Philippines: Noche Buena Christmas Food

Top 10 Christmas Food based from Filipino Consumers

Philippines: Noche Buena

Since the Filipinos celebrate Christmas the longest time - from early September to January, we have equally mastered the annual festivities with wide range activities from decors, gifts/treats/shopping (no matter how Philippines deemed as the Third World country), vacation, leisure, parties, drinks, foodies and our home's Noche Buena preparations.

Lechon De Leche (Foodamn PH)

noche buena (source: wikipedia)

In the Philippines, this usually comes at midnight after the family has attended the late evening Christmas Eve Mass or Misa de Gallo. Some of the more conventional dishes served for the main course are any of the following: lechon, pancit, sweet-style (Filipino style) spaghetti, fruit salad, fried chicken, ham, queso de bola, arróz caldo, lumpia, rice, and adobo. Desserts include úbe halaya, bibingka, membrilyo, different rice and flour-based cakes, ice cream, pastries and fruits, while drinks include tsokolate, coffee, soft drinks, wine, beer, and different kinds of fruit juices.

Pancit Malabon

Sotanghon Guisado topped with Toasted Garlic

Foodamn Philippines listed the Pinoys Top 10 Noche Buena Christmas Food (in random order)

1. Noodles  variations - pancit malabon, pancit miki-bihon guisado, pancit palabok, pancit molo, pancit canton, pancit luglog, pancit sotanghon and more
2. Pasta - sweet-style spaghetti, tomato-based spaghetti, white sauce carbonara, pesto, lasagna, baked macaroni
3. Pork variants - hamon, lechon, lechon kawali, crispy pata, barbe-que, grilled pork chop, adobo, menudo, afritada, embutido
4. Beef and "kambing" variants - kaldereta, sinampalukan
5. Chicken - fried chicken, roasted chicken, 
6. Relleno - chicken or fish (Rellenong Bangus)
7. Finger foods - lumpiang shanghai, hotdog/marshmallow, mini potato balls pesto, quezo de bola
8. Rice cakes - biko/sinukmani, sapin-sapin, bibingka, cassava cake, ube halaya, bibingka, palitaw, suman lihiya, maja blanka, tamales
9. Native sweets and local confectionary - leche flan, fruit salad, buko-pandan salad, makapuno, macaroni salad, cakes, food for the gods, brownies
10. Fresh fruits - in season fruits 

Rellenong Bangus

Meat Embutido

The traditional Noche Buena has somehow leverage for selected people who were bound for practicality. For instance, some spend it as simple as having  sandwiches, quezo de bola (cheese) and a sip of hot choco. While some who appear experimental tries pizza with wine/beer/soda combination. Christmas celebration really depends on the person's lifestyle, affordability and how big the member of the family and relatives. Add to that, the week after the noche buena, Filipinos prepares for more grandeur food presentation in time for the New Year celebration. When they pour all of the budget they have to keep up with the beliefs of welcoming the new year with abundance and prosperity.

Biko-Ube Style

What else you have in your Noche Buena table? Share us your family's Christmas tradition, we welcome comments and discussion. :)

Happy holidays!

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