Studying English in the Philippines gives you new experiences that include cultural exposure. With this intention, you have to know another country’s culture through its food. Initially, why not have a quick food trip at Baguio Night Market and be exposed to Filipino Culture? That being the case, if you have just arrived in Baguio, this is a must-visit spot! Baguio Night Market operates daily from 9 pm to 2 am at Harrison Road, near Burnham Park.  Indeed, you should bring your friends or classmates for a fun food trip.  For this reason, the Pines Group visited the Baguio Night Market to share the top Filipino food choices.

Puto Bumbong (Purple Rice Cake)

“Puto Bumbong” or purple rice cake, is topped with brown sugar and butter or cheese. Most Filipinos prepare it during the Christmas season in the Philippines. If you are in Baguio City, you can buy it at the night market and have a feel of Filipino Christmas no matter what month you are in.

Binatog (boiled white corn kernels)

The Philippines is abundant with corn, and apart from being grilled and boiled, you may also enjoy eating a cup of boiled corn kernels with milk, sugar, and coconut. The Pines crew with Zee and Sarah tried this sweet treat and everybody liked it.

Balut ( Fertilized Duck Egg) – Php (25)

Balut tastes like a regular egg but with extra texture because of the “soup” and elements of a tiny duckling snuggling closely beside the yolk. You will get lots of protein as well as energy from this food. Our students ate and thought of it as the ultimate challenge during their stay in Baguio City.

Isaw (barbecued pork/chicken intestines)

Filipinos have ways of making food delicious regardless of the meat (animal) part- take “Isaw” as an example. Isaws are barbequed pork and chicken intestines. In addition, they are perfect with vinegar dip with onions and a bit of chili.  On the other hand, our students shared that the chicken “Isaw” tasted like a sausage.  For this reason, the Isaw was delicious according to her taste.

Betamax (Grilled chicken blood) 

Accordingly, the students tried the grilled chicken blood, or “Betamax” dipped in vinegar with onions. In addition, you can try other sauces for free. There are sweet, sour, and salty sauces available. You could customize your dip and sauces on another cup. However, according to Pines student Sarah, foods are considered to be delicious if you don’t add sauce or dip. She ate Betamax without any hesitation and without the recommended dip. Fortunately, she said it was okay.      

Kwek kwek (Egg Waffle)

You will see tiny orange balls, and locals call them “Kwek Kwek”. Furthermore, you may call them egg waffles in English. Particularly, the orange balls of goodness are made with quail eggs and batter (flour, orange food coloring, egg, and salt), deep-fried to get that filling flavor! 

Do you want to get the full details of this night market trip? Indeed, you should watch the full video of Zee and Sarah’s trip to Baguio City Night Market with the Pines crew. They were also in luck to have gone through the Baguio Session in Bloom and tried other foods while waiting for the Baguio Night Market to open.