The Origin of the "Halo-Halo"

 Memories of Old Manila & Beyond

Romeo del Carmen ·tdoonSersp gin afm1Mu724aA52hcr0y02hmt5lu001f62a3mJi60 54a : ·

Did You Know ? . . . the Origin of our own favorite dessert, the "Halo-Halo".

Arguably the Philippines’ most popular dessert (sorbetes is another choice), halo-halo has a history as deliciously rich as its mixture of flavors. The Japanese "Mitsumame", literally means “many beans,” a favorite homeland refreshment translated into mongo con hielo by Japanese immigrants, helped bring icy refreshment to the popular market.

Philippine variations climaxed in halo-halo, which adds fruit preserves and custards to the prototype. The original mitsumame was at first made with snow until the ice-shaver made its way into the Japanese Asahi company’s technology.

During Peacetime, the cheapest order at a mongo con hielo parlor (whose proprietors revealed themselves to be Nippon Army officers after Pearl Harbor) was mono, a glass of crushed ice with karamelo that cost one kusing, thus its name, which means “one.” If the customer was willing to spend two kusings (one centavo), a jigger of evaporated milk for the mono was added. Eventually, one could order shaved ice plus any singular or other combination of halo-halo ingredients.

The very Tagalog-sounding halo-halo actually owes its origin to a Japanese sweet treat called the "Kakigori". Known as shaved ice in English, kakigori is similar to a snow cone in that it is sweetened with condensed milk, syrup, and sweetener, but is eaten with a spoon just like the Filipino version.

As to how kakigori arrived here, the dessert was supposed to have been brought over to the Philippines by the Japanese who worked building the Kennon Road in Baguio in the early 1900's. Specifically, it was the farmers who came to the country and who modified the kakigori by adding in mongo, red and kidney beans, and even papaya into the mix.

Instead of calling it halo-halo at the time, the Japanese called it “mongo-ya” due to the usage of mongo as one of the ingredients for the dessert, according to Kiyoshi Osawa, an expat who lived in the Philippines.

Source :

Food historian Felice Prudente Sta. Maria. In her book The Governor-General’s Kitchen: Philippine Culinary Vignettes and Period Recipes 1521-1935.
Doreen G. Fernandez, in “Culinary Culture of the Philippines”.
Historian Ambeth Ocampo. Japanese origins of the Philippine ‘halo-halo’. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
Osawa, K. (1981). A Japanese in the Philippines : an autobiography.
Filipinas Heritage Library.