Served on

Pangangaluluwa

Country of Origin 

The Phillipines

Recipe

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Key Points / Halloween Connection

- A rice based dessert that is given to soulers on Pangangaluluwa

Brief Bio

Kakanin is whipped up according to region, family recipes and what’s available. It always starts with the usual sticky rice and coconut milk base, which then gets steamed, boiled, or baked, and served in individual portions of various shapes and sizes. Toppings and fillings include taro, shredded coconut, fried fish, purple yam, and calamansi. Biko, a caramelized sticky rice cake, is a favorite for its simplicity and heartiness. In Sariaya, where Dedace is from, a popular kakanin for Pangangaluluwa is pinaltok or dough balls made from ground sticky rice, coconut milk, and sugar with fruits such as jackfruit, sweet potato or saba bananas chopped inside.

Traditionally, families would wrap the rice cakes in banana leaves and place them in a bayong (a traditional woven basket) that they’d lower out of a window to the lost souls. But today, most families simply bring the basket outside after the performance and leave it on the doorstep to allow the singers to retrieve their treats.