Filipino Desserts
/If there’s anything Filipinos love more than food, it’s dessert. Truthfully, there are so many Filipino desserts I could have chosen for this list, but these are the ones I ate most growing up. Like the rest of Filipino cuisine, it’s been influenced by Spanish and American culture but the common ingredients you’ll find in Filipino desserts are rice and coconut milk. These dishes are eaten after a meal and also as a snack. In my opinion, you can never have too much dessert.
1. Turon (too-ron): Turon is jackfruit and banana (or plantain) that’s wrapped in spring roll wrapper, deep fried, and then topped with syrup. I’ve always loved the way my mom did it: dipped in white sugar and cinnamon. It’s kind of like a banana spring roll! Funny story: we once went camping and my mom mixed up the salt and the sugar. She had no idea until I tried it and saw my face! She’s never made that mistake again.
photo: kyoko uchida.
2. Biko (bee-ko): Biko is a sweet and sticky rice cake. It’s made with glutinous rice, coconut milk, and brown sugar. The top layer is a caramel glaze that can be garnished with coconut curds. There’s nothing like coming to the smell of biko being made. I remember many times coming home from school and my mom immediately thrusting a spoon in my hand to keep stirring the caramel while she ran off for an errand. It’s no fun being stuck as a stirrer, but once you taste biko, it’s worth it.
Photo: vicky wasik.
3. Puto (poo-toe): Puto’s another rice-based dessert. Instead of glutinous rice, it’s made with rice flour, sugar, coconut milk, and then steamed. The results are soft and airy little rice cakes. They’re served with cheese and can be made with different flavours such as ube (purple yam) or pandan (screwpine, a tropical plant).
photo: Foxy folksy.
4. Leche Flan (lech-eh): is a small caramel custard dessert made with egg yolks, evaporated or condensed milk, and sugar. It is not the same as creme caramel, which tastes lighter and uses cream. This dessert is truly the definition of decadence. Panlasang Pinoy has a great recipe here.
leche flan. Photo: Panlasang pinoy.
5. Halo halo (ha-loh ha-loh): Tagalog for mix-mix, halo-halo is layers of shaved iced, condensed milk, syrup and various toppings like red beans, sago, jelly, coconut flakes, fruit, ice cream. As a result, you get lots of soft and crunchy textures. Think of it like a Filipino parfait. It is a refreshing treat in the summertime. With halo-halo, the possibilities are endless.
halo-halo with assorted toppings. photo: lalaine manalo.
Like I said, there are many other desserts I didn’t list here that should be mentioned: cassava cake, taho, polvoron, and bibingka. Vendors all over the Philippines sell these desserts for dirt cheap but if you’re not traveling anytime soon, find them at your local Filipino restaurant. Undoubtedly, any Filipino gathering will have them, used as fuel food between karaoke songs and line dancing. So sharpen your sweet tooth and get eating!
Stefanie Velichkin is a young actor and writer from Ottawa, ON. She is a graduate of the University of Ottawa’s Theatre program and a student of Algonquin College’s Professional Writing program. Her interests include true crime, cats, and drinking bubble tea.
