Taho is a Filipino dessert made of soft tofu, caramelised sugar syrup and tapioca pearls. Photo: Joshua Salva / Unsplash
Taho is a Filipino dessert made of soft tofu, caramelised sugar syrup and tapioca pearls. Photo: Joshua Salva / Unsplash
Taho is a Filipino dessert made of soft tofu, caramelised sugar syrup and tapioca pearls. Photo: Joshua Salva / Unsplash
Taho is a Filipino dessert made of soft tofu, caramelised sugar syrup and tapioca pearls. Photo: Joshua Salva / Unsplash

Filipino desserts and Indian kulfi falooda voted world's best street food sweets


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Three Filipino desserts have been ranked in the Best Street Food Sweets in the World list compiled by TasteAtlas.

The 50 dishes that made the online food guide's cut also include Turkish ice cream and Indian dessert kulfi falooda.

The three Filipino dishes are: taho, made of soft tofu, tapioca and caramelised sugar; maruya, or deep-fried banana fritters; and chewy rice cake espasol.

Each dish was selected on the back of two parameters: how sweet it is and whether it is sold as street food. Taho, for example, is drenched in a caramel syrup and is famously peddled in huge tin cans every morning.

Portuguese custard tart pastel de nata ranked first on the TasteAtlas list, followed by Indonesian pancake serabi, usually prepared with rice flour and coconut milk. Dondurma or Turkish ice cream, known for its dense and chewy texture, came in third.

Turkish ice cream stalls are a common sight in the UAE. Chris Whiteoak / The National
Turkish ice cream stalls are a common sight in the UAE. Chris Whiteoak / The National

TasteAtlas described the Turkish dessert as containing mastic resin and salep, a kind of flour derived from the roots of the early purple orchid. These ingredients are mixed with milk and sugar to produce the chewy ice cream, which is popular in the Gulf.

Another dish on the list that is well known in the Middle East is kulfi falooda, which combines thin, sweet noodles with a traditional South Asian ice cream seasoned with sweet basil seeds and rosewater.

Rose kulfi falooda. Aarti Jhurani / The National
Rose kulfi falooda. Aarti Jhurani / The National

The online catalogue says it is “usually associated with northern Indian regions. Traditionally enjoyed during the summer, kulfi falooda is commonly prepared at home, but can also be found on the menus of traditional restaurants or at specialised street stalls.”

Other lists released by TasteAtlas, which is often sought out by foodies looking for dish and restaurant recommendations, include the World's Most Legendary Restaurants and the World's Worst Dishes.

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DMZ facts
  • The DMZ was created as a buffer after the 1950-53 Korean War.
  • It runs 248 kilometers across the Korean Peninsula and is 4km wide.
  • The zone is jointly overseen by the US-led United Nations Command and North Korea.
  • It is littered with an estimated 2 million mines, tank traps, razor wire fences and guard posts.
  • Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un met at a building in Panmunjom, where an armistice was signed to stop the Korean War.
  • Panmunjom is 52km north of the Korean capital Seoul and 147km south of Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital.
  • Former US president Bill Clinton visited Panmunjom in 1993, while Ronald Reagan visited the DMZ in 1983, George W. Bush in 2002 and Barack Obama visited a nearby military camp in 2012. 
  • Mr Trump planned to visit in November 2017, but heavy fog that prevented his helicopter from landing.
Match statistics

Dubai Sports City Eagles 8 Dubai Exiles 85

Eagles
Try:
Bailey
Pen: Carey

Exiles
Tries:
Botes 3, Sackmann 2, Fourie 2, Penalty, Walsh, Gairn, Crossley, Stubbs
Cons: Gerber 7
Pens: Gerber 3

Man of the match: Tomas Sackmann (Exiles)

Day 5, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance

Moment of the day When Dilruwan Perera dismissed Yasir Shah to end Pakistan’s limp resistance, the Sri Lankans charged around the field with the fevered delirium of a side not used to winning. Trouble was, they had not. The delivery was deemed a no ball. Sri Lanka had a nervy wait, but it was merely a stay of execution for the beleaguered hosts.

Stat of the day – 5 Pakistan have lost all 10 wickets on the fifth day of a Test five times since the start of 2016. It is an alarming departure for a side who had apparently erased regular collapses from their resume. “The only thing I can say, it’s not a mitigating excuse at all, but that’s a young batting line up, obviously trying to find their way,” said Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s coach.

The verdict Test matches in the UAE are known for speeding up on the last two days, but this was extreme. The first two innings of this Test took 11 sessions to complete. The remaining two were done in less than four. The nature of Pakistan’s capitulation at the end showed just how difficult the transition is going to be in the post Misbah-ul-Haq era.

Day 1, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance

Moment of the day Dimuth Karunaratne had batted with plenty of pluck, and no little skill, in getting to within seven runs of a first-day century. Then, while he ran what he thought was a comfortable single to mid-on, his batting partner Dinesh Chandimal opted to stay at home. The opener was run out by the length of the pitch.

Stat of the day - 1 One six was hit on Day 1. The boundary was only breached 18 times in total over the course of the 90 overs. When it did arrive, the lone six was a thing of beauty, as Niroshan Dickwella effortlessly clipped Mohammed Amir over the square-leg boundary.

The verdict Three wickets down at lunch, on a featherbed wicket having won the toss, and Sri Lanka’s fragile confidence must have been waning. Then Karunaratne and Chandimal's alliance of precisely 100 gave them a foothold in the match. Dickwella’s free-spirited strokeplay meant the Sri Lankans were handily placed at 227 for four at the close.

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Updated: July 18, 2023, 3:59 AM`