By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Richard_Romando]Richard Romando

The Philippines is the second largest archipelago in the world, after Indonesia, and enjoys a healthy tropical climate. Rain forests offer a huge variety of tropical fruits, such as bananas, papayas, pineapples, durians, mangoes, and many others. Filipino culture is as diverse as can be, with influences from the native people as well as from the different colonial rulers. The Philippines' recipes reflect the tastes of India, China, and Japan, as well as Spain, Portugal, and even the U.S.

Filipinos love to eat, and in view of their friendly and sociable nature, food is regarded as the basis of their social life. Since, after consumption of rice their hunger is satiated only for a short period of time, they eat three meals a day and two snacks in between. Filipinos, in particular the country folks, rise very early and, hence, many of them have a "Segundo almuerzo," or second breakfast, and a "merienda," or mid-afternoon snack. Countryside folks eat their main meal at noon, while city inhabitants place emphasize on the evening meal. The diet of poor families is generally rice, fish, and vegetables, combined with starchy snacks. During celebrations, all families usually enjoy meat.

Since only a small number of provincial households own refrigerators, those who don't have refrigeration either use fresh ingredients or heavily salted ones. Food is not served in separate courses, as Filipinos prefer the entire meal to be laid out before them so that they can eat from all dishes simultaneously. Vacationers are highly advised to always take into consideration the respect Filipinos have for food.

Although the Philippines have a large quantity of fresh seafood and a wide assortment of juicy tropical fruits, the daily food of the common people tends to be uninspiring. Apart from a few exceptions, such as Bicol and the Muslim areas of the south, the seasoning is not spicy. Native cooks have, however, invented some delicious recipes with ingredients such as coconut milk, jackfruits, garlic, and gingers. A range of sweet morsels is made from glutinous rice, while halo-halo is a common dessert based on layers of sugared fruit, gelatin, custard, and crushed ice.

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