Filipino cuisine has always been thought of as intrinsically a fusion of many influences both from the East and the West. Mind you, this is not the fusion of deliberately combining seemingly disparate ingredients but the natural co-mingling of cultures that have crossed paths through the centuries. Due to this confluence, a lot of indigenisation has taken place and there are a lot of things we take for granted.

One of these is how we seem to think of tropical fruits that originate in South and Central American as “native” to the Philippines. The avocado is one of these.

This was meant for Ces’ Lasang Pinoy event and has been languishing in its draft form. It took Sam’s avocado taste test to have me post it. Hehe! One of the ways she had them was “mashed up some avocado and sweetened it with Agave syrup before freezing it” - and she didn’t like it at all.

I wouldn’t either. Plain avocado with sugar doesn’t even sound palatable. I am not so good in explaining taste sensations but let me just say it sounds like a dichotomy, two distinct tastes and textures that can’t come together. They need something to meld them together and milk will do that.

Avocado Frosty
Blend together:
2 small avocados
1/2 cup fresh carabao’s milk
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup ice cubes (if to be eaten immediately, not frozen)

Chill or freeze. Serve and enjoy!

Note: you don’t need a blender for this. Simply scrape the avocado with a spoon. Add the milk and sugar and mash it slightly. Add the ice. It’s done!

It’s what many childhood memories are made of - raw caramelised sugar candies that have a bubbly texture as they melt in the mouth. Locally produced, they were sold in public markets or corner stores. Nothing fancy, just something sweet to satisfy a child’s sweet cravings.

I associate tira-tira (also called balicutya or balicutsa in Ilocano) with elementary school field trips, when our teachers would pack lots of candies and ices for those who get motion sickness to suck on. If nobody gets sick by the middle of the trip, our whole busload of hyperactive youngsters would get a ration of the treats!

Years later, I realise tira-tira is one of the icons of Filipino sweets. They originally came in only one form - 2 inch-long tubes, much like candy canes without the hook. Now I see they’re also made into hearts and curlicues. Tira-tira is taken from the Spanish for ‘pulling’ (tirar, from tirón - help! I can’t conjugate!), the process after boiling sugarcane juice with which the candy is made. This is fairly indicative of its beginnings in haciendas such as those found in Northern, Central and Southern Luzon. The sugar industry still thrives in the same provinces, as well as in Negros, where new sugar mills emerged in the 1800s. It is in these places where one finds pure chunks of sweetness for young and old to enjoy.

The picture above has the remnants of the packet my cousin gave me. Other traditional products from raw sugar such as inuyat and pinocha (panocha to Tagalogs) are still being produced and sold in the marketplace but we take these for granted. That of course piqued my curiosity. I would like to see how these are made! Hmmm… perhaps I can go on an adventure one of these days. In the meantime, I’ll enjoy the three pieces of tira-tira.

Ramirez Store & Native Sugar
Vigan City Public Market
Mobile No. +639062520154

A little Christmas food mystery
This has always been a curious bread for me. For that matter, it’s more cake than bread and its name – sopas – can be confusing. How a bread or cake can be named for a thick, chunky soup is beyond me but it is how this delightful confection has been known for generations. It is one of the staples of Christmas in our town. How do we explain this mystery?

For the December edition of Lasang Pinoy, Mike over at lafang chose the theme Pinoy Christmas Around the World. Filipinos are known to pull all stops when celebrating and this is all the more apparent during the Christmas season. The nine-day Novena Masses formally prepare us for the day itself but the common practice is, our holiday season begins in September, when households and even radio stations start playing Christmas carols. Manger scenes or what we call Belen and Christmas trees soon come out of storage. Read Mike’s announcement, which is a fitting summary of the Filipino Advent tradition. Mike asks Filipinos all over the world how they celebrate Christmas. For those of us in the country, we can talk about how we celebrate traditions that have been passed down through the ages. What an opportunity to discuss sopas!

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