By Gabriela Baron
The Filipino dirty ice cream or sorbetes and halo-halo were listed among world’s best frozen desserts, according to food encyclopedia TasteAtlas.
Sorbetes received a rating of 4.5 stars out of 5.
TasteAtlast described the local desert as a “popular Filipino ice cream,” with famous flavors such as mango, chocolate, cheese, chocnut, and purple yam or ube.
“Traditionally, it is produced from carabao milk and served in tiny scoops on sugar cones. Some Filipinos like to consume it sandwiched between bread buns, like a hamburger,” TasteAtlas wrote.
“Although it sounds similar to a sorbet, coming from the Spanish sorbete, it is not a sorbet, but a dirty ice cream, as the locals jokingly call it due to the fact that it is sold along polluted streets. Sorbetes can usually be found at numerous street carts throughout the Philippines,” it added.
Meanwhile, halo-halo (literally mix-mix), was rated 3.8 stars.
TasteAtlast described the summer staple as a “refreshing” snack of mixed fruit and beans.
Halo-halo is usually topped with finely crushed ice and either milk or ice cream. Some of its most common ingredients include bananas, jackfruit, coconut, sweet potatoes, red mung beans, chickpeas, sugar palm fruit, purple yam jam, leche flan, and sweet corn or corn crisps.
“Originally, halo-halo desserts were sold by Japanese vendors in halo-halo parlors or at numerous street stalls before the occupation of the Philippines in the 1940s,” the food encyclopedia noted.
“In fact, this Filipino specialty is often said to have been inspired by a shaved-ice cooler called anmitsu, another Japanese summer drink.”
The list was topped by Iran’s bastani sonnati or a saffron-infused ice cream.
It was followed by Peru’s queso helado, Turkiye’s dondurma, and United States of America’s frozen custard at second, third, and fourth places, respectively.
-ag
