Simply
Delectable Desserts in the Philippine
Filipino desserts possibly have
something really important to do with the generally sweet nature of most
Filipinos.
Notwithstanding typhoons,
earthquakes and countless difficulties of living in the Philippines, Filipinos
almost always find solace, if not joy, in Filipino desserts.
As sugary as the Filipinos’
character and as rich as their culture, Filipino desserts come in different
sizes, colors, and presentations.
They are usually served in the
Philippines as the last part of the meal, giving Filipinos a sense of fullness
they need to go on working for the rest of the day.
They are also eaten for merienda
or the customary snacks eaten in-between breakfast and lunch or lunch and
dinner.
Oftentimes, though, they are eaten
randomly, satisfying the Filipino indulgence for something simply sinful yet
heavenly, sweet yet yummy.
There are plenty of mouthwatering
Filipino desserts that it is quite impossible to include them all in just one
list. Below, however, are possibly the most delicious Filipino desserts. 1.
Leche
Flan
Arguably the superstar among the
heavenly Filipino desserts is leche flan, a sweet, rich, and luscious
Filipino dessert similar to the world renowned crème caramel.
Leche flan is commonly served during
special occasions in the Philippines like fiesta or feasts,Pasko
or Christmas, and Bagong Taon or New Year.
This Filipino dessert is prepared by
mixing and steaming egg yolks, sugar, evaporated milk, and condensed milk in
medium-sized oval-shaped aluminum pans called llanera.
As simple as the ingredients seem,
cooking up the perfect – smooth in texture, syrupy, chrome yellowish in color –
leche flan, however, requires plenty of practice and plain expertise.
2.
Halo-Halo
In the ruthless heat of the tropical
Philippine weather, Filipinos count on one divine Filipino dessert to keep them
cool – halo-halo.
In fact, in the unforgiving summer
days in the Philippines in the months of April and May, every other
neighborhood street corner is likely to have its own halo-halo stand.
Halo-halo got its name from the word
local word halo, which means “mix.”
To make halo-halo, Filipinos mix
shaved ice; sugar; varied sweetened fruits like beans, garbanzos, sugar palm
fruit, sweet potato, silky coconut, banana-like plantain, corn, mung beans, and
jackfruit; and other ingredients like coconut gelatin, agar-agar gelatin, and
tapioca pearls.
The whole concoction is then topped
off with leche flan, haleya ube, sorbetes, pounded crushed young
rice, and evaporated milk.
Halo-halo is usually served in tall
glasses or large bowls.
3. Sorbetes
Popularly peddled in the street of
the Philippines is the Filipino dessert sorbetes, the Philippine
adaptation of the world-popular ice cream.
Unlike most ice creams, however,
sorbetes is made from local coconut milk and not the usual cow’s or animal’s
milk.
Sorbetes comes in different flavors
– mango, cheese, chocolate, ube or purple yam, and strawberry – and
colors – yellow, brown, violet, and pink.
It is served in wafer or sugar
cones, cups and even in bread buns.
4. Puto Bumbong and Bibingka
Inescapably linked with the
Christmas season are the Filipino desserts bibingkaand puto bumbong, which
Filipinos feast on after attending the traditional Catholic midnight masses
that precede Christmas day.
What makes these Filipino desserts
special is that they are loved by people from all walks of life. They are sold
as street foods in the Philippines to cater to the common people but also offered
as a treat in five-star hotels and high-end restaurants for well-heeled
customers.
Bibingka is primarily made of rice
flour, coconut milk, and water, which are placed in banana leaf-lined terra
cotta containers that are then heated on coals.
Puto bumbong, on the other hand, is
steamed glutinous rice – puto – that is cooked in bamboo cylinders – bumbong.
5. Pastillas de Leche and Yema
Lovable, small and dairy Filipino
desserts often prepared as candies, yema and pastillas de leche are
influences of the Spaniards who stayed in the Philippines for over 300 years.
Yema is custard candy made of
condensed milk, egg yolk, and sometimes butter. Its ingredients are simply
heated, mixed, and then cooled.
Pastillas de leche, on the other
end, is made by boiling milk and sugar together until they are thick. It is
then cooled and formed into mini logs by hand before being rolled into sugar.
Both Filipino desserts can be
individually packed in paper or cellophane.
6. Ginataan or Guinataan
Made with gata or coconut
milk, ginataan refers to various kinds of dessert and viands. Thus, its
literal translation in English is “made with coconut milk.”
The most popular among the many
kinds of ginataan is ginataang halo-halo, a dessert that is a mixture of
coconut milk, sugar, sweet potato, taro, purple yam, plantain, jack fruit and
tapioca pearls.
Ginataang halo-halo is best served
hot during the Philippines’ rainy season.
7. Mango Float
This frozen Filipino dessert
features one of the most popular and well-loved fruits in the Philippines –
mango!
Mango float is made by stacking up
as many layers of classic graham crackers, thinly sliced mangoes, and condensed
milk as possible in a rectangular container.
It is then chilled until it becomes
frozen.
Ube or purple yam grows abundantly
throughout the Philippine archipelago and so Filipino try to make use of it as
much as possible. They make them into desserts called ube halaya.
Ube halaya is prepared by boiling,
peeling, and grating purple yam. The grated meat is then placed in a pan over
low heat, continuously mixed with fresh and evaporated milk, and then flavored
with sugar.
The resulting texture is sticky and
rich, excellent enough to be a favorite dessert
Buko or coconut is abundantly grown in the Philippines and has
served so many uses, one of which is being used as an ingredient for desserts.
A traditional Filipino dessert of
baked young coconut pie is buko pie, which is made with coconut meat.
Unlike other pies, buko pie does not
have custard fillings or meringue swirls. It, however, uses condensed milk,
making it absolutely thick and filling.
10. Sans Rival
A Filipino dessert that literally
means “without rival” is sans rival or sansrival, a flavorsome
frozen treat that is made of alternate layers of crispy meringue and
buttercream and then topped off with cashew nuts.
This Filipino dessert, yummy as it
is, can be a bit complicated to prepare and therefore requires some practice to
make.
3. Lean Meat. Meat has a bad reputation
but if you pick the right types, you'll be eating a food that is high in
protein and low in fat. Some of the meats we've come to love are filled with
saturated fat (the unhealthy kind). Fortunately for the meat lovers, there are
choices that are almost fat free. When eating meat, stick to chicken, turkey,
lean cuts of beef and fish.
