Appetizers are food or drinks that stimulate our appetite. They are normally served before eating the main dish. Appetizers are meals that are not as big as the main dish but most often as not, Filipinos over-eat appetizers. Some appetizers are being eaten with rice but appetizers are not viand.
Usually, appetizers are served in a restaurant or in a catering service so that the customers/diners will not get bored while waiting for their main dish.
Here are some of the famous appetizers served in catering services.
- Spinach Chips with dip – This is a spinach flavored chips that is served with a dip like mayonnaise-garlic dip or mustard-garlic dip.
- Mushroom melts – This is a mushroom dish melted with cheese.
- Cheese Rolls with dip – This is a cheese cut into strips and was wrapped in a lumpia wrapper. Usually comes with a dip like mayonnaise-ketchup dip or mayonnaise-garlic dip.
- Ham and Cheese Roll – Cheese that was molded into balls then wrapped with a strip of ham and locked with a tooth pick. This is being deep fried.
- Potato Salad – A mixture of mustard, sour cream and mayonnaise mixed into boiled baby potatoes.
- Calamares – Squids that are cut into rings then covered with breadcrumbs then deep fried. Calamares is best eaten with vinegar and chili.
- Ceaser Salad – Lettuce rich salad with mixture of Thousand Island dressing topped with toasted bread in cubes and chopped fried bacon.
- Garlic Bread Stick – Toast garlic bread then cut into strips.
- Chicken Pandan – Deep fried chicken that is wrapped with pandan leaves.
- Baked Tahong – Tahong that is baked with cheese and topped with crunchy garlic, minced.
A Filipino dining table at home also serves the best appetizers in town. Usually, these are the appetizers that are being abused by Filipinos. Too much eating of these appetizers means too much eating of rice and main dish.
- Mango Salad – This appetizer is a green mango cut into cubes that is combined with chopped onions and tomatoes mixed with bagoong alamang.
- Ensaladang Talong – Ensaladang talong is an eggplant that was boiled or grilled served with chopped onions and tomatoes mixed with salt.
- Burong manga – This is composed of sliced green mango fermented with water, salt, sugar, and garlic and siling labuyo. The fermentation can be done half-day but this is best when fermented longer.
- Atcharang Papaya – Atcharang papaya is an appetizer usually being paired with barbeque and other grilled meat. This is fermented with vinegar and sugar.
- Atcharang Pipino – Atcharang pipino on the other hand is a pipino chopped into rings and fermented with vinegar, sugar, garlic and water.
- Atcharang Dahon ng Mustasa – This appetizer is also fermented with vinegar and salt. The dahon ng mustasa should be chopped into small pieces.
- Crispy Kangkong – Crispy kangkong is being deep fried with breadcrumbs coating. This is best served with mayonnaise-garlic dip.
- Tokwa’t Baboy – Tokwa’t baboy is a deep fried appetizer cut into cubes. The tofu along with the tainga ng baboy is mixed with onions. Soy sauce with vinegar and chili is the best partner for this.
- Spicy Dilis – Fried dilis with chili flakes.
- Adobong Talong – Adobong talong is a sliced eggplant cooked by sautéing the eggplant in garlic and onion with soy sauce or oyster sauce and sugar.
Filipinos are food lovers. We really enjoy eating and cooking as well. Appetizers are part of our daily meal. Whether we eat them before eating our main dish or eat them together with the main dish, appetizers are food that can make us crave and eat more.
