Halo-Halo is the ultimate summer treat. It is a layered dessert consisting of sweetened beans, fruits, shaved ice drizzled with evaporated milk, and ice cream. A favorite Filipino dessert or snack that is cool and refreshing, perfect for beating the tropical heat that exists almost year round in the Philippines.
The origin of this popular treat can be traced to the pre-war Japanese Filipinos and the Japanese kakigori class of desserts. One of the earliest versions of Halo-halo was a dessert known locally as monggo con hielo or mongo-ya which consisted of only mung beans (Tagalog: monggo or munggo, used in place of red azuki beans from Japan), oiled and cooked in syrup (minatamis na monggo), served on top of crushed ice with milk and sugar.
When you Mix all three together, you’ll end up with a halo-halo. The term “halo-halo” literally means “mixed (together)”. According to Ang Sarap, Halo- halo is a staple of Filipino cuisine and the country’s most popular summer dessert. While it’s a very sweet treat, it does not taste like candy, nor is it sickeningly sweet, despite its gummy bear-colored layers.
Halo Halo is a popular cold dessert in the Philippines made up of crushed ice, evaporated milk or condensed milk, and various ingredients including: ube, sweetened beans, coconut strips, sago, gulaman, pinipig rice, boiled taro or soft yams in cubes, slices or portions of fruit preserves and other root crop preserves, flan, and often topped with a scoop of ube ice cream.
Halo-Halo can be described as a hybrid of a milkshake, a boba tea, and a fruit parfait. This dessert represents the ability of the Filipinos to adopt foreign influences and adapt them to suit their own lifestyle. This Filipino dessert has long existed in the sunny cities, but is gaining popularity among non- Filipinos as well. It’s a smorgasbord of many flavors, textures and ingredients that can bring up many childhood memories for many filipinos.
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