Halo-halo

 ( Coconut Desserts ) 

Haluhalo is a popular cold dessert in the Philippines made with Shaved ice, evaporated milk or coconut milk , and various ingredients including side dishes such as Purple yam jam (ube halaya), sweetened Kidney bean or Chickpea, Macapuno, sago, gulaman (agar), pinipig, boiled taro or soft yams in cubes, Leche flan, slices or portions of fruit preserves, and other root crop preserves . The dessert is topped with a scoop of ube ice cream. It is usually prepared in a tall clear glass and served with a long spoon.

Haluhalo is considered to be the unofficial national dessert of the Philippines.

Haluhalo is more commonly spelled as " halo-halo", which literally means "mix-mix" in English , but the former is the official spelling in the Commission on the Filipino Language's dictionary. The word is an adjective meaning "mixed together" in Tagalog language. It is a reduplication of the Tagalog language verb halo, which means "to mix".

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History The origin of haluhalo is traced to the pre-war Japanese Filipinos and the Japanese kakigōri class of desserts. One of the earliest versions of haluhalo was a dessert known locally as monggo con hielo (derived from the Spanish Filipino dessert maíz con hielo) or mongo-ya, which consisted of only (Tagalog language: monggo or munggo, used in place of red Adzuki bean from Japan), boiled and cooked in syrup ( minatamis na monggo), served on top of crushed ice with milk and sugar. Over time, more native ingredients were added, resulting in the creation and development of the modern haluhalo. One difference between haluhalo and its Japanese ancestor is the placement of ingredients mainly under the ice instead of on top of it. The original monggo con hielo can still be found today, with similar variations using sweet corn ( mais con hielo) or Saba banana ( saba con hielo).

Some authors specifically attribute haluhalo to the 1920s or 1930s Japanese migrants in the Quinta Market of Quiapo, Manila, due to its proximity to the Insular Ice Plant, Quiapo's main ice supply.

The Insular Ice Plant was built in 1902 by the Americans, which became the ice supplier for the Philippines. Although the ice plant was built, it was not the first introduction of ice to the Philippines. In the mid-19th century, the United States imported ice from Wenham Lake to different countries, including India, Australia, and the Philippines.

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Description

There is no standard set of ingredients for haluhalo as the ingredients can vary widely, but the dessert usually includes Kaong palm fruit ( kaong), coconut sport ( macapuno), Saba banana plantains cooked in syrup ( minatamis na saging), jackfruit ( langkâ), agar jellies ( gulaman), tapioca pearls, nata de coco, sweet potato ( kamote), sweetened beans, cheese, pounded toasted young rice ( pinipig), and ice cream. The ingredients are placed in specific positions; the fruit, beans, and other sweets are placed at the bottom, followed by shaved ice, and then topped with Leche Flan, ube halaya (mashed purple yam), ice cream, or any combination of the three. Evaporated milk or coconut milk is poured into the mixture upon serving. There are various local and regional varieties of haluhalo throughout the country, which include different and/or additional ingredients than those previously listed, including sweetened Wax gourd, durian, and strawberry ice cream, among others.

There's a similar Visayas dessert called binignit, which is referred to as " ginataang haluhalo" in Tagalog language ("mixed ingredients in coconut milk") and commonly shortened to " ginataan". It uses a lot of the same ingredients, although it's usually served hot.

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In popular culture

Haluhalo was featured in season 1, episode 2 of when its host Anthony Bourdain visited a Jollibee branch, a Filipino fast-food restaurant, in Los Angeles. Bourdain praised the dessert and called it "oddly beautiful". He also posted a photo of the dessert on his Twitter account. The show featured the dessert again in season 7, episode 1 when Bourdain learns how Filipinos make the dessert.

Haluhalo was also featured as a Quickfire Challenge dish season 4, episode 7 of the American reality television series Top Chef. United States contestant Dale Talde prepared the dessert, which featured avocado, mango, kiwifruit, and nuts. Talde was named one of the top three Quickfire Challenge dishes by guest judge Johnny Iuzzini of Jean Georges. Talde also made the dish in a later episode.

The dessert was featured on a "Delicious Destinations" edition episode of Bizarre Foods.Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern#Season 18 - Delicious Destinations (Season 3.29

Haluhalo can be found in a wide range of places, from food stands to 5-star hotels. Filipino fast-food restaurants like Jollibee, Max's, Mang Inasal, and Chowking serve haluhalo.

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See also

• Ice buko
• Iskrambol
• Knickerbocker (Philippines)

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Further reading

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External links

• Halo-halo —from the Philippine Inquirer Internet Edition

Categories: Coconut Desserts, Ice-based Desserts, Japanese Cuisine, Filipino Cuisine, Japanese Fusion Cuisine, Japanese Desserts And Sweets, Philippine Fusion Cuisine, Philippine Desserts, Tagalog Words And Phrases

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