3. The name kakanin is derived from two
Tagalog words: “kain” (to eat) and “kanin”
(rice).
The kakanin is one of the favorite native
food novo ecijanos.
These ingredients are usually employed in
one of two forms. Some recipes
use galapong, made by soaking rice flour
overnight, then grinding and straining it using
a cheesecloth. Other types of kakanin use
simple malagkit or sticky rice grains that are
either ground up or left whole.
4. Bibingka
Made with rice flour
and coconut milk or water.
Other ingredients can vary
greatly, but the most common
secondary ingredients are
eggs and milk. The traditional
preparation is very time-
consuming. A specially
made terra cotta container is
lined with a single large
section of a banana leaf. It is
placed over preheated coals
and the rice flour and water
mixture is poured into it, taking
care not to spill it into the
container itself. Another piece
of banana leaf is added to the
top and covered with more
preheated coals.
5. Puto
Bungbong
During Christmas, the
most favored kakanin
are puto bumbong and
bibingka because these
are the most common
snacks served outside
churches where
steaming puto bumbong
makers and smoldering
hot coals bring forth
these two beloved
delicacies that taste
even better after a long
Mass.
6. Biko
Biko is my all-time favorite dessert
or merienda (snack) item. It uses
only 4 ingredients—which, in a
pinch, can even be cut down to 3—
and is so simple to make and
requires no special tools or pans,
which makes it an easy endeavor
for someone who doesn’t yet have
a properly-equipped kitchen
Biko is a Filipino rice cake made
from sticky rice (locally known as
malagkit), coconut milk, and brown
sugar. Like other rice cakes, this is
referred to as kakanin (derived from
the word “kanin” which means rice).
7. Palitaw
“Litaw” means “to rise” in
the vernacular, and in this
case, it refers to how you’ll
know the palitaw is cooked
and ready to be taken out of
the pot. Colloquially,
the palitaw is also called
“dila-dila” for its broad,
tongue-like appearance.
Filipino diners are
increasingly being exposed
to and developing a taste for
foreign cuisines.
8. Kutsinta
The kutsinta was thought
to have sprung up at the
same time as its pasty
counterpart, but the origins
of its name remain a
mystery. It has been
theorized, however, that its
name might have a
connection to an obsolete
piece of kitchen equipment
responsible for its flattened,
saucer-like shape.
Unfortunately, the name of
the said instrument has also
been lost to history.
9. Suman
Suman has been around for centuries,
its original name might have been lost
to history. Its name is allegedly rooted
in an old Spanish phrase for “rice
cakes wrapped in leaves, with
somewhat longish pieces,” as
described by Antonio Pigafetta, the
chronicler for the first Spanish
expedition to arrive on Philippine
shores.Suman’s regional variants,
meanwhile, derive their names from
the material or method used to wrap
them. Suman sa ibus are rice cakes
poured into coil-shaped receptacles
made out of young palm leaves, which
are called “ibus” in Tagalog. The pinagi,
on the other hand, was named after
the pagi (“stingray” in Tagalog) as a
nod to the complex, geometric shape
that resembles its namesake.
10. Sapin - Sapin
Sapin-sapin is an old
Tagalog word for “layers,”
a word which evokes this
sticky dessert’s
appearance and taste.
The name also hints at its
method of preparation.
When makingsapin-
sapin, one must make
sure that each layer of the
glutinous rice batter is
allowed to steam and set
before the next layer is
poured in to keep the
vibrant colors and flavors
separate and intact.
11. Puto
Arguably the most
popular kakanin, this steamed
rice cake is traditionally white
in color, although it can also
be tinged green or purple to
indicate that its been flavored
withpandan or ube, respective
ly. Like the French baguette, it
is sometimes eaten alongside
savory viands, most notably
the dinuguan. Choice
toppings for puto range from
a single strip of cheese to a
slice of salted egg.
12. Tupig
Yummy snack that satisfies
your appetite. Tupig is
a great taste of pinoy
delikasi riginated from
Ilocanos. Tupig is famous in
the Nueva Ecija and I taste
it for the first time in the
fiesta of Baloc,
Sto.Domingo, Nueva Ecija.
It has maccapuno inside
that completes the
ingredients. The Nueva
Ecija has the Tupig
festival in Sto. Domingo
where hundreds of people
buy it for their snack.
