Breakfast in the Philippines

CHAMPORADO

At first glance, chocolate and rice may be one of the strangest food combinations. Enter the champurado, alternatively spelled as Tsampurado, a sweet chocolate rice porridge often mistaken as chocolate oatmeal. Just like the oatmeal, it’s typically served at breakfast but it is also a snack favorite. It is usually served hot with milk on top, or tuyo (salty dried fish) if you have a more adventurous palette. Rumour has it that the original recipe came from the Mexicans during the galleon trade. The rice was added later to create a Filipino touch to the dish.

DAING NA BANGUS

Daing na Bangus is a salted and dried milk fish that is either served boneless or au naturale. Before frying, the milk fish is marinated in vinegar with black paper and garlic. Just like the tapsilog, this can also be served as a breakfast dish with a side serving of egg, fried rice, atchara (pickled papaya, quite similar to Germany’s sauerkraut) and vinegar. This dish is sometimes the object of a few family quarrels, revolving around who gets the flavourful, oily piece of fat in the fish’s belly. This dish is native to Philippine soil and best eaten with bare hands.