Summer in the Philippines is both an anticipated and dreaded season. Holidays, out of town trips and beach escapades are among the first thing that comes to mind when summer is mentioned, coupled with a surge of excitement of what’s to come. On the otherhand summer also means one thing: swealtering heat.
How do you like your halo halo?
People living in this part of the world do whatever they can to cope with the heat. One of the more popular options is to indulge in snacks or desserts made with shaved ice. Japan has its Kakigori, Korea has it Bingsu, and China has Baobing or Chhoah-peng. Our South East Asian neighbors likewise have their own shaved ice snack: Singapore and Malaysia’s Ice kachang, and Thailand’s Nam Kang Sai. We in the Philippines, of course, have our Halo-halo.
Mmmm, pinipig
Halo-halo gets its name from the mix of ingredients that make up this cool snack. Each halo-halo is different; it can have as little as three ingredients, or as much as 12. Ingredients for a halo-halo can either be one (or all!) of the following: minatamis na saging (sweetened bananas), kamote (sweet potatoes), mais (corn), kaong, nata de coco, macapuno, beans, pinipig, sago (tapioca), gulaman (jelly), ube, leche flan, sugar, evaporated milk, ice cream, and of course, shaved ice.
Personally, I’m happy with just the bananas, gulaman, sago, pinipig, ube and leche flan. Oh, and with two scoops of sugar, please. How do you like your halo-halo?
Halo-halo is available in most Filipino restaurants. Halo-halo stalls usually pop up in the neighborhood during summer. A glass of halo-halo can range from Php15 to Php80, depending on where you’re buying.
