 Balicucha a candy made from sugarcane, serves as a natural sweetener for coffee and tea. | |
| Alternative names | Balicucha, Balikutsa |
|---|---|
| Type | Sweets |
| Place of origin | Philippines |
| Region or state | Ilocos |
| Main ingredients | Sugarcane juice |
| Variations | Butong-butong, Tira-tira |
Balikucha, also spelled balicucha or balikutsa, is a type of traditional pulled sugar candy from the Philippines. It is made by boiling pure sugarcane juice or crystalline sugar (usually muscovado or palm sugar) until it caramelizes and becomes a syrup. It is then pulled and folded repeatedly against a nail until it turns a creamy white color. The resulting ropes of candy are then cut into sections and curled at the ends, resulting in a distinctive shape similar to palmier pastries. They are allowed to dry under the sun before being sold. [1]
They can be eaten as is and are popular candies for children. They have a hard porous texture that melts in the mouth. They are also commonly used to sweeten hot drinks like coffee, tsokolate , and tea, as they melt quickly. They can also be melted again into a syrup used to sweeten desserts like cariocas (fried glutinous rice balls). [1] [2] [3]
Balikucha is similar to the tira-tira candy of the Tagalog regions (which are also sometimes called balikucha) and butong-butong of the Western Visayas, except that tira-tira are shaped into small sticks and butong-butong is shaped into a coil. [4] [5] [6] [7] Balikutsa is also the name for coconut toffee, a traditional chewy candy from the Visayas and Mindanao islands made from hardened coconut milk and sugar syrup. [8] [9]
Balikucha is celebrated in the annual Balicucha Festival of the town of Santa Maria, Ilocos Sur during the months of March and April. [10]
