Brief history
What is Taho?
Taho, also known as Sweet Tofu, is a comfort food in the Philippines that I really love. It is a sweet snack made with silken tofu, sago or tapioca pearls, and a simple brown sugar syrup. It first originated in China and eventually made its way to Manila, Philippines by Chinese traders during the period before Spaniards colonized the Philippines. Not only did it made its way in the Philippines, but also in different parts of Asia as well such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong where its name took different forms with some similarities.
I remember how they sell taho in the Philippines. They would carry two large aluminum buckets that hang from each end of a carrying pole. The larger bucket carries the tofu and the smaller one holds the syrup, also known as arnibal and the sago pearls. 
When I was young, I would always get excited whenever I would see taho vendors walking around our neighborhood. They would yell out “TAHO” and I would always tell my mom if I could buy one. She would always buy me one whenever there’s a chance. Although, I always felt bad for the vendors carrying those two heavy buckets in their backs all day. I remember my mom would always pay them a little more extra for their “tips”. This snack is indeed part of my childhood. I will never forget it. I have not eaten taho in such a long time because they don’t really sell one here. Unless it is homemade, but that requires a lot of time to make and we, Filipinos, don’t usually make this snack at home. We prefer to get them fresh from the vendors. Taho in the Philippines, is still the best. Decades have already passed and up until to this day, the cravings for this food has not vanished in the Philippine culture.
If you’re curious, how do you make Taho at home?
Ingredients include:
- 16 oz silken tofu
- 1 ¼ cups of brown sugar
- 1 cup of water
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla
- 1 cup of tapioca or sago pearls (up to you which kind you want to use)
The procedure
- First, boil water into a large pot and cook the pearls (follow the instructions that says on the package), or you could cook the pearls in advance to make things faster and easier. After cooking the pearls, store them with some water or a little bit of brown sugar syrup.
- Next, to make the syrup or the arnibal, using the medium high heat, put the brown sugar, water and the vanilla in a small saucepan.
- Boil and stir to dissolve the sugar, and lower heat for it to simmer down.
- Next, place the silken tofu in a parchment lined steamer and steam for about 10-15 minutes. Alternatively, putting the tofu into the microwave for about 2-5 minutes is also okay.
- Finally, once everything is good to go, you can now serve it! Scoop slices of warm silken tofu into a cup. Top with tapioca or sago pearls. Then, pour hot brown sugar syrup (arnibal) on top.
- Eat it right away. It’s better to eat it while it is still warm.
Bibliography:
Dave and Deb. “Filipino Food: 20 Best Dishes to Try in the Philippines”. The Planet D: Adventure Travel Blog. February 27, 2023. https://theplanetd.com/bes-filipino-food/
Kenneth, Marius. Magtataho. Flickr. January 01, 2014. https://www.flickr.com/photos/mkbuhain/11682169876
Alvaro, Mario. The History of <em>Taho</em>. Esquiremag.ph. January 01, 1970. https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/the-history-of-taho-a00293-20200526
Liren. Taho: Filipino Silken Tofu with Sago Pearls and Syrup. Kitchen Confidante. March 18, 2020. https://kitchenconfidante.com/homemade-taho-recipe
Taho (Filipino street food) I miss Taho: Food, Filipino street food, Recipes. Pinterest. September 05, 2013. https://www.pinterest.it/pin/461548661782389435/
