Three popular Filipino dishes have made it to the 2023 “100 Worst Rated Foods in the World” list by popular online food guide, Taste Atlas. According to the list published on their Facebook page, the noodle soup dish, kinalas, ranked 17th with a 2.4 rating while the famous breakfast meal, hotsilog, was at 36th place with a 2.6 rating. Meanwhile, Filipino spaghetti was at 81st place on the list.
Taste Atlas, a site dedicated to local dishes, has a database of over 15,000 dishes and ingredients. The rankings are determined by counting the average votes of ratings people input for each food in the database. “At the end of the year, we take the average of the best-rated [or worst-rated] dishes in each kitchen,” Taste Atlas stated. The site recognizes that nationalist votes, where people from one country give high marks to their dishes and low marks to their neighbors, are considered invalid and are not counted.
Kinalas, a shrimpy, garlicky brown gravy consisting of dried shrimps, vinegar, garlic, shallots, soy sauce, and fish sauce, is always served hot and named after the Bicolano word “kalas” meaning to remove the meat from the bones. Hotsilog is a breakfast meal that includes a red and juicy Filipino-style hotdog, paired with garlic fried rice and fried eggs. Filipino spaghetti, which has a sweet spin on the classic dish, is an inexpensive meal that unites families and is consumed by both poor and rich people.
The inclusion of these Filipino dishes in the “100 Worst Rated Foods in the World” list has sparked mixed reactions among Filipinos. While some take it as a challenge to promote and showcase the unique flavors of their local cuisine, others see it as a matter of personal preference and taste. Regardless, Taste Atlas’ list serves as a reminder of the diverse range of food available in the world and the importance of recognizing and celebrating local food culture.
