Many Filipinos associate the flavor of local yam pudding with the arrival of the holidays. Certainly, any form of celebration usually has this sweet present at the table. In the Christmas season, its rich purple hue complements the traditional Yule tide color scheme. The locals call it halaya, which is probably derived from “jalea”, the Spanish word for “jelly”.
As though specifically designed by God to grace the Noche Buena (Christmas Eve dinner) or Media Noche (New Year’s Eve dinner) table, the root crop with which halaya is made becomes harvestable in November until late January. Nonetheless, halaya is usually present during special occasions any time of the year.
Filipino children who grew up in fiesta-celebrating barrios usually have memories of an outdoor fire and what seemed to be a gigantic heavy-duty frying pan or wok. The huge pan would be holding a bubbling mess of purple and next to it, an elderly person, certainly somebody who was cognizant of the old school way of cooking halaya, stood rhythmically stirring with a wooden spoon practically the size of an oar, making sure that the yellow of the margarine would be engulfed by the more dominant purple of the yam.
Filipinos can wax nostalgic about this delicacy ad infinitum. They are known for being fond of their desserts, and the halaya has been satisfying that sweet tooth for ages. It is no wonder that it is deeply entrenched in their culture.
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