Filipino food has traditionally gotten pretty bad rap on the global culinary scene, but with many trend predictors predicting Filipino cuisine to the viewer, perceptions are slowly changing.

Combining Spanish, Chinese, Malaysian and indigenous cooking styles, the food of this 7000 archipelago island is truly like nothing else on earth. Here are 11 classic food and drink experiences worth having - at least once.

Adobo

Be it chicken, beef, pork, seafood or vegetables, if cooked Adobo it will be hard to look for a Filipino who doesn’t like it. Adobo sees meat and vegetables marinated in garlic, vinegar and soy sauce before cooking in oil and then burning in the rest of the marinade. Served with mountains of white rice, it is a distinctive Filipino dish. You’ll find it on every local restaurant menu, and in feeders and markets across the country. Sentro 1771 in Manila offers delicious snacks and pork.

Lechon

The Philippines is home to perhaps one of the most delicious pork dishes in the world: a whole pig stuffed with herbs and vegetables (each region has its own secret stuffing), which is manually turned to spit over the charcoal spirit until the skin rubs the glass and the meat drips with flavor. A favorite for Filipino celebrations, lechon can be purchased on board for deliveries across the island or at local markets (try Manila’s Saturday Salcedo Community Markets). No need to buy a whole pig - you can usually order a few hundred grams. Many Filipinos say the best lechon comes from Cebu, an hour's flight from Manila. Don’t be surprised to see pigs in envelopes collected in airport baggage carousels; Restaurants fly Lechon across the country to ensure customers come to feast on their favorite pork.

Pansit

Perhaps the most popular food for Filipinos (after the company favored white rice, tip: ‘unli rice’ means ‘unlimited rice’) is rice noodles! Mix with a mixture of meat and vegetables, and paste soy and oyster sauce, this dish is the key to any Filipino celebration and is eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Noodles come in different thicknesses, but pansit bihon (thin) are the best.

Sisig

Served on a warm plate, this pork is traditionally done by cooking the pork head, then cooking or grilling to add a smoky flavor, cutting the meat into small pieces and finally cooking with the onion, garlic and spices. Sisig in the province of Pampanga became famous for the old restaurant Lucia Cunanan, which is attributed to the creation of the modern Filipino version. If you’re in the area, stop by Aling Lucing Restaurant (facebook.com/lucingcunanan) for a taste of the original. Sisig is available nationwide; Many restaurants serve variations using chicken, tuna, squid or even tofu instead of pork or add items such as raw egg or mayonnaise. No matter how you order it, get ready for a chirping feast.

Sinigang

Sinigang is a sour-tasting soup of tamarind, tomato, garlic and onion. Native vegetables including okra, eggplant and green finger chili are cooked and meat (usually pork on the bone) is added. Sinigang is the epitome of Filipino food; most Pinocchios can’t get enough of their sour taste. The dish is usually served with a side of patis (fish sauce) and chili, and of course some white rice.

Lumpia

Fresh or fried, this delicious spring roll is the perfect start to any meal or can be enjoyed as a delicious solo snack. Lumpia is made from minced meat (usually pork), cooked with onions, garlic and finely chopped vegetables, all together in envelopes. It is often served with banana ketchup, a sweet and sour sauce made from banana puree, sugar, vinegar and spices, red in color to resemble tomato ketchup. Sounds crazy, but it works.

Balut

Balut is a popular traditional afternoon snack in the Philippines. You’ll see street hawkers being sent to the masses, but curious visitors demand to join the stomach of steel. Why? Balut may look like a regularly boiled egg, but when you open it open, you’ll find an 18-day-old duck embryo. Yep: a tiny half-formed duck. The locals eat it by cracking the shell at one end and peeling it from the top, drinking the soup and then leaving the leftovers to shake the salt well before finishing them. Fans say it tastes like chicken, but you’ll have to try to find out for yourself.

Chicharon

Heart attack in the pelvis, chicharon is deep fried pork skin, and it’s good, so good. Chicharon is usually seasoned with salt and garlic, but you can often buy several varieties, such as chilli, which adds a nice kick to the cross. It’s the perfect accompaniment to icy San Miguel; the only downside is that you have to talk to yourself. This delicious snack can easily be found at 7-Eleven, in markets and anywhere drinks sold throughout the Philippines.

Halo-halogen

The name of this colorful dessert means “mixed” in Tagalog and that’s exactly it: a bunch of sweet things mixed to create one of the most preserved taste sensations in the world. Halo-halogen consists of a multitude of ingredients - from saga to corn to cooked beans - layered on a base of shaved ice and condensed milk in a tall glass. Coated with purple ube (purple ice cream) ice cream, leche flan and sprinkles of sugar and fruit, it’s an ‘all that goes’ dessert that will knock your socks off. The Milky Way Café (cafe.milkywayrestaurant.com) in Manila has been serving halo-halogen since the 1960s and is another one of the best places to do so.

Jollibee

It’s not really the type of food, but that restaurant in Filipino fast food is more popular than McDonald’s, so it deserves a mention. Jollibee offers one of the most popular fast foods in the world - pasta, burgers, fried chicken, pancakes, rice - that’s your name and it’s probably got it. Whether or not the food is good, it’s about taste (sweet spaghetti will give you sugar for days), but it’s a Filipino favorite. Just watch out for the giant red, vaguely smiling bee and you’re in the right place.

calamansi juice

The ultimate thirst-sugar, this citrus juice is available in cans, juice boxes and bottles at every corner store in the Philippines. Freshly squeezed variety is best; extracted from tiny fruit calamans (about half the size of lime), the very juice of the tart is sweetened with sugar. You will often find calamansi fruits that accompany meals; Use it as you would lemon or lime, and squeeze a little on the food for added zest.