From comforting soups to creative desserts, Northern and Central Luzon’s culinary scene in 2024 delighted food enthusiasts with its creative and traditional flavors.

In Dagupan City, locals warmed up with giant beef tendon soup, a dish simmered for over an hour with flavorful spices, garlic, and onion leeks.

Served with chili paste and calamansi, it became a favorite during chilly weather.

Calasiao, Pangasinan, celebrated its signature "kaleskes," a flavorful mix of beef innards, and offering unlimited soup refills.

For those seeking a twist, sizzling bulalo served with bone marrow was a crowd-pleaser.

In Bantay, Ilocos Sur, goat dishes like caldereta, kilawin, and the Ilocano favorite sinanglaw impressed food lovers with their bold flavors.

The region’s kakanin also stood out, with Calasiao's bibingkang latik—a sticky rice cake cooked with coconut milk, sugar, and coconut strips—remaining a standout.

Meanwhile, innovations in puto (rice cakes) introduced creations like putonada, puto chicken salad, and even puto in coconut cream ganache.

San Carlos City put a twist on international cuisines, incorporating mangoes into dishes like shrimp kebab, pasta puttanesca, and Brazil’s picadinho.