Published by: Dianna Grace Carina
Date Published: September 29, 2023
Time Published: 8:16 AM
We, Filipinos, are known for our cultures and traditions which have a lot to offer. Eating is surely one of a big part of our culture. The Philippines has a lot of cuisines, and traditional snacks especially that we eat as a merienda which are now part of our culture and identity. Filipinos love to fit in a small snack in between before or after eating a meal. Here are some of the Philippines' iconic and traditional snacks that we love to eat!
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First on our list is turon, a snack that is made from a spring-roll wrapper that has usually a banana inside and coated the wrapper with caramelized brown sugar. Turon does not have to be filled only with bananas but can also include other fillings – jackfruit, sweet potatoes, and coconut can be also a good fillings [1]. You can be more creative and make your version of Turon. Deep it in boiling oil and deep fried it, you can have yourself a sweet and sugary turon!
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Kwek kwek is probably one of the most famous street foods here in the Philippines. The famous street food only consists of two things! Orange-battered and quail eggs that are usually paired with a special sauce that will surely make the food more savory and tasty to eat and will also make you feel in for a deep saucing [2]. This is a perfect merienda, especially for those people who love quail eggs and a fan of those light snacks.
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Another sweet snack on the list! Banana Cue is a popular Filipino snack made from bananas that are coated with brown sugar that is usually put on sticks and deep fried. This is best to eat for a mid-afternoon snack or dessert. When having Banana Cue, it is best to pair it with a cold soda or any drinks that you like on the side when eating it because it will fill you up.
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This snack probably gives us a lot of childhood memories even up until now whenever we hear a taho vendor shout "Taho, taho!" with a matching loud voice that serves as our alarm clock every early in the morning. Taho is a Filipino version of the famous Chinese savory and sweet Chinese snack called Douhua. With tofu, sago or tapioca pearls, and brown sugar syrup – you can make your own version of taho especially since we cannot often see some of the taho vendors now [3]. When having this snack, it is recommended to eat this when it is in a hot and warm condition as it will surely make you feel the freshly-made taho that you just made or bought from the vendor! It is also popular as it serves as a breakfast, a merienda, or even an anytime snack that everyone enjoys having.
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Let's dive in now to some delicacies that we can also eat as a merienda! Introducing suman, suman is a famous rice cake that we can usually see more in the province location of the Philippines. This traditional Filipino snack is made from glutinous rice and coconut milk which is always wrapped in banana leaves or palm leaves, it is usually cooked by steaming until the rice is cooked [4]. Suman is best eaten with brown sugar, ripe mangoes, or some latik that will make the suman more delicious and exciting to eat.
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Though, Bibingka is usually seen when the season of Christmas hits we cannot exclude it from the list of traditional snacks! This is a traditional Filipino snack that can be eaten anytime and any day but it's more popular when the season of Christmas hits. When making this iconic snack, you need sour ground fermented sticky rice, coconut milk, sugar, and water [5]. But don't forget the banana leaves, as it is not a bibingka when it is not wrapped in banana leaves since it is what makes it more special and unique.
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Last but definitely not the least, the most iconic and one of our favorite when buying in our local bakery is the pandesal. Pandesal is different from the other traditional snacks that we listed as pandesal were introduced to us by the Spaniards during the 16th-century era of Spanish colonization in the Philippines, this snack is not our own idea but we can still call it traditional in a way that it is made and eat in a Filipino way [6]. Here's a fun fact! Do you know that Pandesal means "salt bread" in English? Well, it is a salt bread since one of it's main ingredients is salt. Other ingredients include flour, yeast, oil, and sugar. Pandesal is usually serve and eat as a breakfast and most Filipinos paired it with coffee or milk. You can also eat pandesal for a mid-afternoon snacks which is usually paired with more refreshing drinks like some juices, soda, or any drinks that you would prefer. Pandesal is more delicious and appetizing to eat when it has a filling inside the bread, like a peanut butter, a margarine, a jam, or even be creative and put some foods that can stack up in the bread like hotdogs, an egg, and many more!
With everything mentioned here, we can see that our country has a lot of delicious and traditional snacks that makes up the country's identity and culture. We should not also forget those heroes in disguise, the vendors of those traditional Filipino snacks that is now also became a big part of our culture. Let's wholeheartedly embrace the diversity, cultures, and traditions of our country that we can always be proud of whenever we go because that is what makes us a Filipino.
REFERENCES:
[1] Osborne, A. (2021, July 15). Turon (Filipino fried banana rolls) | serious eats. https://www.seriouseats.com/turon-filipino-fried-banana-rolls-5189025
[2] Manalo, L. (2023, March 5). Kwek-kwek | Kawaling Pinoy. https://www.kawalingpinoy.com/kwek-kwek/
[3] Baker, L. (2018, October 11). TAHO: FILIPINO SILKEN TOFU WITH SAGO PEARLS AND SYRUP | Kitchen Confidante. https://kitchenconfidante.com/homemade-taho-recipe
[4] Will Fly For Food. (2023, June 23). Filipino Snacks: 15 Popular Snacks You Need to Eat for Merienda in the Philippines. https://www.willflyforfood.net/filipino-snacks/
[5] Gilbuena, Y. (2023, September 7). Bibingka (Filipino Rice Cake) | serious eats. https://www.seriouseats.com/bibingka-filipino-rice-cake-5196489#:~:text=Bibingka%20belongs%20under%20the%20umbrella,milk%2C%20water%2C%20and%20sugar.
[6] Vanni, K. (2021, September 27). Pandesal | The Spruce Eats. https://www.thespruceeats.com/pandesal-4797800#:~:text=Pandesal%20is%20the%20most%20popular,Spanish%20colonization%20in%20the%20Philippines.
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