Taho is a Filipino sweet with a delicate custard-like texture that’s made with soybean cakes, arnibal (brown sugar syrup), and sago (pea-size white transparent chewy balls made from palm flour). A glass of taho is a popular street food sold around the Philippines (here’s a roundup of more delicious Filipino recipes). Served warm, taho is eaten at breakfast when early morning vendors go around the streets to hawk this wholesome, affordable treat. When we were children, many of us could face a day at school after enjoying the warmth of a glass of taho.
My childhood memories go back to the early morning cry of the street vendor shouting “Tahoooooo!” from afar. As the shouts came closer, I got out of bed to run outside my grandmother’s house in Manila. My neighborhood playmates and I, with our large cups, waited on the sidewalk for the taho vendor. He approached us, with the bamboo pole balanced on his shoulders, and at each end hung two large aluminum pails. Mang Taho (Old Man Taho), ladled spoonfuls of the cream-colored, soft soybean cakes into our cups. He scooped the chewy sago, and nestled them beside the taho. He poured arnibal, causing the cakes to jiggle, as the syrup swirled around.
Taho’s origins in the Philippines can be traced to the Chinese influence in the country. The word taho comes from the Hokkien phrase “tau” (bean) and “hu” (curd), a soybean curd produced as a by-product when manufacturing tokwa (tofu). Taho is sold with arnibal, the Tagalog word derived from the Spanish term, “almibar,” meaning sugar syrup, as defined by Edgie Polistico, Filipino historian and lexicographer. Taho is perhaps the most profitable street food; it dates back to pre-World War II times according to Philippine food historian, the late Doreen Gamboa Fernandez.
Taho is not available in America the way it is in the Philippines. To make a homemade version, you will need:
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
The syrup can be made up to 1 week ahead. Refrigerate in an airtight container and rewarm before using.
Refrigerate leftover tofu, syrup, and tapioca in separate airtight containers. The tofu can be stored for up to 1 day. The tapioca can be stored in syrup for up to 3 days before it starts to get crumbly. The syrup can be stored for up to 1 week and can be repurposed for other desserts.
Taho is sold by street vendors in the Philippines in the early morning, so it is a breakfast treat enjoyed by itself or with pan de sal, the Filipino bread bun.
