* Pinoy Sweetness: Sweet Pasalubongs You Can Take Home

Pinoy Sweetness: Sweet Pasalubongs You Can Take Home

Manila Bulletin September 15, 2010

One of the best ways to learn about and experience the Philippines is through eating.

Practically each province, or even municipality, in the country has its own unique cuisine to promote. This is what most of our foreign visitors are delighting on apart from our colorful festivities and unique practices. But for foreign friends who don’t get to see the Philippines, or Filipinos who hasn’t explored their homeland, they can enjoy our pasalubongs (goodies).

Here are Spot.ph’s list of some of the most popular Pinoy pasalubongs.

Pili tarts – These are nut desserts commonly found in Bicol made from pili nuts. These are just one of the food products made from pili in the province, and it is sold around P100 per five packs with each pack containing five to six pieces.

Inipit – Inipit is a sweet treat from Bulacan that is made with little rectangles of chiffon filled with custard, caramel, or ube. This is usually sold in boxes of 10, 25, and 50.

Yema cake – This sinfully sweet pastry from the Quezon province is made from sponge cake with yema icing topped with cheese. This is sold at P350 to P450 per cake.

Chocolate-covered polvoron – This is twice a sweet treat. Mostly made in Tagaytay, the polvoron is covered with either brown or white chocolate or both. The polvoron also comes in three varieties: cookies and cream, cashew, or pinipig. This is sold per dozen at P150.

Peanut kisses – These are Bohol’s nutty version of a famous chocolate product, but they are shaped more like the province’s Chocolate Hills. Peanut kisses are made from peanuts, egg whites, sugar, and vanilla. They can also be added to your other favorite desserts such as ice cream and fruit salad.

Binagol – This is Tacloban’s signature kakanin cooked in coconut shell. It is made from root crop talyan, coconut milk, sugar, and nuts, and wrapped in banana leaves. Each piece is sold from P30 to P40.

Vjandep pastel – This pastry from Cagayan de Oro (pronounced vandep) is a bun made from flour, sugar, eggs, and vegetable lard and filled with creamy mixture of milk, butter, and eggs. It also comes in mango, cheese, langka, and macapuno flavors. Vjandep pastel is sold per dozen at P115.

Suman – Suman is among the top Pinoy kakanins and is produced in different parts of the country. It is made from malagkit, coconut milk, and sugar. It is sweetened with brown sugar, latik, and native chocolate. One of the most famous suman is that of House of Suman in Clarin, Misamis Occidental.