Noche Buena is a traditional Christmas Eve dinner that is
served after members of the Family have attended the evening mass called Misa
de Gallo. It is an occasion where family members and friends gather at home to
celebrate Christmas with sumptuous foods. Following are pictures of some of the foods
that are commonly displayed on the table during the Noche Buena by many
Filipino families especially the
Roman Catholics.
Lechon is a popular
pork dish for many Filipinos. The body cavity of suckling pig is stuffed with
spices and seasonings. The whole pig is skewered and roasted over burning charcoal
in a rotisserie action. Filipinos prefer to serve foods buffet style during special
occasion. With that setting the whole lechon is put on the table, and family members
or guests take their piece of it by slicing the meat all by themselves.
One of my
favorite dishes is
kare-kare which is served during special occasions including
Noche Buena and
Media Noche. The stew is cooked in a thick savory peanut sauce and
thickened with roasted ground rice. The commonly used meat ingredients are oxtail
and beef tripes. Added vegetable ingredients include pichay, banana blossom,
string beans, and eggplant. Kare-kare is served on the table with sauteed shrimp
paste (bagoong) as a side dish.
Lengua estofado
or
lengua is a popular favorite holiday dish with
oxtongue as the main
ingredient. The tongue is braised in sweet sauce and added with potatoes and
mushrooms.
Noodle
dishes are popular during the holiday season.
Pancit is a dish that is
appropriate for the Holidays such as the Noche Buena and Media Noche since in
Chinese tradition the flour stick noodles symbolize long life. It is cooked in
a broth with pork, sausage, shrimp, carrots, cabbage, onion, and garlic as
ingredients. When done, it is embellished with parsley as an option and served
with sliced calamansi to add citrusy flavor. Another popular noodle dish is
sotanghon which is made from rice noodles cooked in broth, and added with shredded tender chicken
meat, shrimp, garlic, bulb onion, leafy green onion, carrots, and cabbage.
Vegetables
cooked in Chop Suey style put variety to the meat-based dishes on the table.
Ham is made from
the processed hind leg of a swine. It is
also a popular dish during the Holiday season. Some people prefer the
commercial ready-made ham while others like it home or custom made.
Spaghetti
noodles are cooked and added with tomato sauce. Other ingredients include
garlic, onions, hot dogs, luncheon meat, and cheese as toppings.
Torta resembles
a large cup cake. It is also served during occasions such as fiesta, birthday,
Christmas and New Year. Commercially made torta is available, but the home and
custom made one tastes much better because of the ingredients that are used in
baking it.
Suman is also
one of the favorite treats for many occasions. It is made from glutinous rice
that is boiled with coconut milk. It is then steamed wrapped with banana or
coconut leaves. Eaten as a snack or a dessert, it is usually sprinkled with
sugar. Suman goes with hot coffee or chocolate.
Queso de bola or
cheese ball is associated with the Christmas season by Filipinos. It is for
this reason that this cheese abound in the supermarket shelves during the
Christmas season and is scarce in any other season of the year. The cheese is
usually eaten as filling of bread.
Apples, grapes and
oranges and local fruits- although apples, grapes and oranges are not indigenous to the country, Filipinos
love it as their fruits during the Christmas season. These fruits used to be
mostly imported from the US or Japan, but the liberalization of trade with
China has made them become cheaper and widely available. Most of these fruits
in the markets now come from China. Local
fruits such as melon, mango and pineapple are also the most preferred fruits.
Cake is western in
origin, the cake has become one of the popular baked foods for the Filipinos
for their snack and dessert. The cake is one of the treats on the table on such
occasion as fiesta, birthdays, Christmas and New Year.
Fried chicken-
although less popular than a lechon, the deep fried chicken is also a favorite
during the Noche Buena or Media Noche. Maybe the reason is that that it is easier to cook and
prepare than a ham or a lechon. A chicken meat would also give diversity to the
primarily pork based main course dishes that already include lechon and ham.
Ice cream and fruit
salads- Filipinos also love sweet foods. On top of their lists are ice
cream and fruit salads. Women and children love them. And so do adult men. The
tropical climate of the country makes these desserts an ideal all-season treat for
most Filipinos.
Drinks go with
the holiday foods. Among the favorites are red wine, imported wines, beer and
soft drinks.
