Golden brown crispy lechon (roasted pig), peanut-flavored beef Kare-Kare paired with salty and spicy bagoong, sweet and meaty Filipino-style spaghetti, mouthwatering caramel-glazed ham, hot pandesal with soft kesong puti (carabao’s cheese), and a warm cup of tsokolate de batirol (Filipino hot chocolate)—these are just some of the all-time favorite Christmas dishes often served during Noche Buena. This tradition practiced by Filipino families—whether they are in the Philippines or in any part of the globe—involves gathering in one home on Christmas Eve to celebrate the season with fun games, peals of laughter, gifts exchanged, and of course: a sumptuous spread of delicious food.
We know not all Pinoys based abroad can come home for the holidays and are probably missing spending Christmas back home. Coming up with a truly Pinoy Noche Buena feast on Christmas Eve is the only way they can feel connected to a Pinoy Christmas—apart from joining the merrymaking via Zoom or Skype, of course. As for what to serve, Pinoys have changed or added items to their Noche Buena menu according to what’s available or their budget. Of course there are musts, but the modern-day Noche Buena table now has both traditional and updated specials.
With a few weeks left until Christmas Eve, KUBO is helping you plan what to include in your table spread with our list that includes both all-time favorites that will bring back your childhood and modern-day updates, whether you’re in PH or away for the holidays.
1. Ham: From Fiesta Ham to Jamon Iberico Carving Stations
Truly the star of the Noche Buena, ham is a must-have on every Filipino table during the holiday season. Every bite of this smoky-flavored, tendered meat smothered in sweet honey or maple syrup always brings Christmas to mind, making it an all-time Christmas favorite. In the Philippines, Christmas ham in colorful boxes sprout like mushrooms in supermarkets as early as October, and it comes in various shapes (not just a ball), weights, and prices. Depending on your budget or preference, it can range from the regular hamon de bola to the all-time favorite Excelente ham, or having your own Iberico leg carving that more modern households now prefer.
You can grab the affordable Purefoods’ Jamon de Bola or Fiesta Ham at the supermarket. (In the US, Filipino stores would have this, or you can look for a Honey Baked Ham instead.) If you have free time and fondness for deboned Chinese ham, you can run to the only store of Excelente Chinese Cooked Ham in Quiapo, Manila. Be warned, however, that the store has a long queue during Christmas season, so make sure to be at the site early. You can also try the premium baked ham offered by the decades-old The Plaza in Makati City, or get a taste of the most expensive cured meat, the dark and marbled Jamon Iberico, which is available in the Philippines and abroad, including the US.
2. Roast Pork: Lechon or Cochinillo
Whether it’s an entire roasted pig with an apple in its mouth dominating an entire table, a slab of boneless lechon belly with crispy skin, or even a platter of chopped up lechon served with liver sauce, the presence of lechon makes any celebration extra special, wherever you are in the Philippines or even in your Pinoy household abroad. Cebuanos also love to serve pritchon or pritong lechon (deep-fried lechon).
If you’re in Metro Manila, you can get your freshly roasted lechon from Elar’s along Quezon Avenue or Sabroso located in Katipunan, both in Quezon City. For Cebu-style lechon, which was cited by the late chef and travel documentarian Anthony Bourdain as the “best pig ever,” your best choices would be Zubuchon, Rico’s Lechon, and Tatang’s. Apart from their original Cebu branches, these Cebu lechon brands are now also available in Metro Manila.
Not everyone has the table space (or even the stomach space, if you’re just a small family) for an entire lechon. Enter cochinillo or suckling roast pig, which has become more prevalent in celebrations and households since 2020 for its crispy skin, cut using a plate instead of a knife. If you’re in Metro Manila, a number of meat stores and restaurants now offer cochinillo, including Las Flores, Rambla, Crisostomo, Barcino, and Mr. Cochinillo, among others. If you’re spending the holidays in the US, you can get your lechon or cochinillo from Jack Special Cebu Lechon, Lechon Manila, or Kuya Ja’s Lechon Belly.
3. Pasta: From Filipino-style Spaghetti to Baked Macaroni or Macaroni Salad
The Filipino-style spaghetti may look like Italy’s Bolognese, but its yummy sweet, savory taste is uniquely Pinoy. This all-time classic Pinoy pasta is made of spaghetti noodles, ground beef, hotdogs, sweet-style spaghetti sauce, banana ketchup, and topped with lots of grated cheese. Closer to our hearts than any other pasta dish you can think of, every bite of Filipino-style spaghetti gives a nostalgic feeling of the past while simultaneously creating new memories at the present, as it is a constant part of every occasion in our lives, not just Christmas: birthdays, baptisms, graduations, school recognitions, fiesta, and New Year, among others. Follow this recipe for making Filipino-style spaghetti or just grab one from a Jollibee branch near you.
Some households, whether in the Philippines or abroad, prefer to eat macaroni during Noche Buena, whether cooked as baked macaroni loaded with lots of cheese (often also with sweet-style sauce) or mixed with some mayonnaise, pineapple, raisins, carrot bits, cheese, and maybe bits of chicken and/or ham as macaroni salad. Pinoys all over the world have also taken to serving any pasta of their choosing during Noche Buena, especially if ingredients for more traditional Pinoy options are sparse.
4. Cheese: From Queso de Bola to Assorted Cheese Board
Queso de bola or sharp Edam cheese, which originated from Edam in the Netherlands, is a ball-shaped, semi-hard cheese wrapped in red paraffin wax that has become a fixture in every Pinoy Noche Buena table. Sliced thin and served on a platter, this cheese has become part of the Filipino Christmas tradition. Marca Piña and Marca Pato are popular brands, while the Magnolia Queso de Bola is often a more affordable alternative.
However, some now find the queso de bola too sharp for their taste or perhaps increasingly expensive. In recent years (especially during the pandemic), many Filipino households have started serving a platter of assorted cheeses, often with a mix of cold cuts. Placed aesthetically on a wooden board, you can serve various kinds of cheese like queso de bola, cheddar, brie, camembert, bleu cheese, mozzarella, goat’s cheese, feta, kesong puti (carabao’s cheese), and more. If you want to serve a charcuterie board, add assorted cold cuts, cured and cooked meats such as salami, smoked bacon, roast beef, sausage, chorizo, and bratwurst. Complete the spread with crackers, fruits, nuts, pickles, olives, plus spreads like jam and mustard, and pair everything with wine.
If you don’t want to make your own cheese or charcuterie board, you may order them from these stores while in Manila (it has become a favorite item for potluck dinners with friends, parties, or as holiday presents, too): Aperitif.ph, Santi’s Delicatessen branches, or Grazing Box MNL, among many others that have popped up on Facebook and Instagram.
5. Chicken: Fried, Rotisserie, or Inasal
Who doesn’t love fried chicken? This is another staple Filipino food that is always present in various gatherings. It remains one of the easiest and fastest dishes to prepare and serve. And if you want to try something new this Christmas, why not add flavor to your fried chicken and create your own version of garlic and parmesan, Korean soy, spicy barbecue, salt and pepper, wasabi, and more. Don’t have time to cook? Just order Pinoy favorites like Max’s or even KFC, which you can find anywhere there are Filipinos, even abroad.
Another alternative to fried chicken, popular in other provinces around the Philippines, is lechon manok or inasal (grilled chicken) which is convenient to order even from sidewalk grillers. Some groceries and restaurants also sell rotisserie chicken, which is another tasty and accessible alternative, especially when you’re abroad. Pinoys based in the US may also switch up chicken for roast turkey instead. However, only enjoy chicken on Christmas Eve but not on New Year’s Eve: As a Pinoy superstition goes, ayaw nating maging “isang kahig, isang tuka” sa Bagong Taon (a Pinoy idiom that’s equivalent to living paycheck to paycheck, especially in the coming year).
6. Seafood: From Fish to Crab and Shrimps
Need to avoid meat, even during the holidays? Better add steamed fish like Lapu-Lapu or steamed shrimps and crabs to your Noche Buena feast. Some Pinoy households, whether in PH or the US, also serve lobster, especially with lemon butter sauce. You may opt to cook the crab and shrimps in garlic butter sauce, too. Yum. Pair them perhaps with some greens, like steamed broccoli or spinach, to also make the spread more colorful and nutritious. Then serve with a bucket of ice-cold beer.
7. Rice Dish: From Paella to Arroz Valenciana or Bringhe
A Filipino meal will not be complete without rice. For Noche Buena, some upscale Pinoy households opt for the classic special all-in-one rice dish cooked and served in a large shallow pan: Paella, for which we have our Spanish colonizers to thank. Pinoys from Luzon and Iloilo also came up with their own version of paella: the Kapampangans’ bringhe, which is similar to the Ilonggos’ Arroz Valenciana, also dubbed “paella of the poor.”
While Spanish Paella uses expensive ingredients like saffron-infused rice, water, chicken, shrimp, mussels, and calamari, the Pinoy-style paella uses malagkit (glutinous rice), coconut milk, turmeric, chicken, chorizo, and vegetables. Bringhe is commonly served on special occasions by Filipinos in Luzon, like in Pampanga, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, and Pangasinan.
8. Soup Dish: From Nilagang Baboy to Sopas
Malamig ang simoy ng hangin tuwing Pasko (the air is cold during Christmas), that’s why a lot of Pinoy households all over the country and abroad always include a soup dish for Noche Buena, especially if they’re eating right after Misa de Gallo or Christmas Eve Mass (Midnight Mass). Those from Pampanga serve nilagang baboy with kukol ng jamon (flavored with Chinese ham); those from Batangas serve sopas or puspas or the Batangueño version of arroz caldo or lugaw; while those from Iloilo serve laswa, assorted vegetables boiled in clear broth.
9. Embutido
Often present in Pinoy gatherings like fiestas and Christmas, whether around the PH or even among Pinoys abroad because of its accessible ingredients, embutido is the Pinoy alternative to American meatloaf. It’s made up of ground pork, bread, raisins, ham, sausages, and sometimes hard-boiled eggs. To make, just mix the ingredients, shape it like a log, and wrap it with aluminum foil before putting it on a steamer. Voila! You have another scrumptious Pinoy dish to enjoy on Noche Buena wherever you are.
10. Fruit Salad: From Buko Salad to the typical Pinoy Fruit Salad
Completing our Noche Buena list is Pinoy Fruit Salad, made of canned fruit cocktail, cream, and condensed milk, topped with maraschino cherries (optional) then chilled in the fridge before being served. This dessert is so easy to prepare and cheaper than other Christmas desserts like fruitcake.
If you have access to fresh coconut, you can also make a buko salad, which is still basically a Pinoy fruit salad but with shredded young coconut, nata de coco (coconut gel), kaong (palm fruits), corn, and cheese (the last two optional).
Bonus: Local Desserts
We can actually make a whole new list on just desserts Pinoys serve during the holiday season (we just might!), but among those that stood out when KUBO did a survey among Pinoys around the country what they serve during Noche Buena and what Pinoys in the US miss during Christmas are ensaymada (paired with hot chocolate, of course), local kakanin and suman (also served with tsokolate and topped with latik), and ube kalamay or halaya.
Maligayang Paskong Pinoy!
With reports from Trixie Reyna