Bicolano Recipes

Bicolano cuisine, from the Bicol Peninsula in southeastern Luzon, is the spiciest regional cuisine in the Philippines and one of the most distinctive. Built around the holy trinity of coconut milk, chili peppers, and shrimp paste (bagoong), Bicolano cooking produces rich, fiery dishes that stand in contrast to the milder flavors found elsewhere in the archipelago. The volcanic soil of the region yields abundant chili harvests. Signature dishes include Bicol Express (chili-coconut pork), laing (taro leaves in coconut milk), pinangat (wrapped taro leaf parcels), and kinunot (shark in coconut milk).