Travels and Dining of Jerry around the Philippines

Tapa is dried or cured beef or venison, although other meat or even fish may be used. The term "tapa" however, has mostly become associated more with this form of cured meat and tinapa (literally "made into tapa") with smoked fish. Filipinos prepare thin slices of meat and cure it with salt and spices as a method of preserving it. Tapa is best fried or grilled, often served with rice, fried egg and achara (pickled papaya strips).

Tapsilog to go

Tapsilog is the term used when tapa, garlic-fried rice ("sinangag"), and fried egg ("itlog") are combined into one meal, which is served primarily during breakfast. 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 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 and not slang.

The word tapsilog has spawned many other dishes, all having fried rice (or garlic fried rice) and fried egg in it and suffixed with silog. Examples are:

1.  Adosilog - adobo, fried rice and fried egg 

2.  Bacsilog - bacon, fried rice and fried egg

3.  Bangsilog - bangus (milkfish), fried rice and fried egg

4.  Bisteksilog - beefsteak, fried rice and fried egg

5.  Dangsilog - danggit (rabbitfish) , fried rice and fried egg

6.  Vicsilog - Vic (chinless hogfish), fried rice and hard cooked egg yolks

7.  Chosilog - chorizo, fried rice and fried egg

8.  Chiksilog - chicken, fried rice and fried egg

9.  Cornsilog - corned beef, fried rice and fried egg

10. Hotsilog - hotdog, fried rice and fried egg

11. Longsilog - longganisa, fried rice and fried egg

12. Litsilog - lechon, fried rice and fried egg

13. Masilog - Ma Ling brand Chinese luncheon meat, fried rice and fried egg

14. SPAMsilog - SPAM brand luncheon meat, fried rice and fried egg

15. Tosilog - tocino, fried rice and fried egg

16. Pakaplog - Pan de sal (bread), kape (coffee) and fried egg

Restaurants serving tapsilog

There are small restaurants in many barangays in the Philippines that serve tapsilog, however large business establishment chains have also ventured into selling tapa, such as Rufo's Famous Tapa, BD's, GoodAhs!, Max's, Tapa King, Goto King , & Goto Tapsi Republic . Due to the popularity of this cuisine, some fast food chains in the Philippines also include tapsilog on their breakfast menus including Jollibee, ChowKing, McDonald's and Sinangag Express.