Glossary B
Biko refers to one of Philippines sweets made of glutinous rice cooked in brown sugar and Coconut milk.
Biko is also spelled as Bico. They are made in different ways in every region of the country, but the main ingredients are always glutinous rice (Malagkit) and Coconut Milk (Gata) and of course the brown sugar (Asukal) to sweeten it.
Bico is best served with Latik.
Below is a picture of Biko sold using a mobile cart. One of the lovely sights we can always see in Philippines streets, the different raw or cooked food sold by mobile carts around.
Bilo Bilo is the Filipino term for glutinous rice balls made from grounded glutinous rice and formed into small balls. It is used as an ingredient for a traditional Philippines snacks called Ginataang Bilo Bilo where Bilo Bilo is cooked with coconut milk and Ginatan which is made from assorted ingredients like cooking banana, sweet potato, jackfruit, yams and Bilo Bilo.
Binagol refers to a popular sweet from the province of Tacloban which is a sweet kakanin cooked in coconut shells or bagol, hence the name. The root crop talyan is the main star, which is mixed with coconut milk, sugar and peanuts. Banana leaves and strings wrap it up. It’s sweet and with its size, it’s meant to be shared. So far, binagol is only available in Tacloban, e.g. Dagami, for around P30 to P40.