Simbang Gabi is a tradition of the Catholics all over the country. This is a novena (nine-day series) of dawn Masses from 16th to 24th of December in anticipation of Christmas. This year, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Filipinos still find ways to celebrate and continue Christmas traditions. Beautiful parols hung in every home, Christmas lights brighten every place; songs of the season can be heard everywhere and most importantly families, friends and even individuals still find their way of going to the nearest church to attend the nine-day novena while observing minimum health protocols. With these, vendors of various kakanin await the mass goers for delicacies like biko, kalamay, sapin-sapin, palitaw, pitsi-pitsi, puto bumbong, puto, bibingka, kutsinta, and suman outside the church.
But before you indulge yourselves with the different kakanins that await you in this season and especially every after attending the Simbang Gabi, let’s get to know first these kakanins and its nutrition information.
Kakanin is derived from Tagalog words “kain” (to eat) and “kanin” (rice). Kakanins are generally made with glutinous rice and coconut milk. Some recipes use galapong, made by soaking rice flour overnight, then grinding and straining it using a cheesecloth. Other types of kakanin use simple malagkit or sticky rice grains that are either ground up or left whole. These delicacies are sweetened with sugar, wrapped in banana leaves, and traditionally steamed.
Having known the main ingredients of these kakanins, we can conclude that what we can get are mostly carbohydrates from the starch and sugar ingredients; and fat from the coconut meat, milk, margarine or butter. Eating even just a small serving of these kakanin can make up a big portion of your caloric intake which may range from 100-300 kcal per 100 grams of kakanin consumed.
As most people put it, Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, and let’s leave it as wonderful as it is by eating moderately, in variety, and balance; observing these will give us a merry and healthy Christmas and many more years to come to celebrate with our loved ones. (NO I Liezel Joy D. Reyes)
References:
Department of Science and Technology-Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI) (n.d.). The Philippine Food Composition Tables Online Database (PhilFCT). iFNRI. Retrieved 13 December 2021from https://i.fnri.dost.gov.ph/login/fct
Pepper. Kakanin: The History of 7 of our favorite sticky rice snacks. Retrieved 13 December 2021 from https://pepper.ph/the-history-behind-7-of-our-favorite-kakanin/
Rañoa, A. (n.d.) The origin of Simbang Gabi.Order of the Friars Minor Franciscans Philippines. Retrieved 13 December 2021 from https://ofmphil.com/news/simbang-gabi-popular-devotions
San Jose, C. (2018 December 14). Beyond bibingka and puto bumbong: 12 kakanin of Christmas. Nolisoli. Retrieved 13 December 2021 from https://nolisoli.ph/53576/beyond-bibingka-puto-bumbong-12-kakanin-christmas/
