KAKANIN

Possible root words: kain (to eat) + kanin (rice)

Ka·ka·nín are Filipino delicacies whose main ingredients are usually rice or root crops.

Examples of popular kakanin:

puto, kutsinta, suman, kalamay, kumanoy, palitaw, pitsi-pitsi, sapin–sapin

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PUTO is arguably the most popular kakanin. Though these steamed rice-cakes are traditionally plain and white, puto are now available in different colors and can be topped with cheese, butter, or slices of salted eggs.

KUTSINTA is another favorite kakanin in the Philippines. This is very sticky, frequently brown-colored, treat is often served with grated coconut, alongside puto.

BIBINGKA is made from glutinous rice and coconut milk. It is traditionally prepared in a clay oven heated by coal placed on top. Before serving, bibingka is first brushed with butter and sprinkled with sugar. Find it served with grated coconut on top.

PITSI-PITSI is made from coconut and cassava. This kakanin is said to have originated in Quezon province.

PALITAW is made from glutinous rice. It is called palitaw because the tongues of dough are dropped into boiling water and the signal that they are cooked is that they float and surface to the top. Litaw is the Tagalog word for to surface or appear.

BIKO is a sweet “cake” made from rice and coconut milk. It is served especially during occasions such as birthdays, fiestas, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and the Day of the Dead observances during the first days of November.

ESPASOL is a long tube of sweet associated with Laguna province. It is made from rice flour, coconut milk, and sweetened coconut meat. What distinguishes it is a dusting of toasted rice flour.

These are just a few among the many types of kakanin in the Philippines!