CNN poll: Philippines has worlds 2nd best

food
Philippine Star 15.06.2015

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CNN poll: Phl has worlds 2nd best food
Which destination has the worlds best food?
The Philippines ranked second among destinations in the world with the best food,
according to a survey conducted by CNN through an open Facebook poll.
Garnering 1,528 votes, the Philippines came second to Taiwan, which earned 8,242
votes.
The survey said theres more to Filipino food than the mind-boggling balut (duck
embryo), as the country is blessed with abundant seafood, tropical fruits and creative
cooks.
It cited the adobo , a ubiquitous dish whipped up in every household in the country.
Its Mexican in origin, but Filipinos found that cooking meat (often chicken and pork)
in vinegar, salt, garlic, pepper, soy sauce and other spices was a practical way to
preserve meat without refrigeration, it said.
Aside from adobo , the survey cited lechon as the most popular food served in every
party in the Philippines.

An entire pig is spit-roasted over coals, with the crisp, golden-brown skin served with
liver sauce, the most coveted part.
The survey cited Taiwans simple culinary philosophy: Eat often and eat well.
Small eats but lots of them are the big things here, it said.
Taiwans food is a mash-up of the cuisine of the Min Nan, Teochew and Hokkien
Chinese communities, along with Japanese cooking.
The Taiwanese capital, Taipei , alone has around 20 streets dedicated to snacking.
Tainan , Taiwans oldest city, is often referred to as its food capital.
Every time you think youve found the best streetside bao , the most incredible stinky
tofu or mind-blowing beef noodle soup , theres always another Taiwanese food shop
that surpasses it.
Next to the Philippines with 810 votes is Italy, whose food has enslaved taste buds
around the globe for centuries.
With its zesty tomato sauces, those clever things they do with wheat flour and
desserts that are basically vehicles for cream.
But despite the successful export of the Italian restaurant, the idea of a unified Italian
cuisine is something many Italians reject.
Instead there are regional dishes , sometimes with tastes as different as one could
find between countries.
Even the basics differ pasta with or without egg, butter in abundance or ditched
completely in favor of olive oil.
Thailand ranked fourth with 470 votes, which was described as a nation that is
extremely passionate about its eats.
With influences from China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar and a royal culinary
tradition, Thai cuisine is the best of many worlds.
Thais often fit spicy, sour, salty, sweet, chewy, crunchy and slippery into a single dish.
Everyones familiar with dishes like green curry, stir-fried cashew chicken ( gai pad
met ma muang ) and pad Thai.
Landing at fifth spot with 443 votes is Japan, who apply the same precision to their
food as they do to their engineering, taking their love for food a step or several
galloping strides further than most nationalities.

You can get a lavish multi-course kaiseki meal that presents the seasons in a spread
of visual and culinary poetry or grab a seat at a revolving sushi conveyor for a solo
feast.
Its impossible to eat badly in Japan.
Modern Japanese kyodo ryori , or regional cuisine, is a tourist attraction in itself, with
nearly each major city having its own signature dish.
Malaysia, whose cuisines influences include Chinese, Indian and Malay, ranked sixth
with 265 votes.
In some ways, its similar to Indonesian food, with the two nations sharing many of the
same dishes.
Once youre in Malaysia and slurping a bowl of laksa , youll quickly dispense with
historical concerns and wonder instead where your next meal is coming from and how
you can you get to it sooner.
Hong Kong ranked seventh with 236 votes.
The survey said the people there have a passion reserved just for Hong Kong food
that eclipses their love for politics, shopping, gambling and even stocks.
The city is home to some of the most food-obsessed people in the world and produces
an alarming array of food items, ranging from the stubbornly traditional to
unselfconscious fusion foods, each more drool-worthy than the next.
The diversity and sheer number of Hong Kong dim sum restaurants is stunning.
The last three spots were occupied by India, Greece and Vietnam with 205, 167 and
162 votes, respectively.