Halo-Halo Delights Warsaw Crowd as PH Embassy Showcases Philippine Flavors at Weekend Market

WARSAW 09 July 2024 – The Philippine Embassy in Warsaw introduced the popular Filipino dessert “halo-halo” and other Philippine flavors to the Polish and international public by serving Philippine-made food products at the weekend breakfast market Targ Sniadaniowy in the Mokotów district of Warsaw, Poland on Sunday, 30 June 2024.

The “halo-halo”, a sweet, icy, creamy dessert that contains a colorful mix of ingredients including sweetened fruits (langka, macapuno) and beans, purple yam (ube), coconut jellies (nata de coco), and then topped with shaved ice and milk, proved to be a best-seller among the market crowd. The Philippine booth also featured fruit juices with tropical flavors such as calamansi, mango, and guyabano, as well as food products like canned tuna and adobo-flavored snacks.

The Philippine Embassy’s participation was part of a joint cultural promotion initiative with the embassies of Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam to hold an ASEAN Weekend at the Targ Sniadaniowy, a popular weekend destination for Warsaw residents every summer which features local vendors and international cuisines. The Embassy’s promotion of Philippine-made products with distinct Philippine flavors was also done in partnership with Heuschen & Schrouff, a Netherlands-based distributor of Asian products to the European market.

The five embassies comprise the ASEAN Committee in Warsaw (ACW), which is one of fifty-five ASEAN Committees in Third Countries. The ACW contributes to the conduct of Dialogue and External Relations for ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) by promoting the regional bloc’s interests and raising its profile among the local and international communities in Poland. END

Above: Philippine-made products on display at the Philippine booth, courtesy of Heuschen & Schrouff Oriental Food 

Below: Philippine Embassy personnel promote Philippine-made products at the weekend market

Above: The “halo-halo” delights the Warsaw crowd at the breakfast market, as the sweet icy treat provides respite from the summer heat

Above: Customers receive gift bags containing Philippine-made snacks

Above: (L-R) Mr. Ha Hoang Hai, Ambassador of Vietnam; Mrs. Dato Chitra Devi Ramiah, Ambassador of Malaysia; Mrs. Anita L. Luhulima, Ambassador of Indonesia and current Chair of the ACW; Mrs. Leah Basinang-Ruiz, Ambassador of the Philippines; and Mrs. Urasa Mongkolnavin, Ambassador of Thailand

Below: The crowd looks on during the two-hour programme which featured cultural performances and quizzes about the five ASEAN countries

[PHOTO CREDIT: Warsaw PE]