The Pilipino Leche Flan
By Anna, the cocinera [i]
Leche Flan, as it is known in the Philippines, or
“Flan de Leche,” as it is known in Spain, has become almost iconic -representing
Spain’s over 377 year culinary conquest of the Philippines and Pilipinos claim
to have perfected this Spanish dessert. The origins of the flan can be traced
back to the Roman Empire – known to be the first to raise chickens for eggs and
with the help of the Greeks, are believed to have created a caramel-bathed
custard that has now become known as “flan.”
Spain adopted the custard and brought a version with them to the
Philippines. Pilipinos, in turn, indigenized it by using native ingredients (carabao’s
milk and sugar) and ingeniously creating the llanera (“yanera”), an oval tin mold, which is essentially a
repurposed tin can for sardines in which to steam it. Leche flan is a very
popular fiesta (festival) dessert in
the Philippines. I have childhood memories of visiting my grandfather in
Pampanga (a northern Philippine Province that boasts of being the country’s
culinary capital) and going from house to house during fiestas where I was made
to taste everyone’s leche flan. But my favorite memory is seeing a woman in my
grandfather’s house sitting next to a flaming palayok (clay pot) smoking her duhat
leaf cigarette, patiently waiting for the flan to cook and reach that creamy,
rich, and decadent goodness. The first measure of a “good” leche flan is its
texture - it must be creamy and devoid of bubbles, and sweet without a hint of
burnt caramelized sugar. This flan was made in a llanera with eggs (yolks only!), milk and condensed milk (as a substitute
for carabao’s milk!), a dash of vanilla, and sometimes a squeeze of calamansi - limes native to the Philippines, which you
can also find in our house! We have a
calamansi plant that struggles to survive in this clearly non-tropical climate.
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