When summer gets too hot, people in the Philippines, particularly those in the northern regions, find themselves heading for the mountains of Baguio. There is a reason why this city is called the summer capital of the country, and this is because this area stays cooler than the rest of the archipelago despite the searing heat of summer. Aside from this, Baguio is also known for a lot of other things, like strawberries, pine trees, and the many delicacies you can enjoy there as well as take home with you.
To give you an idea as to what these delicacies are, here are a few of the more popular ones people often gravitate towards:
Alfajores – this is a sandwich cookie that traces its roots to Argentina. It is made with flour, butter, and dulce de leche, among other ingredients. You can probably call these cookies the precursor to the popular sandwich cookies that you see all around you. This popular cookie is a product of the Good Shepherd Convent in Baguio, which is also where a lot of other popular delicacies in this mountain city come from.
Lengua de Gato – another Spanish biscuit/cookie that has become a popular treat that is associated with this city. Another product made popular by the Good Shepherd Convent (which incidentally also makes the very popular ube jam and strawberry jam in the city), these thin cookies are reminiscent of broas, but are less airy and more thin, wafer-like treats. Ingredients used to make this include butter, egg whites, sugar, and flour.
Chocolate Crinkles – this is another baked goodie that is originally from elsewhere in the world, but has become synonymous with Baguio delicacies. These powdered sugar sprinkled chocolate cookies are the favorite of kids and adults in the city and around the country. These are very crumbly cookies that are similar in texture to polvoron cookies, and are round in shape with its trademark cracks that earned it the name crinkles (since the cracks resemble wrinkles, or cracked wrinkles).
Aside from these baked goodies, such jams and preserves like ube jam and strawberry jam are perfect for when you make your own baked goodies like strawberry tarts, ube tarts, strawberry pies, and the like. The superior quality of the ingredients used in the creation of these popular products from Baguio, and the years of perfecting the making of such preserves, will give you the best possible results when you create such pastries.
