One nice thing about Dubai is that being an international expat city, you are always treated to dishes you never thought existed.

Take for instance the Balbacua, a dish popular among Filipinos hailing from central and southern Philippines which is prepared either with beef parts or goat skin, cooked with various spices and black beans for hours.

Various stories abound about the origins of this exotic dish with some culinary experts suggesting that the word Balbacua was derived from the Spanish “barbacoa” or barbecue – actually a method of cooking that originated in Mexico where lamb or goat is slow roasted for hours in a pit topped with maguey leaves.

The Philippine version is a lot different and makes use of peanut sauce, leeks and annato oil.

Various restaurants in Dubai and Abu Dhabi serve Balbacua, with some preparing it with pork hocks.

Word has it that Kusina Natin ‘To, a Filipino restaurant located  in Al Bada Oasis 2 Building, Near Iranian Hospital, Al Hudaiba Road, Al Satwa, has one of the best balbacuas in Dubai.

Have you been there lately?