''Maja blanca'' () is a Filipino

dessert Dessert is a course (food), course that concludes a meal; the course consists of sweet foods, such as cake, biscuit, ice cream, and possibly a beverage, such as dessert wine or liqueur. Some cultures sweeten foods that are more commonly umami, ...

with a

gelatin Gelatin or gelatine () is a translucent, colorless, flavorless food ingredient, commonly derived from collagen taken from animal body parts. It is brittle when dry and rubbery when moist. It may also be referred to as hydrolyzed collagen, coll ...

-like consistency made primarily from

coconut milk Coconut milk is a plant milk extracted from the grated pulp of mature coconuts. The opacity and rich taste of the milky-white liquid are due to its high oil content, most of which is saturated fat. Coconut milk is a traditional food ingred ...

. Also known as coconut pudding, it is usually served during '' fiestas'' and during the holidays, especially

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

Description

''Maja blanca'' has the consistency of thick

gelatine Gelatin or gelatine () is a translucent, colorless, flavorless food ingredient, commonly derived from collagen taken from animal body parts. It is brittle when dry and rubbery when moist. It may also be referred to as hydrolysis, hydrolyzed col ...

and a delicate flavor, and is creamy white in color.

Etymology and history

The dessert is the local Filipino adaptation of the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

dish ''

manjar blanco The manjar blanco (, or also in Spanish as manjar de leche), known in Catalan as menjar blanc or menjablanc, is a term used in Spanish- and Catalan- speaking areas of the world in reference to a variety of milk-based delicacies. It refers to v ...

'' (

blancmange Blancmange (, from , ) is a sweet dessert popular throughout Europe commonly made with milk or cream, and sugar, thickened with rice flour, gelatin, corn starch, or Chondrus crispus, Irish moss (a source of carrageenan), and often flavoured wit ...

, literally "white delicacy"), but it has become distinct in that it uses very different ingredients, like coconut milk instead of

milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of lactating mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfeeding, breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. ...

almond milk Almond milk is a plant-based milk substitute with a watery texture and nutty flavor manufactured from almonds, although some types or brands are flavored in imitation of cow's milk. It does not contain cholesterol or lactose and is low in saturat ...

. The dish was most popular in

Luzon Luzon ( , ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippine archipelago, it is the economic and political ce ...

, especially in

Tagalog Tagalog may refer to: Language * Tagalog language, a language spoken in the Philippines ** Old Tagalog, an archaic form of the language ** Batangas Tagalog, a dialect of the language * Tagalog script, the writing system historically used for Tagal ...

Kapampangan Kapampangan, Capampañgan or Pampangan may refer to: *Kapampangan people, of the Philippines *Kapampangan language Kapampangan, Capampáñgan, or Pampangan, is an Austronesian language, and one of the eight major languages of the Philippines. ...

, Pangasinense, and Ilocano cuisine. But it was also popular in the south, especially among

Chavacano Chavacano or Chabacano () is a group of Spanish-based creole language varieties spoken in the Philippines. The variety spoken in Zamboanga City, located in the southern Philippine island group of Mindanao, has the highest concentration of spea ...

-speaking Zamboangueños. ''Maja blanca'' is also known as ''dudul'' in Ilocano which reflects its

Austronesian Austronesian may refer to: *The Austronesian languages *The historical Austronesian peoples The Austronesian people, sometimes referred to as Austronesian-speaking peoples, are a large group of peoples who have settled in Taiwan, maritime Sout ...

origin

dodol ''Dodol'' is a sweet toffee-like sugar palm-based confection commonly found in Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Originating from the culinary traditions of Indonesia, it is also popular in Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, the Philippi ...

; as well as ''maja blanca con maíz'', ''maja maíz'', or ''maja blanca maíz'' when

corn kernel Corn kernels are the fruits of Maize, corn (called maize in many countries). Maize is a grain, and the kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable or a source of starch. The kernel comprise endosperm, Germ (grain), germ, pericarp, and tip cap. ...

s are used in the preparation (''maíz'' is Spanish for corn).

Preparation

''Maja blanca'' is relatively easy to prepare. A

(not

coconut cream Coconut milk is a plant milk extracted from the grated pulp of mature coconuts. The opacity and rich taste of the milky-white liquid are due to its high oil content, most of which is saturated fat. Coconut milk is a traditional food ingredient ...

) and cornstarch mixture is heated to boiling over a low flame while stirring.

Agar Agar ( or ), or agar-agar, is a jelly-like substance consisting of polysaccharides obtained from the cell walls of some species of red algae, primarily from " ogonori" and " tengusa". As found in nature, agar is a mixture of two components, t ...

(''

gulaman ''Gulaman'', in Filipino cuisine, is a bar, or powdered form, of dried agar or carrageenan extracted from edible seaweed used to make jelly-like desserts. In common usage, it also usually refers to the refreshment '' sago't gulaman'', somet ...

'' in Filipino) can be substituted for cornstarch. Corn kernels, milk, and sugar are also often added, though these are not traditionally part of the recipe. Once the mixture thickens, it is then poured into serving dishes previously greased with

coconut oil Coconut oil (or coconut fat) is an edible oil derived from the kernels, meat, and milk of the coconut palm fruit. Coconut oil is a white solid fat below around , and a clear thin liquid oil at higher temperatures. Unrefined varieties have a disti ...

, and allowed to cool. Once firm, ''

latik ''Latík'' () refers to two different coconut-based ingredients in Filipino cuisine. In the Visayan region it refers to a syrupy caramelized coconut cream (coconut caramel) used as a dessert sauce. In the northern Philippines, it refers to ...

'' (browned coconut cream curds) are then sprinkled as toppings. It is also often refrigerated and served cold to improve the texture. ''Maja blanca'' is similar in texture to ''

panna cotta Panna cotta (; ; ) is an Italian dessert of sweetened cream thickened with gelatin and molded. The cream may be aromatized with coffee, vanilla, or other flavorings. History The name ''panna cotta'' is not mentioned in Italian cookbooks before ...

'', but the flavor is different due to the coconut milk. The corn kernels and ''latik'' are used to add different textures to the ''maja blanca'', which by itself usually has a creamy texture.

Variations

''Maja blanca'' can easily be adapted to include various other ingredients, often resulting in changes in the color of the dish. Examples include squash ''maja blanca'' which uses

calabaza Calabaza is the generic name in the Spanish language for any type of winter squash. Within an English-language context it specifically refers to the West Indian pumpkin, a winter squash typically grown in the West Indies, tropical America, and t ...

s ( Filipino: ''kalabasa'') and a version of ''maja maiz'' that uses butter, resulting in a distinctive yellow color. Other common variants include ''maja de ube'' (or ''maja ube''), a deep purple variant of ''maja blanca'' which uses ''ube'' (

purple yam ''Dioscorea alata''also called ube (), ubi, purple yam, or greater yam, among many other namesis a species of yam (a tuber). The tubers are usually a vivid violet-purple to bright lavender (hence the common name), but some range from creamy ...

); and ''maja buko pandan'', a light green variant which is flavored with pandan leaves and coconut meat.

References

{{Portal, Food Coconut desserts Philippine desserts Puddings

Description

Etymology and history

Preparation

Variations

See also

References