We all know Exotic foods are generally foods that are not native to your country. Exotic foods are not foods that you find in most dishes.Philippine cuisine, though not quite well-known in other parts of the world, mostly consists of tasty and colorful fare made with fish, meat, and vegetables. However, there are a number of dishes whose ingredients are unexpected, or even downright bizarre.
1. Adobong Kamaru - Pampanga
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Adobong kamaru is a exotic food in Pampanga kamaru is usally found in the rice field Kamaru, or mole crickets, which are plentiful in Pampanga, are considered a Kapampangan delicacy. It is often made into adobo, but can also be served deep fried. Several restaurants in Pampanga serve this dish, including Everybody's Café in San Fernando.
2. Adobong Salagubang - Nueva Ecija
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The salagubang, or june bug, is a common treat in Nueva Ecija, where many of these beetles thrive. They are common around the rainy season in the markets of Nueva Ecija, so if you’re out to have a bite of this crispy delicacy, then you might consider dropping by Ecija when the rain starts falling. When fried, it can be served as an appetizer or as pulutan (food served with alcoholic drinks, usually beer). Sometimes, it is prepared like adobo and eaten with rice. Salagubang can be found in some markets in Nueva Ecija.
3. Adobong Uok (Beetle Larvae) Rizal
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Beetle larvae may not sound very appetizing at first, but uok cooked as adobo served with rice and tomatoes is considered an exotic delicacy.They live in dead coconut logs. Natives would collect them and eat them raw or cooked adobo style. It has an interesting texture and taste that people from around the globe are a fan off. Adobong Uok was already featured in the show of Andrew Zimmern called "Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern" in Travel and Living Channel, where he described the taste as glutinous and earthy.
4. Kinilaw na Tamilok in Palawan and Aklan (Shipworm or Woodworm dipped in Salt and Vinegar)- Palawan
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Kinilaw is popular way of preparing seafood especially shelled mollusks. Kinilaw is quite similar to ceviche , where you would need some acidic solution to "cook" the ingredients. They basically soak it in either vinegar or calamansi juice with bits of ginger, and minced garlic and they leave it for a bit. This is then served as is. Tamilok is a bivalve mollusk that is attached in mangroves. They look like worms inside, but they taste like the typical oyster. So imagine your typical oyster served as kinilaw style and you would get an idea of how this would taste like.
5. Balut
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Though considered common eats among many Filipinos, there are still those who have yet to pluck up the courage to try Balut. Balut a fertilized duck egg, either 16 or 18 days old, which has been boiled and is eaten with salt or vinegar. Though the almost fully formed duckling inside the egg can be off-putting to some balut is a tasty afternoon treat all over the Philippines. It has this bit of broth that has a distinct taste, and some egg yolk and hardened albumen. Some people would put vinegar on it, other would just put a bit of salt.
6. Betute Tugak (Deep fried stuffed frogs) Pampanga
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They always say that frog taste like chicken and they do. That in itself is comforting, just close your eyes and imagine you're eating chicken leg if you're having second thoughts on eating this. Betute Tugak is quite popular in Pampanga. These frogs are those that roam around farms during the rainy season. They'd remove the skin, season it with salt and pepper and stuff it with sauted ground pork. The most common way of preparing frog is to fry it, or to turn it into adobo.
7. Salawaki (Fresh Sea Urchin) Bohol
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Fresh sea urchin or Salawaki is an appetizer commonly matched with beer in Bohol. Vendors along the beaches sell this delicacy for visitors to try. To eat it, you need to crack in the shell in half, have it cleaned, and scoop out the roe. You can eat it raw or grilled. These are spiny sea creatures with yellow or orange inside.
