Stay cool with a tall glass or short bowl of haluhalo!
Popularly spelled halo-halo, it is often referred to as our Pambansang Panghimagas or National Dessert (though there are many other candidates). Like many cuisines around the world, halo-halo may also be a “mix-mix” of Filipino and immigrant cuisines.
According to Ambeth R. Ocampo halo-halo has its roots in the introduction of ice, and a dessert called Mongo-ya sold by prewar Japanese immigrants in the Philippines. Mongo-ya was “a plateful of cooked red beans heaped with ground ice, topped with sugar and milk,” according to Kiyoshi Osawa, a Japanese immigrant who lived in the country starting in 1925.
Today halo-halo can contain any number of ingredients, mainly composed of shaved or ground ice, any kind of of sweet beans and sweetened fruits, and milk. The ingredients to your own special bowl or glass of halo-halo can be as unique as you!
A take on halo-halo made with dragon fruit sorbet, ube gelato, jackfruit, bananas, red mung beans, and coconut jellies. Topped with sweetened condensed milk, frosted flakes, and a wafer cigar. Created by Ross Magnaye of Serai in Melbourne for the piccolinagelateria Project: 8 Chefs in 8 Weeks.