Filipinos are notorious for their sweet tooth.  We put sugar in almost all of our dishes.  So much so our spaghetti would be a dessert in Italy.  And of course, who can forget our traditional desserts?  Bibingka, turon, halo halo, Cebu torta, tupig, puto bumbong, ginataan, buko pie…the list goes on and on.  In almost every region in the Philippines, desserts are the sweetest part of our lives (diabetes be damned!).

For this holiday season, the TFAL crew decided to dedicate this episode to Filipino desserts.  We discuss our favorites growing up and how desserts have evolved throughout the history of the Philippines.  We also dive into the different ways Filipino Americans create new desserts here in the U.S.  Who better to discuss the evolution of desserts than Ginger Lim Dimapasok, owner of Café 86 and recently crowned Champion of Food Network’s Chopped Sweets competition?  Listen as Ginger discusses how she started baking, what she thinks of the increased attention to ube, and the need to run businesses communally rather than competitively.  We need more Gingers in our lives, so I hope you all take something away from this fun episode!

Listen or download through the embedded player, find us on Mixcloud or subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts here. And for folks on Spotify, you can take a listen to us here.

What are your favorite Filipino desserts?  Let us know by leaving a voicemail at (805) 394-TFAL or email us at thisfilipinoamericanlife@gmail.com!

Visit any locations of Café 86 to get some of the sweet ube goodness that we describe on the show!

P.S.  This is the last episode of the dumpster fire year 2020.  Despite the pain and heartache many of us have endured this year, we wanted to end on a high (and sweet!) note.  We hope you enjoy this episode as you continue keeping as safe as possible.  Please have a happy holiday and we’ll see you on the other side!