Indigenous Goodness

[Source]

Philippine "titbits, dainties, [and] sweetmeats" are known in Tagalog as "kakanin". These are called "koro [or] kakanon" in Bikol, "kalan-unon" in Hiligaynon and Cebuano, "kánkanén" in Ilocano, "kakanén" in Pangasinan, "makaon" in Cebuano, "karaunon" or "pagkaon" in Samar-Leyte or Waray [Panganiban, José Villa. Diksyunaryo-Tesauro Pilipino-Ingles. Quezon City: Manlapaz Publishing Co., 1972.] and "capangan" or "kapangan" in Kapampangan [Samson, Venancio Q. Kapampangan Dictionary. Center for Kapampangan Studies, Holy Angel University, 2011.]

Though not all of these are sweet, many of them are, so that Dr. Panganiban referred to them in his dictionary as "titbits, dainties, sweetmeats". 

They are attested to early in the Spanish period. Vocabulario de la lengua tagala, for instance, by Juan José de Noceda (1681-1747) and Pedro de Sanlucar, [Source] has an entry for "calamay". But indigenous kakanin would be joined by Hispanicized sweets during the centuries of Spanish colonization, and these, too, would be indigenized and considered as Filipino as earlier kakanins.

Despite the arrival of sweets introduced by the Americans and later innovations, indigenous and Filipinized sweetmeats would be favored by Filipino taste buds until the 21st century. As would be expected, sugar-free versions would also enter the picture, and we are featuring them here.

Sugar-free native Sweetmeats or Delicacies

"Mamon," defined in Vicassan's Pilipino-English Dictionary (Abridged Edition) [Manila:  Anvil, 2006] as "a kind of sponge-like cake or muffin," might be better placed in the company of Western style cakes and pastries. But it has been indigenized, carrying a Spanish-Filipino name, which would have risqué connotations in Spain, and it may be more appropriately included among native sweetmeats and tidbits.  In any case, Goldilocks, a restaurant and bakery, carries a sugar-free mamon.

"Polvoron," also of Spanish origin, is more widely available in sugar-free versions, with more manufacturers and greater variety. HOP (House of Polvoron) has many variants of its product, including a sugar-free version, "crisp rice powdered milk candies." It comes in 234-gram boxes, each containing 18 pieces of polvoron. The sweetener is stevia, a natural product taken from a plant. It is available in many malls and outlets.

Another sugar-free brand of polvoron is NutriVron. All varieties I have seen (I've only found them in SM's Kultura) carry the welcome label "no sugar added". It is available in a 120-gram box containing eight pieces. Flavors include malunggay polvoron, ampalaya polvoron, polvoron mango bits and polvoron pineapple bits. 

A sugar-free version of pastillas is also available. A Laguna-based producer carries products in various flavors, including banana, ube, almond, strawberry and buko pandan.

Clearly, native sweetmeats or delicacies have also caught up with the sugar-free trend. If they are patronized by diabetics and dieters, we can look forward to a greater variety of offerings, and a greater availability.