Savoring the flavors of 7,107 islands

MANILA, Philippines — Are you ready to hit the food stalls? This month, SM Megamall’s Kultura offers a food and drink crawl that’s like hopping through 7,107 islands flavor-wise.

Ivy Yap and Felicia Trinidad of Kultura, who were with SM Supermalls VP for Corporate Marketing Grace Magno at the event, say Kultura is the premier spot for quality Filipiniana items, all proudly local, thoughtfully curated and made in the Philippines, from clothes and accessories to food and drink.

Celebrating 20 years, Kultura invites guests to experience over 30 local brands — everything from cookies, coffee, beer and chips to spirits, cigars and baked goods until July 17. Here’s a complete guide.

Beer

Marikina-based ale maker Boondocks Brewing Co. had us already with its jeepney stall, but the flavor’s what counts: Try their Summer Ale, Session Ale, Belgian-style Wheat Ale or Strong Ale (ABV 8.5%).

Our first stop on the Kultura Crawl was Boondocks Brewing Co., offering signature craft ales brewed locally in Marikina. US-based attorney Fred Calope made his way back to Manila and began to miss his favorite craft ales, so he started making his own. His Summer Ale is crisp, clean and perfect for Manila palates at ABV 5.2%; but if you like more of a kick, his Strong Ale (ABV 8.5%) has a robust malt body and subtle fruity notes. Using premium ingredients, his handcrafted ales — and jeepney booth — are a hit at Kultura. Also enjoy his easy-drinking Session Ale and Belgian-influenced Wheat Ale, with its fully-body flavor and citrus finish.

Snacks & Chichirya

P-pops: From Osh Pops to their Kimchi Crisps made from Napa cabbage with natural spices, Osh! Oh So Healthy makes snacks without oil, preservatives, or added sugar.

The Petisme family from Cainta, Rizal, founded Moringa & More in 2008, making products based on the nutrient-dense superfood locally known as malunggay. “My grandfather started the business because he advocated the use of moringa,” says Roland Petisme, who notes they source their moringa from farmers in Quezon, Rizal, Pangasinan and Ilocos. Their bestsellers are moringa tea and malunggay-fortified Shing-a-Ling, which is so yummy Therese is addicted to it.

KangKong King also offers delicious but healthy chichirya, the nation’s first ever flavored kangkong chips handcrafted leaf by leaf to get unparalleled crunch and umami flavor. Plus, these vegan-friendly kangkong chips are cholesterol-, preservative- and gluten-free.

Watch your next K-drama snacking on Kimchi Crisps from Osh! Oh So Healthy. Made from Napa cabbage with natural spices, Osh!’s range of healthy crisps are made without oil, preservatives, or added sugar.

Flying in the face of vegan chips, Manila-based Baken offers innovative, versatile bacon snacks — including the signature stay-crisp bags of savory bacon chips, plus bacon jam and sweet cookies (“They’re chocolate chip, yet elevated,” explains Baken rep Christie Viray). The appeal of the bacon chips is obvious — they’re tasty, crunchy and pair well with beer, wine and Netflix. But the jam and cookies promise a more sweet-savory indulgence, and all are worth checking out.

Also made for the carnivores among us are Karne’s Litson Kawali Chips — yes, crunchy pork chips in classic and keto-friendly flavors.

Chocolate

Theo & Philo is artisanal chocolate from Davao with creative flavor combinations like 65% Dark Chocolate with Mango, Chili and Cacao Nibs, and a must-try Milk Chocolate with Barako Coffee. New products include chocolate-nut spreads, and their packaging is spectacular as well — intricate artworks by artist Carlo Auro.

Speaking of which, the award-winning, tree-to-bar Davao chocolate maker Auro features unique Filipino flavors like Dark Chocolate Saloy, Milk Chocolate with Cacao Nibs, Cashew Dulce and Calamansi Cheesecake, and their Kultura booth showcased new packaging, including the Halohalo Discovery Kit (with nine bars to discover), as well as special tins with Auro Crunch Bars, colorful new boxes and zip-seal bags.

Therese has been a longtime fan of Xocolat, a range of traditional tablea and canned cacao powders that produce the creamiest, richest hot chocolate. She heartily recommends Wicked, which has a hint of chili like Mexican hot chocolate. Their Old Fashioned, Dark and Rush variants are also must-tries.

Antipolo-based CacaoMistry is an instant cacao drink developed by a chemist-mom, including sugar-free and plant-based options. Their sachets are 85% cacao, zero sugar, and dairy-free with probiotics.

Other noteworthy local chocolate brands include Cocoa Monster, featuring Philippine-made tablea, dried fruit dipped in chocolate, and cocoa powder; NutraRich, a homegrown brand specializing in Davao cacao products such as tablea and mango chocolates; and Coco Dolce Chocolate, organic, fair-trade chocolate made with low-glycemic coconut sugar.

Nuts

Founded by Rica Buenaflor, Que Rica Pili Nuts is a women-led offering of hand-harvested, small-batch pili nuts sourced from Bicol. Their booth will appetize you with ube-flavored pilis, packed in 50-gram bags; but also sample their truffle-flavored nuts, which are out of this world.

Pili & Pino focuses on breakfast and merienda staples such as granola and tropical jams made with farmer-sourced coconut nectar syrup.

Salbahe is for the spice lovers, because they offer large peanuts and other spicy snacks flavored with chili. Their signature product, though, is chili oil, which you can add to any dish for a spicy kick.

Coffee

Kape time: Kaffea brews healthconscious coffee and chocolate drink mixes sweetened with lowglycemic coconut sugar.

Coffees from around the Philippines are a great way to explore. Start with the Silcafe booth, which also carries Kickstart coffees, with a variety of freshly roasted coffee beans sourced from

Silang, Cavite. Move over to Kaffea, with health-conscious coffee and chocolate drink mixes sweetened with low-glycemic coconut sugar — flavorful and not too sweet. Silang-based Gourmet Farms offers premium organically farmed coffee and herbal teas, and did you know they also have healthy snack alternatives, like Chili Barbeque Lettuce Chips?

Next, explore the innovative packaging of Project Beans, including the Coffee in a Brew Bag. Coffee in a bag? Just open the sealed top, pour in boiling water, and serve with the built-in spout! It’s an easy-carry dispenser for 2-3 cups of Arabica, Barako, Isabelo, Rhythm or Robusta brews (beans sourced from local farms).

Tea

We cooled off with Healthy Tropics teas, which incorporate Philippine fruits like mangosteen with moringa in their healthy tea blends and juices sweetened with Stevia. Don’t miss their Philippine Lemon Moringa Iced Tea.

Another notable tea brand is Tsaa Laya, a social enterprise providing livelihood to rural communities through premium, organically farmed Filipino teas.

Spirits

Moving on to spirits, we swerved over to Don Papa, serving its premium-aged, single-island rum crafted from the foothills of Mt. Kanlaon. Its latest spiced rum creation is Masskara, a delectable mix of aged Philippine rum, infused with local honey, calamansi and siling labuyo — yes, just a bit of red chili to make this rum wash down nicely over ice.

One of the more colorful concoctions at Kultura is the Ube Cream Liqueur offered by Destileria Barako. With its eye-catching purple bottle, this one bagged “World’s Best Cream” at the 2022 World Liqueur Awards. The other offerings from this Aklan-based craft distillery are equally colorful as well as tasty, with whimsical bottles for Gayoma Liqueur (Gold medal in the 2021 Sip Awards), Sirena Dry Gin, Gimat Gin, and Kanto Popcorn-flavored Vodka. Salesmanship and innovation guide this world-beating brand.

It’s side by side with Destileria Limtuaco & Co., Inc., the family-owned distillery that started out with outstanding Liqueur De Calamansi and now features a wide range of spirits and locally crafted blends, such as the sippable Amedeo Coffee Liqueur, Very Old Captain Artisan-crafted

Dark Rum, sugarcane wines such as Vigan Basi and Intramuros Liqueur De Cacao. What becomes very clear is this: if you can grow it in the Philippines, it can be distilled into a delicious liqueur!

Proof of that is abundant at Proudly Promdi. Founded by Dra. Bielma Bawingan in Ilocos Norte, this women-based outfit creates innovative artisanal spirits made with traditional Filipino ingredients by local communities. Try the Bugnay wine, made from the local wild berry, with a taste similar to duhat or cranberry (recommend for sangrias or spritzes). Other offerings are small-batch wines like Pedronan Tapuey, Cebu Mango Rum aged in oak, and Zing Ginger Liqueur.

Atbp.

Brands offering a miscellany of Pinoy items include Masa Bakery, featuring traditional Filipino baked goods like pandesal and ensaymada; The Seven Pantry — locally sourced pantry staples and food from little-known home businesses; and Manila Cookie Story, which packages kape barako, South Cotabato chocolate, and queso de bola shortbread cookies in eye-catching, made-for-gifting, jeepney-shaped tins.

Bags in the City stood out because they were the only non-gustatory stall there, but Therese loved their wares: stylish, monogram-able accessories in colorful leather, including totes, bag tags, and organizers for travel.

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Kultura Megamall is on the Upper Ground Floor, Bldg. A, SM Megamall, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City. Learn more about the #KulturaCrawl event on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Youtube @KulturaFilipino or visit www.kulturafilipino.com.