haluhalo

Blame Chowking…

That’s what the Commission on Language has done… placed the blame on the fast-food chain for popularizing the “halo-halo” spelling for this icy concoction.

No, no, no… says the Commission.. We spell this as haluhalo in standard practice — no hyphen, with a “u” there instead of an “o.” It’s a noun.

The only time we use the spelling halo-halo (hyphenated, with two o’s) is when it’s an adjective describing something else. For example: halo-halong opinyon, meaning “mixed opinions.”

For those just tuning in to Filipino food… Haluhalo is the shaved-ice dessert of the Philippines… South Korea has patbingsu, defined in its name by the red beans… the Philippines has haluhalo, which is literally a hodgepodge of ingredients. In Tagalog, the word halo means “mix” so halohalo is mix-mix… Make that haluhalo.

HaluHalo recipe from the 1940s

10 saging, 4 na sintunis o naranghita, 1/2 papaya, 2 tsiko, mani, asukal “suchar” na katamtaman

Talupan ang saging, sintunis, papaya at tsiko. Pagkatapos ay gayatin nang nauuko sa halo-halo.

Ilagay ang mani sa ibabaw ng ensalada.

Macapuno Strings

Photo By Toyang Noresa of Suman Topped With Macapuno Strings

Can you tell the difference between authentic macapuno and young coconut being passed off as macapuno?

Kaong

Kaong is the fruit of the sugar palm tree whose scientific name is Arenga pinnata. Translucently white in color and chewy in texture, the cute-sized fruits of the kaong are a popular ingredient in haluhalo, together with macapuno and nata de coco.

Haluhalo

Photo by Tarshera of HALUHALO, an icy Filipino treat that is most popular during the very hot summer season in the Philippines, in April and May. It’s a hodgepodge of sweetened preserved fruits, evaporated milk, and crushed ice topped with ice cream or leche flan.

Nata de Coco

Nata is the Spanish word for cream, but Nata de Coco is more like cubes of coconut-flavored gelatin. The gel is cultured from coconut water.