The holidays in the Philippines are a sensory overload — bright lights, loud karaoke, nightmarish traffic, and the unmistakable aroma of holiday feasts. But beneath the glitz and glamour lies a deeper story of tradition, community, and an uncanny ability to turn every meal into a metaphor for life.
If there’s one thing Filipinos are experts at, it’s turning the most ordinary day into a food festival. During Christmas and New Year, between Noche Buena and Media Noche, our holiday tables groan under the weight of symbolic hams, pasta debates, and a dessert selection that could rival any buffet. This is no season for moderation but a tale of colonial tradition, evolution, and why some fruitcakes may outlive us all.
Visit any mall or supermarket, or even food places, and you’ll be bombarded with visual, auditory, and olfactory cues reminding you that Christmas is just a few winks away.
Welcome to the Philippines, where the holiday eves aren’t just dates to remember but culinary marathons, cultural commentaries, and family reunions, all rolled into one and served with a side of chicken macaroni salad (with or without raisins, depending on your bias)!
In this food Olympics, every household competes in the categories of nostalgia, indulgence, and who-has-the-fanciest-ham.
Depending on one’s budget and patience for queuing, ham — whether bone-in, sliced, or scraps — is usually the main event for the holidays. Not even a whole lechon propped on the table with an apple in its mouth could dethrone the venerable jamon as the meat of choice for most Filipino families.
From the more affordable, cured, pineapple-glazed hams of Purefoods, Swift’s or CDO, to the classic Chinese ham of Excelente or Adelina’s, to “alta” offerings like Jamon de Iberico from Txanton, Terry’s Selection, or Santi’s Delicatessen, the need for ham is as overwhelming as the desire to capture that Instagram moment of carving.
Then there’s the spaghetti — a sweet, banana ketchup affair immortalized by Jollibee that scandalizes Italians but warms every Filipino heart. Whether you like it with hotdogs or prefer its tomato-and-onion, basil-flavored Italian nonno, it’s the one dish that screams longevity. Its Asian cousin pancit, in all its Chinese-sounding permutations — canton, bihon, sotanghon, misua – promises the same good fortune of lunga vita, although the stress of preparing it might shave a few years off.
If noodles are for long life, cheese, particularly queso de bola, is for prosperity. Whether it’s the default Marca Piña or Marca Pato, the red wax shell of these edam cheeses is as much a part of a Filipino Christmas as bibingka and puto bumbong during the misa de gallo, laid beside the Christmas ham as a symbol of wealth and good fortune
A quick observation: the cheaper Marca Pato brand is less salty, paler in color, more buttery, and crumblier, which makes it perfect as a topping for ensaymada or spaghetti when grated. Marca Piña is saltiest among the QdBs and has a slightly nutty, smoked flavor. You might want to try slicing wedges with a fruit peeler and zapping them in the microwave oven for instant cheese chips that are surprisingly delectable.
Of course, if you’re a fan of delis, you might prefer to display charcuterie boards with an array of cheeses, cold cuts, and fruits. This would pair well with that bottle of champagne you’ve been saving since last year. If nobody has given you any wine or spirits for Christmas, no one will fault you for serving beer, soda, or steaming hot chocolate made from tablea (or instant cocoa mixes if you’re too lazy to stir it with your lola’s batirol).
For dessert, if you have room for it after feasting on all those mains and sides, there’s the ubiquitous fruit salad. Some families insist on fresh fruits, but let’s face it — canned fruit cocktail and bottles of colorful kaong and nata de coco reign supreme because of convenience. The debate rages on: Should it be drowning in condensed milk, or do you let the thick cream do the talking?
Recipes for gelatin desserts such as Crazy Cathedral or buko pandan and coffee jelly are also family heirlooms. And while coffee mates like fruitcakes could be an acquired taste, beloved or despised, revel bars and Food For The Gods are seasonal favorites that make for perfect event closers. (Shout-out to Pugonmaster Bakeshop for having the best FFTG in town!)
Just as you think you’ve burned off that Noche Buena spread, Media Noche rolls along like a full-course chaser a week later. This is where tradition meets superstition, for New Year’s Eve is that one day of the year when excess is best.
Aside from the ever-present QdB, round fruits, symbolizing prosperity, are a must — all 13 of them. They can be arranged perfectly with roasted chestnuts which, let’s be honest, taste so much like sweet potatoes.
Larders are expected to be full and tables decked out with the best foods you can afford. There’s sapin-sapin (preferably from Dolor’s Kakanin), or in this Korean-culture crazy times, injeolmi, because nothing shouts sticking together louder than glutinous rice cakes.
While the (leftover) Christmas ham might resurface for its second act, the spotlight often shifts to something less sinful … like bagnet or oven-baked pig’s head (which is way cheaper than getting an entire carcass, and can be revamped as paksiw na lechon if it’s hardly touched after the fireworks).
Carbs still rule the day with the obligatory noodles and macaroni salad — as a Solomonic solution to the “with or without raisins” debate, two kinds of salad can be prepared for the two holidays.
The tried and tested might be challenged with each passing year, but time-honored practices are resilient. Of course, at the heart of it all, the Yuletide is essentially about family, with food merely being the backdrop to the laughter, kinship, and the endless retelling of stories that just get funnier every year.
This holiday season, whatever’s laid out on your dinner table, remember that the best food around is love.
A very happy Christmas and abundant 2025 to you all! See you next year at the gym!
Be the first to comment