For many Filipinos, eating is a national passion. Because of that we have a lot of specialties and dishes that can be found only in the Philippines. One dish that is very familiar to many is the tapsilog. If you are a certified foodie, I'm sure you cannot forget the taste and experience of eating this amazing combination of foods which is quite unique, with "tapa," which is a dried or cured meat,  “sinangag,” orgarlic-fried rice, and fried egg.

Tapsilog in the morning

I grew up eating my father’s own way of cooking tapsilog. It has been one of the favorite breakfasts of my family because of its delectable taste and easy way of preparation. Tapsilog is best served in the morning and this meal is best paired with toyo or soy sauce, and calamansi or sometimes with ketchup. Also, you can enjoy this dish for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  

Tapsilog everywhere

Aside from its yummy taste, another good thing about tapsilog is that it is very affordable and widely available. Since it is one of the most favorite meals of many Pinoys, small restaurants in many barangays all over the Philippines serve tapsilog; however, large business establishment chains, such as Lola Ely's, Chades, Rodic's, Rufo's Famous Tapa, BD's, GoodAhs!, Max's, Tapa King, Goto King, and Goto Tapsi Republic, have also ventured into selling tapsilog.

Due to the popularity of this cuisine, some fast food chains in the Philippines, including Jollibee, Chowking, McDonald's and Sinangag Express, also include tapsilog on their breakfast menus.

Tapsilog’s quick trivia

The word tapa is related to the Sanskrit term “tapas” which means "heat." In Tagalog, a restaurant that primarily serves tapa is called a tapahan, tapsihan or tapsilugan. According to some sources, tapsilog and tapsihan are colloquial slang words. However, these terms are used by those restaurants and many Filipinos of all social strata. Tapsilog and tapsihan, therefore, may be considered standard words in the Filipino language rather than slang.