Local Treats in Legazpi - Philippines

It won't be hard to miss the souvenirs and local treats that are openly displayed for all to see when you tour Legazpi City. Much of the delicacies in the Bicol region, which includes this city, will usually be based on a couple of things - hot chili and coconut cream. That is what you'll mostly find when you sample the top 5 local treats in Legazpi - Philippines.

Bicol Express - A Hot Fiery Ordeal

One spot on our top 5 local treats in Legazpi - Philippines is Bicol express. In fact, this may be the most well known dish in the region's cuisine. Of course, you'll find this served elsewhere in the Philippines but the way they cook it in Legazpi City is pretty much unique in its own way.

The very first thing you'll notice, if you get the chance to compare how Bicol express is cooked in different provinces, is that the ones served here in Legazpi have a richer and thicker soup base. That simply adds to the flavor of the main ingredient, which is basically a ton of chili peppers.

If you think that spicy red and green chili peppers and coconut milk don't match, you'll be happy to change your mind. You'll have the exquisitely unique flavor of the coconut milk blended with several pangs of spice that you'll do two things at once - giving your utmost approval and grabbing a glass full of water.

Pili Nut Treats

It is interesting to see this in our top 5 local treats in Legazpi - Philippines isn't based on chili peppers or coconut cream. Pili nuts are endemic to Bicol. You might have seen a pili nut tree while roaming one of the forests in Bicol and would not have noticed it.

Pili nuts are grown and harvested in the wild since there is presently no mass production being done. These nuts are harvested and either sold raw or processed into different treats like peanut brittle or pili nut candy. These pili nuts, whether raw or processed, are exported to other neighboring Asian countries. Better enjoy them here while they're cheaper than buying them off somewhere else where prices are jacked up.

Pinangat, a Seafood Surprise

Though this delicacy isn't exactly a Legazpi City original, it still tastes just as in other parts of the Bicol region. Pinangat is basically shredded taro leaves with seafood. Some locals have a variant that uses meat instead of seafood. In fact when crab meat is used as filling, which is one of the best tasting variants, it takes on a new name - inulokan.

The shredded taro leaves along with meat or seafood are wrapped in whole taro leaves, simmered in coconut cream, and are seasoned. This is a mouthwatering innovation to enjoying seafood. You can think of it as a green seafood wrap using taro leaves.

Kinunot - an Exotic Treat:

It is basically a stew made of either sting ray or shark meat, horseradish leaves, ginger, green chili peppers, and coconut milk. All that is brought to a boil, simmered, and seasoned. It is an exotic treat in Bicol and perhaps elsewhere in the entire Philippines.

Laing - a Bicol Trademark:

Wherever you go in the Philippines you'll find laing served in many places and it lands a spot in our top 5 local treats in Legazpi - Philippines. However, nothing ever beats the original from Bicol where the dish was concocted. This is basically a taro dish plus onions, coconut cream, lemon grass, crushed ginger, dried fish, pork meat, salt, and the ever present chili peppers.

These are our top 5 local treats in Legazpi - Philippines. You can say that these are trademark dishes in the Bicol region. Some are unique to the place while others are also served in other parts of the Philippines.