
| Tamilok | Raw shipworm (a mollusk) from mangrove wood | Palawan | 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 |
Dare level is our rough guide for first-time visitors: 🔥 = most people will love it, 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 = only for the bravest.
Watch: trying weird Filipino food
15 weird Filipino foods to try
Balut
Nationwide · Street foodBalut is a fertilized duck egg, usually incubated for around two to three weeks, then boiled and eaten warm from the shell. Crack the top, sip the savory broth first, add a pinch of salt or spiced vinegar, then eat the yolk and the developing duckling. Vendors usually sell it at night, calling out “baluuut!” in the streets.
Easier version: try penoy first, an unfertilized duck egg cooked the same way, with no embryo.
Dinuguan
Nationwide · Ulam
Nicknamed “chocolate meat” for its dark color, dinuguan is pork simmered in pig’s blood, vinegar, garlic and chili. It tastes rich, savory and slightly sour, not like chocolate. Filipinos eat it with rice or with puto, small steamed rice cakes.
Isaw, Adidas, Helmet and Walkman
Nationwide · Street barbecueFilipino street barbecue stalls grill almost every part of the chicken and pig, and the nicknames are half the fun: isaw is grilled intestines, Adidas is chicken feet (after the sports brand’s “three stripes”), Helmet is chicken heads and Walkman is pig ears. Everything is basted with a sweet sauce and dipped in spiced vinegar.
Tip: isaw should be cleaned well and grilled until crisp. Pick a busy stall where the skewers go straight from the grill to you. More in our Filipino street food guide.
Betamax
Nationwide · Street barbecue
Betamax is coagulated chicken or pork blood cut into small blocks and grilled on skewers. The name comes from the shape, which looks like an old Betamax videotape. It’s mild and soft, with a slightly firm, tofu-like texture.
Chicharon Bulaklak
Nationwide · PulutanBulaklak means “flower,” named for how the deep-fried pork mesentery (the membrane around the intestines) curls into flower-like shapes. It’s very crunchy and rich, usually served as beer food with spiced vinegar.
Sisig
Pampanga · PulutanMany visitors love sisig before they learn what’s in it: chopped pig’s face and ears, boiled, grilled, then served sizzling with onions, chili and calamansi. It’s the easiest “weird” food to love. See the full story in our Filipino food guide.
Tuslob Buwa
Cebu City · Street foodTuslob buwa means “dip in bubbles.” Diners sit around a small pan where pig brain and liver are cooked with oil, onions and shrimp paste until the sauce bubbles, then dip puso (rice cooked in woven coconut leaves) into it. It started in the Pasil area of Cebu City and is now found at many stalls around the city.
Good to know: it’s a shared, eat-together experience. Go with friends. More Cebu food in our famous Cebu delicacies list.
Papaitan
Ilocos · Soup
Pait means “bitter.” This Ilocano soup is made from goat or beef innards and gets its bitterness from bile. It’s an acquired taste, but fans love its strong, warming flavor, especially with a cold drink.
Soup No. 5
Nationwide · Soup
Soup No. 5 is a clear, gingery soup made with bull testicles, and it’s often claimed to be an aphrodisiac, though there’s no evidence for that. The meat is tender and the broth tastes similar to a beef soup.
Kamaru
Pampanga · Insect dish
Pampanga, the country’s culinary capital, is known for its bold dishes. Kamaru are mole crickets, cleaned and cooked with garlic, onions and tomatoes until crisp. They taste nutty and savory, a bit like crunchy fried shrimp.
Betute
Pampanga · Frog dishAnother Kapampangan specialty, betute is a whole frog stuffed with seasoned ground pork, then deep-fried. The frog meat is mild and tender, often compared to chicken.
Abuos
Ilocos · Insect dishAbuos are the eggs and larvae of weaver ants, gathered in the Ilocos region and cooked in sautéed dishes or omelets. They’re seasonal and creamy, with a slightly sour taste. Look for them in local markets in Ilocos during the dry season.
Ginataang Kuhol
Nationwide · Ulam
Freshwater snails cooked in coconut milk with chili and vegetables. You suck the snail out of the shell, or use a toothpick. The rich, creamy sauce is the best part.
Pinikpikan
Cordillera · Ritual dishPinikpikan is a traditional chicken soup from the Cordillera mountains, often cooked with etag (salt-cured pork). It’s tied to Indigenous rituals, but traditional preparation involves beating the chicken before slaughter, which has drawn animal welfare criticism. Many restaurants now serve versions made without it.
Tamilok
Palawan · The ultimate dare
Tamilok looks like a long gray worm, but it’s actually a shipworm, a type of clam that bores into rotting mangrove wood. It’s eaten raw, dipped in vinegar with onion and chili, and its taste is often compared to oysters. Puerto Princesa restaurants are the most popular place to try it.
Good to know: eat it only from reputable places, since it’s raw. Planning Palawan? See our Palawan beaches guide.
Weird Filipino food combinations
Some of the strangest things on Filipino tables aren’t single dishes but pairings that surprise visitors:
- Green mango with bagoong (fermented shrimp paste): sour, salty and addictive.
- Champorado with tuyo: sweet chocolate rice porridge eaten with salty dried fish.
- Spaghetti with hot dogs in a sweet banana-ketchup sauce, the star of every kids’ party.
- Dinuguan with puto: blood stew paired with sweet rice cakes.
- Ice cream in a bread bun, sold from carts on the street.
See more in our guide to Filipino party food.
How to try weird Filipino food safely
- Choose busy stalls with a fast turnover, so the food is fresh and freshly cooked.
- Eat it hot. Grilled and boiled foods are safest straight from the heat.
- Be careful with raw dishes like tamilok and kinilaw if you have a sensitive stomach.
- Drink bottled or filtered water, and skip ice if you’re unsure where it came from.
- Start small. Try penoy before balut, and sisig before papaitan.
- Be respectful. These are everyday foods for many Filipinos, so try them with curiosity, not disgust.
Eat with a local guide
A food tour is the easiest way to try street food safely, with someone to explain each dish. Klook bookings often include free cancellation.
Weird Filipino food: FAQ
What is the weirdest food in the Philippines?
Balut, a boiled fertilized duck egg, is the most famous weird Filipino food. For the most daring eaters, tamilok, a raw shipworm from Palawan’s mangroves, is often considered the strangest.
What is balut and how do you eat it?
Balut is a fertilized duck egg incubated for around two to three weeks, then boiled. Crack the top, sip the broth, add salt or spiced vinegar, then eat the yolk and the developing duckling. Penoy, an unfertilized version, is an easier first step.
Is tamilok a worm?
No. Tamilok looks like a worm but is a shipworm, a type of clam that bores into rotting mangrove wood. It’s eaten raw with vinegar in Palawan, and its taste is often compared to oysters.
What is Soup No. 5 made of?
Soup No. 5 is a Filipino soup made with bull testicles, cooked in a clear, gingery broth. It’s often claimed to be an aphrodisiac, but there’s no evidence for that.
Why are Filipino street foods called Adidas, Betamax and Helmet?
They’re nicknames based on how the food looks: Adidas is grilled chicken feet, Betamax is grilled blood cubes shaped like an old videotape, Helmet is chicken heads, and Walkman is pig ears.
What is tuslob buwa?
Tuslob buwa, meaning “dip in bubbles,” is a Cebu street food where pig brain and liver are cooked in a bubbling sauce, and diners dip puso (hanging rice) into it. It started in the Pasil area of Cebu City.
Is it safe to eat street food in the Philippines?
Generally yes, if you choose busy stalls, eat food hot and freshly cooked, and drink bottled or filtered water. Be more careful with raw dishes like tamilok and kinilaw.
What weird Filipino food should I try first?
Start with sisig, chicharon bulaklak or isaw, which most visitors enjoy. Then move on to dinuguan and penoy before trying balut, papaitan or tamilok.
Brave enough? Try them with a local who knows the best stalls.
Cebu-born travel writer raised between Cebu and Dumaguete, now based in Zamboanga del Sur, Mindanao. Gio writes Best Philippines Travel Guide to help first-time visitors travel the islands with confidence.