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Metro Manila, Philippines
If you spent your childhood in the Philippines, you probably gobbled up a lot of these nostalgic sugary snacks. What kind of kid doesn’t like sweets, anyways? There is nothing more emblematic of the joys of youth than a group of kids congregating at recess or after school to trade candy packs with one another, or even to fight over them.
If you’re a grown up now, buckle up as we go on memory lane and reminisce about a time when the only problem you’ve got is how to protect your favorite flavors from the hands of your friends.
LALA CHOCOLATE
For more than 40 years, LALA milk chocolate has been a standard item in a variety of sari-sari shops located in the Philippines. This pastillas and chocolate fusion, which is cherished by generations of Filipinos, is not excessively sweet and does not overwhelm the taste buds. The local chocolate confection stood out from the other kinds available locally due to its exceptionally chewy texture as well as its creamy taste of milk. Bicolano couple Luvimin and Salvacion Belaro relocated to Manila in 1973. Money was tight so to make extra cash, Mr. Belaro would make kamote candy to sell. Accidentally, he made chocolate out of a pastillas mixture and not wanting it to go to waste, he tried his luck and sold it as is. Now, LALA is still very much enjoyed by the people. If you’re wondering, LALA stands for Louie, Arlene, Leonisa, and Arlete—names of the Belaro children.
Learn more about LALA here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvxnpTCQJUc
CHOCNUT
Choc Nut is made using peanuts, sugar, milk powder, cocoa powder, and vanilla. Over the years, it has retained its spot as one of the most loved kid’s snacks in the nation. Despite the fact that the candy is only manufactured on a large scale in the Philippines, it may be purchased in a wide variety of Asian supermarkets and Filipino businesses located in other countries. Choc Nut has actually become quite a popular ingredient in desserts, beverages, and sometimes even cocktails at many cafes and restaurants in the Philippines. It used to be made by Unisman, but the business that makes Hany, Choc Nut’s competitor, has recently taken over the peanut milk chocolate bar.
HANY
Produced by Annie Candy Manufacturing, peanuts from the Philippines of the highest quality are combined with chocolate, milk, and sugar to create Hany Milk Chocolates. Considered as the rival of ChocNut, Hany is also a deeply beloved chocolate treat of many Filipino children. Because of its chocolatey and nutty flavor, you won’t be able to get enough of it once you’ve popped a bar into your mouth! Although similar (and now produced by the same company), Hany and ChocNut lovers will always have disagreements in terms of taste, but one thing’s for sure: they are both delicious.
MIK-MIK
This could easily fall under the quirkier examples of a sweet treat that can be found around the country. It comes in odd powder form, and you consume it by sucking it up via a straw. Because of its uniqueness, this treat is a big hit with many children. Plus, it’s not unusual to see kids goofing about by attempting to blow a pack of the powdered treat into the face of another person simply for the fun of it. However, the powdered milk treat might cause you to choke if you’re not cautious when consuming it. Much like milk, it may be turned into a beverage by adding water and stirring it well.
FLAT AND CURLY TOPS
These Ricoa chocolates are such an iconic Filipino treat that no one could possibly be unaware of them. The chocolates known as Curly Tops and Flat Tops are, at their core, almost interchangeable; the only difference is in their exterior shapes. These are the two delectable homemade chocolates that kids back then adored, and they continue to be quite popular among children now. It is not unusual for someone to consume a whole box of these nicely presented and delightfully mini chocolates in a single sitting. They are that irresistible!
HAW-HAW
The smooth and sugary Haw-Haw candy bar is a nice change of pace from all of that chocolaty deliciousness. Created from the carabao milk, this delicious confection, whether it is chewed or let to melt in the mouth, is unquestionably a favorite among the children of the Philippines. There’s even a spread now!
POTCHI
Potchi is the very first thing that comes to the mind of every Filipino when the topic of gummy candies is brought up. Since the product’s introduction in 1997, its now-iconic strawberry taste has been very well received by the locals. Even though there are now many other varieties of the Potchi gummy candies available, the strawberry-flavored candies continue to be the ones that people crave the most. Even a children’s educational program, Tropang Potchi, which aired on GMA News TV (which was known as Q back then), used Potchi as a mascot.
PASTILLAS
The municipality of San Miguel found in the province of Bulacan in the Philippines is credited with being the birthplace of the sweet confection known as pastillas. This sugary, milky, and chewy confection is a common pasalubong or memento from many different cities in the Philippines. Carabao milk is originally used to make it, although nowadays cow’s milk is used almost exclusively instead. This sugary milky dessert comes in a wide variety of flavors currently, including ube, mango, and durian, but the list of possible combinations is almost unlimited.
YEMA
A sweet custard candy can be found in the form of yema in the Philippines. Egg yolks, sweetened milk, and sugar are the three primary ingredients in its preparation. The word “egg yolk” is where the word “yema” originates from, which is its Spanish translation. It’s origins are quite peculiar; when buildings were first being constructed, cement had not yet been developed for use in the process. As a direct consequence of this, people strengthened the durability of their homes by combining lime with the egg shells and egg whites of eggs. Within a short period of time, there were gallons of unused egg yolks. People began to use eggs in dishes like leche flan and, of course, yema to guarantee that they wouldn’t go to waste.
ICED GEM BISCUITS
Technically, this isn’t candy. But, I feel like it would be a sin to not include this quirky biscuit on a list all about childhood sweets. This delicious treat, which consists of biscuits topped with sugary icing, is a favorite among many people in the Philippines. These one-of-a-kind and charmingly pastel-colored biscuits are the ideal quick midday snack. Some people consume the whole pack, others divide the candies into colors, while others start with one color before moving on to the others. Never mind the way it’s consumed because at the end of the day, a pack of these biscuits is sure to delight you anyways!
Get more information about the treat here: https://www.facebook.com/icedgembiscuits/
STIK-O
Since this article is all about taking you on a trip down memory lane, it will be a grave mistake not to include Stik-O in the list. You see, these highly revered wafer sticks made by Ecco Food Corporation may probably be one of the best Filipino snacks to have ever been created. Why? It is because, for the longest time now, Stik-O had been giving Filipino children nothing but a one-of-a-kind chocolate wafer snack with a taste like no other! What’s more, it also comes with a lot of flavors such as cookies and cream, strawberry, ube, and buko pandan!
This snack had been a part of Filipinos’ lives for so long to the point that if any Filipino adult is to eat one right now, Stik-O’s distinct flavor would probably make them feel extremely nostalgic and remember the good old days when they were just kids playing in the streets carefree; this snack was always one of the many tigpi-piso treats filling the hungry tummies of Pinoy children as they enjoy their youth without a care in the world.
OTAP
Another unforgettable snack is Otap. This sugar-sprinkled thin treat is really an expert in bringing out the feeling of nostalgia to any Pinoy adult who eats this because it is believed the Otap goes way way back in the 1800s in the rich lands of Cebu, making it a famous Filipino merienda among generations. Just one bite of this awesome cookie brings an inexplicable happiness among kids and kids-at-heart as it literally breaks and melts inside the mouth, giving off a perfect balance of sweetness and the right amount of crispness.
CLOUD 9
Photo from: Martin Rules
This incredibly tasty chocolate treat from Jack ‘n Jill is undeniably one of the best treats created in the Philippines. Its addicting savor is made possible by the genius idea of mixing chewy nougat, crackly peanuts, and caramel, molding the three into a bar shape and then coating it with chocolate. What’s more, it does not only come with the classic flavor anymore. This heavenly treat now also comes in Cloud 9 White (white chocolate), Cloud 9 Peanut Butter, Cloud 9 Fudge, and Cloud 9 Overload!
True to its name, the chocolate bar’s delightful taste gives off the feeling of “floating on Cloud 9” to anyone who munches on it; no wonder it has become a favorite snack among many of the kids here in the Philippines.
HELLO!
Since chocolate-flavored treats truly dominated almost every Filipino’s childhood, it should not come as a surprise if this filling wafer sandwich from Jack ‘n Jill got a spot in this list. Similar to all of the previously mentioned Filipino-made treats, Hello! surely has a special place in the hearts of many grown up Pinoys because of its distinct and remarkable taste. Its mouth-watering appearance along with its perfectly balanced taste of wafers, chocolate, and vanilla never failed to satisfy the cravings of the children of both the past and the present generations. What’s more, as the years went by, this snack also got more interesting because unlike its classic packaging, the plastic wrapping of Hello! has been decorated with witty pick up and hugot lines, making this product more memorable than ever!
Reminiscing about our younger years is never a terrible thing. Surely, some of the highlights that made your early years in the Philippines more delightful were the Filipino snacks and sweets listed above. You’ll be able to relive and revisit some of your fondest moments from the past thanks to the fact that you may purchase these items even now.
