Media Noche Food Ideas To Spice Up Parties In The Philippines

Throwing a New Year Party in the Philippines? Here are some food ideas to spark up the Media Noche feast to welcome 2024!

Filipinos love to party and throwing New Year’s parties filled with food are usually the biggest to symbolize the end of the year. As families in the Philippines prepare to welcome 2024, we’re all scrambling on what meals to bring for the potluck family party. Here are some food ideas for the Media Noche parties that many families swear by:

1. Puto Bumbong and Bibingka

With the Philippines’ rich history of rice-based goodies known as kakanin, it’s a must to have the beloved classic Puto Bumbong and Bibingka on the table. Sticky rice dishes like these attract good fortune and luck, making sure they stick around for the whole year with their consistency. While some restaurants like Via Mare offer the typical 6-inch Bibingka, other stores like Bibingkitan offer them in fun-sized pieces.

2. Fruit Salad

When one is out of hot food ideas, a fruit salad is the perfect complement, considering New Year parties in the Philippines always serve food that’s a walking health hazard. Round fruits are usually a symbol of prosperity so a combination of watermelon, melon, mandarin oranges, grapes, kiwis, and even lychee make quite a colorful one. The best part is, they’re naturally sweet and if nobody’s in the mood for a fruit salad then, throw it in the blender and make one delicious fruit shake.

What some people do is also make typical salads like Mango Kani Salad but swap out the Mango for oranges instead.

3. Pancit

Filipinos inherited the belief from the Chinese wherein noodles mean “long life.” That would explain why most noodle dishes are served in woven bilaos, besides it being the most practical and aesthetic way to serve them. There are several kinds of Pancit including Malabon, Guisado, and Palabok. What some people even do is they make Lechong Pancit: by tossing the lechon bits into the pancit with some vegetables, it becomes a full meal filled with carbs, fiber, and protein.

4. Morcon

Often confused with Embutido, the Morcon is a beloved and traditional New Year’s food dish in the Philippines because of the various beliefs that stop families from eating fish or chicken on that day. Filled with eggs, meat, and chopped vegetables, Morcon may even be a more ketogenic version of the typical lumpiang Shanghai.

5. Buko Pandan

When running out of savory food ideas, the Philippines has a long list of desserts to choose from to bring to any Media Noche. Buko Pandan is always a crowd pleaser with bakeshops like Nathaniel’s Bakeshop or Buko ni Fruitas often being the source of it. When buying Buko Pandan, make sure to keep them in a cooler to maintain their freshness.

What some people even do is they drizzle some pinipig or toasted rice on top. But for those who are trying to stay away from the grains, flax seed is also a delicious alternative.

6. Street Food Medley

Perfect for street or urban-themed New Year parties, street food like Barbecue, Carioca, Kwek-Kwek, and Fishballs pair well with chilled beer which we’re sure will be there in coolers. When presenting them, some people even make them look like a flower arrangement or mount them on a stand. That way, they don’t look like they were just bought off the street.

7. Lumpiang Shanghai

A food that symbolizes unity and longevity, no Filipino family has a New Year’s party without everbody’s favorite lumpiang shanghai. Some people stuff it with vegetables but most of the time, they’re served filled with meat and minced vegetables. They also serve it with sweet and sour sauce.

Make Media Noche with these food ideas!

Although some of us are already tired of the merry-making, so long as the party isn’t in our house, all we have to do is bring good food. Food is the love language among many Filipino families and a lot of times, it doesn’t have to be expensive. When bringing food, always ask the host or someone who’s attending. That way, the food we bring is a perfect match for what is being served or at least suitable for the occasion.

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