Tuesday, March 10, 2009

This Reminds Me Of My Childhood


While Nerds, Tootsie Rolls, Tootsie Pops, Pop Rocks, Bazooka gum, PEZ, Gummy Worms, Chiclets, Swedish Berries and other things that rot your teeth candies remind me of my childhood, there's a certain confectionery goody that totally brings me back to afternoons spent in my grandparents' kitchen.

This particular treat is Polvorón. (Pron. "pulburon" in filipino/tagalog) Eating polvorón was always a treat, because where we lived (in Montreal, Quebec) it wasn't always easy to come by. When family members or friends would go to the Philippines, they'd bring back some for us. Sometimes one of our aunts or friends of our aunts would make some for us around Christmastime.I always thought that polvorón was a type of candy, but it turns out it's actually a type of shortbread. Polvorón is made of flour, sugar, powdered milk, and sometimes nuts. If you're feeling really ambitious, here's a recipe you can try. Me? I'd rather wait until Christmas or until one of my family members returns from a trip to the Philippines with Polvoron for us! Goldilocks perfected the polvoron, so why mess with perfection?

As a kid, I only knew of one type of polvoron. It was the original flavour with pinipig (immature glutinous rice that is pounded into flakes--kind of like filipino Rice Krispies). The Pinipig polvoron has great crunch and it's not too sweet. Like shortbread though, it can leave your mouth a little dry. Now, there are lots of different flavours, such as...Choco polvoron- Hubby's favourite. He likes the delicate hint of chocolate. Okay, he didn't say those exact words. In any case, I think that's one of the reasons my husband married me. He gets to sample all kinds of food from the Philippines, China, the Caribbean, Spain, etc. Way to test out his purely Anglo-Saxon taste buds! Those were his exact words! Ha! Remember this post?!?!
Cashew polvoron- I didn't really detect any cashew flavour. It seemed almost bland and very dry. Kind of gave me the pasties. Not a fan of the cashew polvoron.

Cookies 'n Cream polvoron- Pretty good! Though I'm a stickler for tradition and almost always hate any new twist to traditional food because I think it takes away from the history of one's culture (I know, I'm a weirdo), I kind of like the cookies 'n cream polvoron. Tasty, yet not overly sweet.Peanut polvoron- Ick! Not a peanut fan to begin with...unless we're talking Reece's Peanut Butter Cups! Why they come in packs of three is shocking to me though, since one is just about as much sweetness and richness I can handle. Am I going on a tangent here? Okay, the peanut polvoron. Hubby says it tastes like stale peanuts. Enough said.

Woot! Just discovered that Goldilocks polvoron can be purchased in the U.S.!! Oh, wait! We live in Canada...on an island!!! I suppose we can always order online. Nah. I'll just wait until my aunt returns from vacationing 'back home'.

P.S. The first photo is of Little One amidst the Nerds and Hi-Chews Jeanna, one of our fave Chedheads sent while I was on bed rest during my pregnancy. The Cow Pies and Udder Fingers were already sampled, but we just had to include photos of them. Note the opened/empty boxes in the first photo? I do have a photo of me in the hospital wearing that Babcock Ice Cream t-shirt while I was pregnant. Just need to find it. Thanks again, Jeanna! xo

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

OH MY FRIKKIN GOD! SHE IS SO CUTE!

I like the original one best too but tht's the only one I tried at your grandmothers place !

E said...

WOW! What an incredibly cute picture of LO! She looks like she's lickin' her lips as she looks at all that candy!
Word ver. (and I'm not kidding, here) "drool". Seriously. No, *really*, it's "drool"!! HAHA!
Hope you're well! Miss you and your little munchkin!
E.

Cherry said...

I've never heard of these! They sounds lovely especially since I love shortbread.

The Goldilocks by our house closed... stupid economy! Wonder if I can find them at our local asian market. They have a pretty extensive snack/treat aisle.

I had to call to my hubby to ask him what the Wisconsin Badger's name is since he went to school there. It's BUCKY!

Unknown said...

T:
Thanks :) I think she's cute too. I guess we're going to have to keep her! ;p

Unknown said...

Esther:
Is it okay if I post that photo of you and LO? You know...the one where she looks like an alien holding her head up on her own while you were carrying her? ;p

Unknown said...

Cherry:
Oh, I'm SURE you'll find some polvoron in your neck of the woods! California has anything and everything Asian in the Asian stores! Lucky you!! I'm jealous! You can try making them! You're such a good baker/cook!

caninecologne said...

oh, she's so adorable and so sweet! loved this post - Goldilocks desserts are the best! And I love polvoron too. My non-Filipino friends think it's awful - that it's too powdery, but I love it.

My favorite polvoron flavors are the cookies and cream, ube (purple yam), cashew and the one with pinipig (the pounded rice)

polvoron!!!!! yummm!!!!

word ver - parfungs

Jeanna said...

Wow, C., what a great surprise. (Drool, indeed, LOL.)
I just had to borrow the photo you sent and post it pronto! That is one great photo, she is going to love it or sue you when she grows up.
Another dessert for me to seek and try, I don't think I need that considering how my pants fit these days.
I'm glad you got the stuff and LO is just too much! Always so well dressed to boot.
It's amazing how you know about all these different foods and sweets.

louann said...

Oh my gosh she is sooo big already! THat's how long I've been away!

And yes, Pulburon IS YUMMY!

Unknown said...

Canine:
My non-filipino friends feel the same way about polvoron. They find it too dry and too powdery. Hubby likes it though. He loves filipino food-- especially pancit, adobo, calderetta, lumpia, lumpia Shanghai, and longonisa, Okay, he likes just about everything. Not bad for a non-pinoy farm boy, eh? :)

Unknown said...

Jeanna:
Tee hee! It was fun! :) Plus, she is a cute poster child for sugar-holics anonymous, yes?

Uncivil said...

I like that little Sugar Baby in the first picture!!!!!
She is precious!


word verif. ropsop

Unknown said...

Louann:
I'm off to see you now! I've been anxiously awaiting baby news!!

Unknown said...

Jimbo:
Tee hee! You know, you are really letting that "Uncivil" title slip! You're a big softy :) LO sends her hugs xo

Momisodes said...

Wow! That's a lotta candy :) And look at her. She is such a doll!

I believe I have tried Polvorón before. If I remember correctly, it was mouth-watering, divine :)
Thanks for the link to the recipe!

Tracy said...

She's so little and so CUTE!

Unknown said...

Sandy:
LOL! I know! Courtesy of The Wisconsin Candy Dish. If you haven't checked the blog yet, it's worth a look. Jeanna is hilarious!

I meant to tell you that when I voted for you, you were in the top 3, I think! Wooo hoooo!!! Way to go, Momisodes! ;) xo

Unknown said...

Starshine:
Tee hee! I know...that candy makes her look so small! You're right though :) She is TINY!!! Whenever people see her who have never seen what she looked like when she was a newborn, they say she's really teeny tiny :) Then I say, "Oh, my goodness! She's HUGE!!!" (compared to what she was like when she was born). I cannot believe she used to fit in the palm of Hubby's hand when she was first born. Seriously, all 980 grams of her (almost 2 lbs, 3 oz)! Now, she's a "whopping" (and I use the term lightly!) 7 lbs, 1 oz!!!

When friends used to tell me to "enjoy them when they're little because they grow so fast", they weren't kidding! I can't believe LO is already 4 months old. Crazy!

Glad to hear you girls had a great weekend! Looks like you all had so much fun! XOXO

Unknown said...

Your little girl is just precious!! She doesn't need candy to be sweet. :)

Unknown said...

Lisa:
Awww! Thanks! :) She is pretty sweet. I can just kiss her cheeks all day! Then she gets frustrated and if she could talk, she'd tell her mama to stop smothering her! LOL!

Just checked out your latest snaps! LOVE your photos! You are so talented!

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City girl moves to the country, falls in love, and marries a farmer. She tries to incorporate her city ways with her new country lifestyle and blogs to keep in touch with friends, family & students who live far, far away :) Can this city girl go country? Watch as she learns all sorts of exciting things about life on the farm and in a small rural community. *UPDATE* We are now parents! Our baby girl was born on Nov. 11, 2008 (at 28 weeks gestation- 12 weeks premature, but she's quite the trooper)!!!
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