The Filipino term meaning “grilled” and naming barbecue dishes such as skewered pork or chicken is inihaw.
Inihaw is a broad Filipino word for grilled or roasted food, derived from ihaw, meaning “to grill.” It commonly refers to pork, chicken, beef, seafood, and even inexpensive offal cooked over charcoal. Skewered pieces are often sold as street food and served with rice, pusô, or a soy-and-vinegar dipping sauce.
Recipes vary across the Philippines. Meat may be marinated or basted with soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, sugar, banana ketchup, or annatto oil. Regional names include sinugba in Cebuano-speaking areas and inasal in parts of the Visayas. Chicken inasal is a distinct grilled chicken style, while satti is a southern skewer dish usually served with peanut sauce.
A common mix-up is treating inihaw as one narrowly defined recipe. It is better understood as a cooking category or umbrella term. Lechon is also roasted, but usually refers to a whole animal or a specific spit-roasted preparation rather than Filipino grilled barbecue generally.