Ube Halaya or Purple Jam photo via Deposit Photos
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Philippines Most Loved Native Delicacies: Top 12 Kakanin in the Philippines

Best Filipino desserts and kakanin

Filipino Delicacies: Top 12 Kakanin in the Philippines

Filipinos like to eat a variety of food. You will never miss finding exquisite Filipino made dishes that are all comfy in taste. There’s the classic Lutong Bahay, the Lechon, the Halo-Halo, and the. But one should never forget to taste all the Sweet native delicacies meticulously prepared by the locals of each province.

Some provinces in the Philippines boast of their very own kakanin, while most of these kakanins are widely sold in the markets and the malls. Each of these treats symbolizes the sweetness and closeness of every Filipino Family.

Pinoy Native Delicasies photo by Dolorskakanin.ph
Pinoy Native Delicacies photo by Dolorskakanin.ph

Whether you’re craving for something with gata (coconut milk) or perhaps with pulitipot, cheese, corn, coconut meat, or even cassava, the Philippine kakanins has it all for you.

Listed below are the top 10 most popular Kakanin around the country. Make sure when you go around the market that you grab a bite of these Filipino snacks.

Puto

Puto with Cheese
Puto with Cheese

Calasiao, Marikina, and goldilocks are the best places to get puto. They’re round cupcakes like kakanin made from rice flour mixed with coconut milk and sugar. They are steamed for almost an hour and topped with sliced cheese.

Puto is quite popularly paired with the classic Dinuguan. These two would always be a perfect meal combo. Puto is also quite big on birthdays and fiestas as they are served alongside classic fiesta dishes like pancit and other native delicacies.

Suman

Suman
Suman native delicacies

Made from glutinous rice, sugar coconut milk and wrapped in banana or buri leaf, these little neatly packed goodies are also quite popular. Whether you want to eat it as is or pair it with a decent serving of sweet mangoes, they are definitely really good to eat.

Some suman is already sweetened, while others don’t have a lot of sugar. Those wrapped in Buri leaves are quite sweet, while those in banana leaves are not.

Royal Bibingka

Tongson Royal Bibingka photo by FoodTrippings.com
Tongson Royal Bibingka photo by FoodTrippings.com

A trip to Vigan City would never be complete without tasting Royal Bibingka. Made from glutinous rice flour, coconut milk, eggs, sugar, and evaporated milk, topped with cheese and milk, this sweet and creamy delight would surely conclude your trip to Vigan with a smile.

If you miss getting one at Vigan, head over to Baguio City and grab a box from the market vendors who make them at Barangay Irisan.

Bibingka

Bibingka in Laguna
Bibingka in Laguna
Bibingka
Bibingka

Bibingka vendors are quite common near churches, especially during the Christmas season. They’re famous among churchgoers during the Simbang Gabi. It’s best served hot with margarine, butter, or cheese on top.

Some bibingka have salted eggs, which gives it a special kick. Bibingka is made from rice flour, coconut milk, sugar, milk, baking powder, and softened butter.

Cassava Cake

Cassava Cake or Budin in Tayabas Quezon
Cassava Cake or Budin in Tayabas Quezon

If you’re a fan of cassava or tapioca, then this is the kakanin choice for you. Besides its unique taste, Cassava cake is very special because making one is a tedious job. Just imagine the trouble one puts up with peeling the cassava tubers, then grating them one by one.

After grating the tuber, one would need to combine it with other necessary ingredients such as eggs, milk, and sugar. The dedication, coupled with the uncommon taste of this kakanin, would surely be a winner.

Sapin-sapin

Sapin Sapin
Sapin Sapin

There would never be any other kakanin as vibrantly colored as the Sapin-Sapin. This kakanin is basically made from glutinous rice and coconut milk. But what makes it special is that it features three layers of awesome flavors.

The bottom layer is jackfruit flavor; the middle layer is plain, while the top layer is ube flavored. The flavors blend in very well together.

Kutsinta

Kutsinta
Kutsinta

Kutsinta is one of the simplest kakanin in the Philippines. It’s also very easy to find in the markets or malls. It’s that brown cupcake like kakanin that’s sold alongside puto or suman.

It is basically comprised of flour, sugar, annatto powder, and lye water. They are commonly eaten with grated coconut.

Biko

Biko
Biko

Biko is sold almost in every market in the Philippines. They are available in bilaos and other native delicacies like Sapin-Sapin. Biko is basically rice cakes topped with latik. Latik is the crunchy and sweet stuff they make from caramelizing coconut milk and sugar.

A slice of Biko would surely go well with a cup of coffee or perhaps tea. It’s great to eat at any time of the day.

Pichi-pichi

Pichi-pichi
Pichi-pichi

If you see the light yellow kakanin coated in grated coconut, then that is the Pichi-pichi. It’s made from combining grated cassava and sugar.

It’s very light, and more often than not, it’s quite addicting to eat. They often sell it in groups of 6s or 12s, and they surely are worth every penny.

Maja Blanca

Maja blanca
Maja blanca

A magkakanin would always have Maja Blanca among the food they sell. They’re usually sold in square slices, sometimes topped with cheese, or sometimes with latik.

These small sweet treats are made from mixing Corn starch, sweet corn kernels, sugar, and coconut milk. Special majas are very creamy and even melt in your mouth.

Turon – Fried Sweet Banana Rolls

Fried sweet banana rolls - Turon photo via Depositphotos
Fried sweet banana rolls – Turon photo via Depositphotos

Turon is a popular Filipino street food. These banana rolls are fried and dusted with brown sugar. Other fillings can also be used together with the banana, most commonly jackfruit (langka), and also sweet potato, mango, cheddar cheese, and coconut.

Ube Halaya or Purple Jam

Ube Halaya or Purple Jam photo via Deposit Photos
Ube Halaya or Purple Jam photo via Deposit Photos

Ube halaya or halayang ube is a dessert made from boiled and mashed purple yam. Ube halaya is the main base in ube/purple yam flavored-pastries and ice cream.

It can also be incorporated in other desserts such as halo-halo, pandesal, and ensaymada.

Inutak

Inutak photo by Leshly Jeane via Facebook
Inutak photo by Leshly Jeane via Facebook

Inutak is a native Filipino delicacy made from sticky rice and purple yam. This layered rice cake is cooked with coconut cream, coconut milk, evaporated milk, and sugar.

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Written by Melo Villareal

Melo Villareal is the Online Publisher of Outoftownblog.com. He is an Accountant by profession who left the corporate world at the age of 23 to explore his beautiful country and the rest of the world. Today, Melo works as a part-time Social Media Manager for local and international clients. His full-time work focuses on discovering interesting culture, explore different cuisines and take memorable photos from local and international destinations he's visiting.

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