Halo-Halo
Philippines (Japanese-Filipino dessert tradition; wartime ice shaving tradition in Manila)
Halo-halo — 'mix-mix' — is the Philippines' most extravagant cold dessert: a tall glass or bowl layered with sweetened beans (mongo, chickpeas), macapuno coconut strings, kaong (sugar palm fruit), ube halaya (purple yam jam), sweetened jackfruit, nata de coco (coconut jelly), pinipig (crisped young rice), sago pearls, crushed ice, and evaporated milk, topped with a large scoop of ube ice cream and leche flan. The assembly is theatrical and the eating requires the mixing implied by the name — all components must be integrated by the diner before consumption. The quality of individual components determines the quality of the whole: mass-produced sweetened beans and commercial ube ice cream produce an inferior experience compared to house-made preparations.