mango chocolate

mango chocolate - /mang-go tso-ko-leyt/ (Cebuano sweet; dw Eng. mango + chocolate) [n.] chocolate coated dried mango.

Other local name:

• a.k.a. choco mangga in Cebuano

The ripe or rareripe mango fruit is peeled and sliced into thin slabs. The slices are blanched or steamed in boiling sugar syrup added with a flavoring of choice. 

The cooked sliced mango is strained and then dried either by sun drying or by heating in the oven. Big manufacturers used the “forced air dryer” method that utilizes a heater system to warm the air that is then blown using an industrial fan mechanism to dry the cooked sliced mangoes laid on wire mesh. 

Philippine Brand mango chocolate by Profood International Corporation (Central Visayas Philippines).

When dried, the mango is set to cool and then dipped in melted chocolate and set to stand until the chocolate hardens to coat the dried mango. Dry dark chocolate is commonly used for melted chocolate. The chocolate is melted using the bain marie (or double boiler) technique. The chocolate may also be flavored with vanilla essence or vanillin.

Mango Chocolate by Cacao de Davao is dried mango chips coated with 75% dark cacao chocolate that is made with cacao beans that are grown, harvested, and sundried from Davao.

Mango chocolate is pioneered and popularized in Cebu as a sweet treat. Originating as the famous Cebu dried mango that became a popular pasalubong. 

Philippine Brand mango chocolate by Profood International Corporation (Central Visayas Philippines)

The Cebu Best Mango Chocolate, which was launched in early 2011, claimed to be the first and original chocolate-dipped dried mango introduced in the market and was given as a gift to Pope Francis (Jorge Mario Bergogli) during his Papal Visit to the Philippines in 2015. 

Mango Chocolate by Dutché Chocolates Philippines.

The Cebu Best Mango Chocolate also served as diplomatic giveaways, airline treats, and snacks for presidential flights. 

Cebu Best Mango Chocolate are dried mangoes covered with delightful Belgian chocolate. It claimed to be the first and original chocolate-dipped dried mango introduced in the market. 

Photo courtesy by Cebu Best Mango Chocolate Fabecook page (@CebuBestMango) 

There are now many makers of mango chocolate in the country that carry their own brand names.

The other name for mango chocolate is choco mangga.

Choco Mangga by R&M Preserves is made with chewy mango strips half-covered in velvety chocolate. It comes in dark and white chocolate variants that received the Golden Shell Award.

Related posts: 

Evergreen mango

Miracle fruit

All photos by Edgie Polistico are copyrighted.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

References:

• Cebu Best, Our Story, http://www.cebubestmango.com/#OurStory
• Olchondra, Riza T. “Pioneering R&M levels up from dried mangoes,” Philippine Daily Inquirer, July 26, 2013, https://business.inquirer.net/134567/pioneering-rm-levels-up-from-dried-mangoes

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linabog nga tilapia

linabog nga tilapia - /li-na-bóg nga ti-láp-ya/ Ilonggo, Cebuano, and Boholano dish) [n.] Tilapia fish in thick  and spicy hot coconut milk.

Fresh tilapias are gutted and scaled

Linabog is an old-time Visayan seafood delicacy.  Originally, it uses meat from cartilaginous fish, such as pagi (ray) or iho (shark). The meat of dugong (manatee), butanding (whale shark), and balyena (whale) are also favored when available. If not available, slimy freshwater fish is used, like the hito (catfish) or the haluan (mudfish). 

The ingredients

When Visayans migrated to Mindanao at the height of the “Land of Promise” campaign in the 1970s, they brought along with them the traditional Visayan seafood dishes that included linabog. This explains why linabog is also found in Mindanao.

The ingredients are prepared and ready.

In the olden days, the pagi or iho was cooked into inun-onan (boiled in vinegar) without any condiment, as it was merely a process of preserving the catch to last for days without getting rotten. Later on, the inun-onan evolved with condiments introduced to the islands.  The thick coconut cream was used as a desirable ingredient and thought to be a natural protection from possible food poisoning. Hot spice is also added to mask any nasty taste. What used to be thrown away, eventually became a delectable delicacy.

The fish are cooked in vinegar with garlic and salt to taste. Just the way you cook paksiw na isda. Banana leaves are used to wrap each fish to keep the fishes from sticking to each other. The leaves also add aroma to the dish.

When boiled and cooked, excess vinegar is drained.

Now that the Philippine and International Laws on Marine Wildlife Protection prohibits the capture and consumption of the sea fish mentioned above, the tradition of cooking the original linabog shunned away the locals from savoring their old-time favorite linabog. But the taste of linabog lingers making the locals keep on longing for it. When pagi and iho are not available, they resort to hito or haluan. Later on, tilapia is also used.

Cooking oil is added and brought to boil. The fish are fried well until crisp with those bones and fins on the edges would easily brittle.

Excess oil is drained right away after frying, or the fishes are removed from the oil.

Braising the fish first in vinegar with salt and spices transforms “nasty” to “tasty.” It removes the nasty fishy odor of the fish. Cooking is exactly the same way as you cook paksiw na isda. In my recipe, I made the twist of frying the fish after braising them in vinegar with condiments to attain the crispiness of the skin and edges of the fish, which is a favorite of mine when it comes to tilapia. Chewing the crisp-fried bones is nice and tasty. It also eliminates the hassle of picking those tiny bones around the edges, which I often feared might prick my throat if I accidentally swallowed them.

All the spices are sauteed until they caramelize then added with some water, simmered for awhile, then coconut cream is added (below).

Visayans are known to be fond of using creamy coconut milk in their seafood delicacies. Almost all Visayan seafood cooked with coconut cream or coconut milk are my favorites, among them are the tinunoang kinilaw (fish ceviche in coconut cream), the tinunoang kinhason (shellfish in coconut milk), and linabog.

Curry powder

Hot chili pepper

Salt

Sibuyas dahon (chive)

I was inspired by the sinugno of Quezon province that I added pechay leaves (in place of mustasa) in my recipe. Chilies are not strange to Visayans. They use it to spice in many of their dishes. They even have a dish called halang-halang for that. They also squeeze chilies in kinilaw.

Bell pepper (green and red)

Pechay leaves buried in thick coconut sauce, simmered, then transferred onto deep serving dish.

Here’s my version of linabog and enjoy cooking and dining with my fellow Visayan’s comfort food. This will make linabog continue to live on - in a new form

The crisp fried tilapias are arranged on top the savory spicy coconut sauce. To eat, flake the fish, dip or combine it in the sauce, and savor every bite.

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Related posts:

How to cook Linabog Nga Tilapia
A fully illustrated recipe by Edgie Polistico
 

All photos by Edgie Polistico posted in this blog are copyrighted. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Continue to follow my blogs. You can also follow and learn more by joining us in our Facebook group. Have more bits and pieces about our kind of food, ingredients, and ways of cooking, dining, and knowing food culture across the 7,641 islands of the Philippines. I will search for more and continue to share my findings. It is my pleasure to rediscover the known and least known things or the unheard ones and put them here for everyone to find, learn, and treasure. 

Encouragement and enthusiasm are not enough. I also need moral support, prayers, and anything else that can uplift my spirit and keep my good reasons. Keep them coming. All I know is that I am happy with what I am sharing and giving away. If you are pleased and happy with what I am doing, just smile and please share the happiness. Keep sharing and include to share the PHILIPPINE FOOD ILLUSTRATED. I feel energized when my blog becomes one of the reasons why you are happy and smiling. 

Edgie Polistico  

For more about Filipino food, see  this Philippine Food, Cooking, and Dining Dictionary. It is OPEN and FREE.

balot itlog manok

balot itlog manok - (ba-lót it-log ma-nòk; Cebuano delicacy) [n.] boiled fertilized chicken egg. 

 

a.k.a. balot in Cebuano
balut itlog manok in Tagalog and other local languages

This Visayan delicacy is a new variation of Filipino balut egg that is made with brownish Caber chicken egg. It became popular in Cebu City a few years ago.

This 16-day-old balot itlog manok looks more gruesome than its predecessor duck egg balut. It has more feathers with fully developed legs, head, and beak. 

It started to appear in Cebu City sometime in 2012.

Along with the penoy itlog manok or pinoy, this Visayan balot is now gaining fast popularity in Visayas and in some places in Mindanao. It even reached Lucena City in Quezon province and in Bambang, Manila, probably brought and introduced by the Visayans who moved to settle in Quezon province and in Metro Manila. 

Recently, I found it on the sidewalk of the Alabang viaduct and on Montillano Street in Muntinlupa City.

This Visayan "balot" is more gruesome compared to its predecessor duck egg balut. It has more hairs (feathers) and the legs, head, and beak of the chick appear to be prominently developed already. 

It tastes quite similar to duck egg balut, but the bones are a bit tougher and the hairs are nasty. Next time you dare a foreigner to eat balut, offer this Visayan BALOT instead. Let's see how far we can scare them. hahaha!

By the way, do not dare to offer this to our Muslim brethren because a nasty and gruesome food like this is considered unclean (Haram) according to Islamic laws. Besides, living animals have to be slaughtered in a manner that it has to bleed. Otherwise, you are insulting them.

Related posts:

Balut

Penoy


Orange egg barbecue


Pinoy (penoy itlog manok)

Guinness's largest serving of balut in Pateros

Ebun a barag

All photos by Edgie Polistico are copyrighted. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

See Index of Entries here

For more about Filipino food, see  this Philippine Food, Cooking, and Dining Dictionary. It is OPEN and FREE.

pinoy (penoy itlog manok)

pinoy -  (pi-nóy; Cebuano delicacy) [n.] unfertilized chicken egg. 

 

a.k.a. pinoy Bisaya in Cebuano
penoy itlog manok and pinoy Bisaya in Tagalog and other local languages

A variation of Filipino "penoy" boiled egg that is made with brownish Caber chicken eggs.

For the past 5 years now, it is now gaining popularity in Visayas, particularly in the downtown district of Cebu City, such as in Carbon Public Market, Fuente Osmeña, and Taboan.

It can also be found now in Iloilo City and Bacolod, as well as in Cagayan de Oro City of Misamis Oriental (Mindanao). Also in Tacloban City, Lucena City (Quezon), Silay City (Negros), and sometimes even in Bambang (Manila) and Alabang (Muntinlupa). 

The Visayan PINOY and BALOT eggs are getting more popular than its predecesssor, the duck egg penoy.

It tastes quite similar to an ordinary boiled chicken egg, with no bad smell.

A dipping sauce of spiced-up vinegar sprinkled with or pressed on rock salt, a zest is added to it.

Similar to balut penoy, opinions as to whether or not pinoy is Haram (forbidden) in Islamic law differ from various schools of thought. 

It is unclear if this unfertilized egg is just similar to a fresh chicken egg that can be taken as food.  

There are those who would say that considering the chick and its blood are not yet formed in the egg. Thus, pinoy and/or penoy can be taken as food, because only those living animals that are not killed without slaughtering and whose blood was not shed are considered Haram. 

To be safe, it is advisable to ask first if that Muslim would gladly accept a pinoy egg.

Related posts:

Penoy


Orange egg barbecue

Ebun a barag

Guinness largest serving of balut in Pateros

All photos by Edgie Polistico are copyrighted. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

See Index of Entries here

For more about Filipino food, see  this Philippine Food, Cooking, and Dining Dictionary. It is OPEN and FREE.