Have you ever wondered what constitutes a traditional agahan or Filipino breakfast? For the locals, this is considered the most important meal of the day, so the country has hundreds of recipes just for this time of the day alone! Adding to that are specific places that also have their delicious local delicacies that are only meant to be served during the morning, such as Pancit Luglog, Puto Bumbong, Kasilyo, Dulong, and Danggit.
To help you get started on what to try out, continue reading our list of the best meals for starting the day in Filipino style!
Table of Contents
What Makes Filipino Breakfast Unforgettable?
In the Philippines, two words can be used interchangeably to refer to the first meal of the day, and these are almusal and agahan. The word almusal came from the Spanish word almorzar, which means “to have lunch.” This word used to mean breakfast because the Spanish people usually have two types of breakfasts, the almorzar, and the desayuno. As for the word agahan, this can be considered the native Tagalog word for breakfast.
Learning Tagalog is more than memorizing words
Explore more →
And speaking of breakfast, you might be surprised to know that Filipinos actually love having heavy meals, which usually consist of sunny-side-up eggs, fried rice (made of day-old rice), a very filling ulam or dish, and some hot chocolate (fermented tablea or cacao beans) or coffee drink. Since the tastiest food is usually during the morning, tons of restaurants serve only breakfast cuisine, including the popular silog meals! When we say silog this refers to a cooked combination of food like the following:
- Tapsilog = Tapa + Sinangag + Itlog
- Cornsilog = Corned beef + Sinangag + Itlog
- Longsilog = Longanisa + Sinangag + Itlog
- Hotsilog = Hotdog + Sinangag + Itlog
- Chiksilog = Chicken + Sinangag + Itlog
- Shangsilog = Shanghai + Sinangag + Itlog
Let’s get to know more about all these in the next part below.
What Are The Most Popular Filipino Breakfast?
Tagalog food is enjoyed by all Filipinos, and it is not exclusive to Tagalog native speakers only!
There are usually three types of dishes that you can see and this includes the fried ones, sinangag (fried rice), and some side dishes like itlog na maalat (salted egg), sliced kamatis na may asin (tomato with salt), atchara (pickled green papaya), or kilawin (Filipino ceviche). With all of those, you can say that the breakfast usually combines a whole lot of Philippine flavors – salty, sweet, and spicy!
1. Arroz Caldo (Thick Rice Porridge)
Filipinos love Arroz Caldo as it is best served hot (with or without egg) since it is also known as a comfort food if someone is not feeling well. It resembles the classic risotto recipes since it makes use of glutinous rice and chicken, but what makes it different is that the locals use the safflower plant or kasubha to give it a yellowish color. When ordering it from restaurants or street vendors, you can also add other dishes like fried tokwa (tofu) in vinegar mixture or pandesal.
2. Champorado (Chocolate Rice Porridge)
Being the Asians that they are, Filipinos love rice which is why there is no surprise why they also have sweet delicacies made of rice like the champorado. The champorado in a large pan uses simple ingredients such as glutinous rice, tablea chocolate (or any dark chocolate powder), evaporated milk, and sugar. It can be served on its own, but if you prefer some contrasting taste, you can try it with some crispy and salty danggit (rabbitfish) or tuyo (dried salted fish).
3. Tortang Talong (Fried Eggplant Omelette)
Not to be confused with Mexican torta, this delicious Filipino breakfast dish is made of just eggs, onions, eggplant, and bell peppers and can be eaten on its own with some banana ketchup. However, you can also eat this with some side dishes and sinangag (garlic rice) or steamed white rice. In addition, there are a number of recipes that you can do for torta, like with diced potatoes, fish, beef, vegetables, and cheese!
4. Daing Na Bangus At Sinangag (Butterflied Boneless Milkfish Belly with Garlic Fried Rice)
Since Bangus (milkfish) is the national fish of the Philippines, there is no surprise that this is also a popular dish, according to the locals. What gives it an interesting taste is that it is often marinated in vinegar, garlic, pepper, and salt and is deep-fried to perfection the following day. It can be dipped into some soy sauce mixture but can also be eaten on its own since it already has an amazing taste. This is served with egg or tomato and cucumber slices, making it a nutritious recipe you shouldn’t miss out on!
5. Tapsilog (Beef Tapa, Egg, And Garlic Fried Rice)
Whenever you think about Filipino breakfasts, the first thing that the locals will tell you to try is the Tapsilog. Of course, Filipinos are a fan of the silog meals, but there is nothing more that they love other than the Tapsilog. It makes use of tapa, which refers to the type of meat (thinly sliced beef sirloin) that is cured with spices (salt, pepper, brown sugar, and soy sauce) and calamansi or lime juice.
Once it is ready for cooking, it is either grilled, fried, or sautéed and is served with rice with lots of garlic chips for an added crunch and taste. What makes this an easy meal to prepare is that you only need 10 minutes to serve it so long as you already marinated the meat.
6. Tocino At Sinangag (Slices Of Sweet-Cured Meat With Garlic Rice)
This is another Filipino breakfast from the Silog list and is popular due to its sweet taste. It is a pork belly recipe that the Spanish have handed down to the Filipinos, and it remains a classic favorite since it has a distinct sweet and garlicky taste perfect to be served with hot rice, eggs, and some kilawin.
7. Tuyo, Itlog, At Sinangag (Dried Sardines, Egg, And Garlic Rice)
If you are looking for a delicious and easily available breakfast, then this combination is definitely what you should try out. What makes this easy to eat is that it offers lots of textures like crispiness due to the deep-fried tuyo and softness due to the egg. You can also add a few other side dishes to boost the umami to make it a more filling dish. The locals sometimes eat the tuyo fish as a snack (without the rice and egg) and are usually dipped with some vinegar.
8. Taho (Filipino Silken Tofu With Sago Pearls And Syrup)
Are you in a rush but are interested in having something filling for your tummy? The Taho is a breakfast food, a dessert, and also a snack rolled in one cup! It is made of fresh soft tofu, a Filipino arnibal (sweet syrup with flavorings), and sago pearls (somewhat similar to tapioca), which are best served hot. However, Filipinos also enjoy eating this chilled, especially as a snack in the afternoon. If you visit Baguio in the Philippines, you can also find Tahô made of strawberries or those with syrups made of chocolate or cane sugar.
9. Bibingka – Filipino Rice Cake
This type of sweet rice cake is made of galapong (finely milled glutinous rice), eggs, salted egg, cheese, margarine or butter, granulated sugar, and coconut milk. It is usually available in restaurants and street vendors, but it is more popular during the Christmas season, along with the puto bumbong. What makes this interesting is the baking method since it does not use an oven! For the locals, Bibingka should be made with banana leaves as a baking sheet and cooked using traditional clay pots lit with uling (charcoal).
10. Pandesal (Filipino Bread Rolls)
The Pandesal (also written as Pan De Sal) is a baked goodie that is slightly sweet and is best known for its fluffy texture, perfect to be paired with cheese, ham, peanut butter, and mayonnaise! This one is best served fresh out of the oven, and the locals sometimes eat it on its own by dipping it in some hot choco or coffee! In fact, it was so ingrained in Filipino culture that it was even the center of one of the classic Filipino literary pieces known as the Bread of Salt by NVM Gonzales.
How Do You Say Breakfast In Tagalog?
Generally, Tagalog native speakers will say agahan when they talk about breakfast. However, as mentioned earlier, there are different ways to say breakfast in Tagalog. You can also use almusal.
More Sentences Related To Filipino Breakfast
Filipinos love eating, and it’s no joke when it comes to cooking. You’ll be in awe of the different Tagalog cooking utensils in the kitchen that they use.
Here are some example sentences in the kitchen that you may hear from your Tagalog-speaking friends.
| English | Tagalog | Sound |
|---|---|---|
| Our breakfast earlier was really delicious | Napakasarap ng almusal namin kanina | |
| Buy pandesal for our breakfast | Bumili ka ng pandesal para sa agahan natin | |
| The champorado is more like a dessert than breakfast | Parang panghimagas ang champorado kaysa almusal | |
| The arroz caldo is often eaten when one is sick | Madalas kinakain ang arroz caldo pag may sakit | |
| Fried rice for breakfast is a good combination | Magandang katambal ng mga almusal ang sinangag |
Did you like this Tagalog cooking vocabulary? There might be more questions you have in mind! So hold on to your seats and let’s answer a few of them now.
Frequently Asked Questions About Filipino Breakfast
What Are Some Unique Meals For Each Island Group In The Philippines?
Apart from the Tagalog native breakfast meals that you’ve seen here, there are many kinds of breakfast all over the Philippine archipelago.
For example, poqui poqui is a popular Ilocano breakfast meal. In Batanes, their breakfast meals consist of garlic rice or kamote, flying fish (dibang), and some eggs. For the Cebuanos, puto and sikwate (tablea/hot chocolate) is a local favorite. The locals of Zamboanga, on the other hand, enjoy Satti which is made of barbecued beef or chicken with red chilis and taro root.
Is Boodle Fight A Common Way To Eat Breakfast In The Philippines?
People will use their kamay to eat breakfast, lunch, or dinner. However, do not confuse this term with boodle fight or kamayan.
Unlike food for lunch, Filipinos do not do kamayan (boodle fight) during the morning, no matter what the occasion is. The common sight for mornings is that the one who will be assigned to cook will prepare food for the whole family and serve it at the lamesa (table).
How Do You Pronounce Silog?
The correct way to pronounce silog is see – lawg . The log at the end doesn’t sound like the American log. Instead, you can use the phonetic ˈloɡ̚.
Would You Like To Try Those Filipino Breakfast Dishes?
Now that we already know some of the best Filipino breakfast dishes, we hope that you will try out any of these the next time you visit a Filipino restaurant or travel to the Philippines. After all, what better way to appreciate the country and its culture than through its yummy delicacies, right? Which of them will you try today? Is it the silog meals?
If you enjoyed this post, don’t miss out on our other language tips related to Tagalog, like the top 10 Filipino desserts and the top Tagalog movies that can help you master the Tagalog language. And speaking of learning, would you also like to master Tagalog?
The Ling app is a platform to help language enthusiasts like you master Asian and Eastern European languages. From the inside, you’ll get instant access to premium language content developed by real native speakers and professionals.
In addition, you will also get to motivate and entertain yourself while studying since there are tons of fun mini-games and challenging quizzes to keep you learning every day.
So, what are you waiting for? Get the Ling app now!
