Calamansi
A small, round Philippine citrus fruit — tart like lime, with a floral sweetness — squeezed over food, into drinks, and into dipping sauces.
Calamansi looks like a miniature lime but tastes closer to a cross between lime and orange, with a fragrant, slightly sweet edge. It's squeezed table-side over pancit, grilled meats, and soups, and it's the acid in most sawsawan (dipping sauce) combinations, like toyomansi (soy sauce and calamansi) and patismansi (fish sauce and calamansi).
Outside the Philippines, fresh calamansi can be hard to find — it's sold fresh or bottled at most Filipino and Asian grocery stores. In a pinch, a mix of lime juice with a splash of orange juice gets reasonably close.
Where you'll taste it
Recipes on Pancit.com that call for calamansi.
Chicharon
Pork skin boiled, dried, and double-fried until puffed and crackling-crisp.
Calamansi Juice
A bright, tart-sweet Filipino citrus drink made from freshly squeezed calamansi, sugar, and cold water.
Lechon Kawali
Boiled-then-fried Filipino pork belly with shatteringly crisp skin.
Pancit Bihon
Savory rice noodles with chicken, shrimp, and vegetables — the everyday pancit every household knows.
Pancit Bisaya (Bam-I)
The Cebuano two-noodle pancit — canton and sotanghon noodles tossed with pork, chicken, and shrimp.
Pancit Canton
Wheat egg noodles stir-fried with chicken and vegetables in a savory, glossy soy-oyster sauce.
Pancit Bato
Bicol's sun-dried noodle pancit from Bato, Camarines Sur — thick chewy noodles with pork, shrimp, and vegetables.
Pancit Cabagan
Isabela's saucy miki noodles topped with crispy lechon kawali, stewed pork liver, and hard-boiled quail eggs.
Pancit Malabon
Thick rice noodles in a bold shrimp sauce, piled high with squid, mussels, and seafood.
Pancit Palabok
Rice noodles topped with a rich shrimp-and-annatto sauce, boiled egg, and crushed chicharrón.
Pork Sisig
Chopped pork, onion, and chili sizzled on a hot plate with calamansi and a raw egg on top.
Arroz Caldo
Ginger-chicken rice porridge topped with toasted garlic, scallions, and calamansi.
Lugaw
Simple rice porridge simmered in broth, topped with fried garlic, scallions, and calamansi.
Goto
Beef tripe and oxtail simmered for hours into a rich, deeply savory rice porridge.
Bulalo
Beef shank and bone marrow simmered for hours into a clear, rich soup with corn, cabbage, and pechay.
Beef Tapa
Thin beef slices marinated in soy sauce, garlic, and calamansi, then pan-seared until deeply savory.
Siomai
Pork and shrimp dumplings wrapped in thin wonton skins and steamed until juicy.
Kinilaw
Fresh raw fish cured in vinegar and calamansi with ginger, onion, and chili. The Philippines' answer to ceviche.