Top 10 Most Common Street Food in the Philippines
Channel: Edmund B.
Date: 2020-10-25

The popularity of inihaw arose out of need. When an economic crisis hit the country in the 1970s, people were driven to find ways to save money. Less favorable animal parts including pigs' ears and intestines were carefully cleaned before being skewered and grilled on coals.

To make these less palatable cuts of meat more appealing, vendors came up with cute names to help sell them to the public. Rectangular blocks of congealed pigs' blood were called betamax, skewered chicken heads were known as a helmet, and grilled pigs' ears were referred to as walkman – funny names which have endured to this day.