A FOOD TRADITION
Cordilleran Highland Cuisine
Cordilleran highland cuisine refers to Indigenous foodways across the mountainous interior of northern Luzon, including communities commonly identified as Igorot peoples. Highland rice, pork, chicken, freshwater fish, legumes, mountain greens, root crops, and fermented products are important ingredients. Smoking, drying, fermentation, boiling, roasting, and cooking over wood fires help preserve food and suit upland conditions. Representative dishes include pinikpikan, etag with rice or vegetables, and kiniing-style smoked meat. Practices vary among Kalinga, Ifugao, Bontoc, Ibaloi, and other communities, so this category is a cultural umbrella rather than a claim of uniformity.
Dishes linked to this cuisine
1–5 of 5
Benguet Kiniing
A Benguet highland preserved meat smoked for days over pine wood.
Cordilleran Pinikpikan
A well-known Cordilleran chicken preparation served as highland comfort food.
Dawdaw Pihing ya Pinakpak
A Mountain Province clay-pot dish combining smoked meat, taro and a mixture of rice, vegetables and root crops.
Sagada Etag
Sagada pork preserved by salting, smoking over a low fire and drying for an extended period.
Watwat
Slices of boiled meat distributed and shared as part of an Igorot feast or celebration.
Catalogue preview Cuisine connections may be unreviewed. Regional comparisons include their food references and do not establish the ingredients of a particular meal.