Sorbetes facts for kids
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Top: Cheese (queso) and chocolate sorbetes
Bottom: Traditional sorbetero pushcart |
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| Type | Ice cream |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Philippines |
| Serving temperature | Cold |
Sorbetes is a special kind of ice cream from the Philippines. It's unique because it often uses coconut milk or milk from a carabao. Sometimes, people jokingly call it "dirty ice cream." But it's not the same as the frozen dessert called sorbet. You'll often find sorbetes sold by street vendors called "sorbeteros" from colorful wooden carts. It comes in many bright flavors. You can enjoy it in small wafer cones, sugar cones, or even inside a pandesal bread as an ice cream sandwich.
Contents
The History of Sorbetes
Ice cream first came to the Philippines when Americans were there. This was during the American Occupation. At that time, new cooling machines like refrigerators were brought in. American ice cream was made with cow's milk. But using milk from a carabao made the ice cream cheaper. This cheaper version became known as sorbetes. Today, both cow's milk and carabao milk are still used.
What Makes Sorbetes Special?
Two other ingredients make sorbetes different from ice cream in other countries. These are coconut milk and cassava flour. The flavors are also very interesting. You can find natural fruit flavors like mango, ube (purple yam), avocado, melon, jackfruit, coconut, and strawberry. There are also flavors that taste like popular ice creams, such as chocolate, cookies and cream, cheese, and mocha.
Sorbetes Today
The sorbetes industry has to compete with big ice cream companies. These companies include Magnolia, Nestlé, and Selecta. These larger companies have also started selling their products on the streets. They use modern carts that keep the ice cream very cold.
Meet the Sorbetero
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Sorbeteros are the friendly ice cream sellers. They push brightly painted wooden carts. Each cart usually holds three big metal containers of different ice cream flavors. Sorbeteros pick up their carts in the morning. Then, they walk through the streets all day. They ring a small bell to let people know they are nearby.
The Sorbetes Cart
The traditional wooden cart has two large wheels at the front. This makes it easy to push. Newer carts are sometimes attached to bicycles. Inside the cart, there is shaved ice. The ice is mixed with salt. This makes the temperature even colder around the metal containers. It helps keep the sorbetes frozen for a long time.
You can also hire a whole sorbetes cart for parties. This can be cheaper than buying many gallons of ice cream for your guests.
How to Enjoy Sorbetes
Sorbeteros offer different ways to eat your ice cream. You can have it in a wafer cone or a sugar cone. Another popular way is to have it in a soft bread bun. The prices can change depending on how you want it served. You can choose one flavor, or mix a few flavors together for no extra cost.
The sorbetero has even been featured in popular culture. There was a 1979 film called Mamang Sorbetero. Also, a famous song named "Mamang Sorbetero" was sung by Celeste Legaspi.
Gallery
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A woman purchasing strawberry sorbetes from a street vendor in La Trinidad, Benguet
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Traditional colorful wooden sorbetes pushcart in Rizal Park, Manila
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Children buying sorbetes in Baguio
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Sorbetero serving sorbetes in the Malolos Historic Town Center, Bulacan
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Mango sorbetes from Barili, Cebu
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