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Cacao in Filipino life
Cacao is not native to the Philippines, but it has been intertwined with the lives of the people for centuries. During the Spanish colonial period, this plant was introduced to the tropical islands and quickly adapted to the hot, humid climate. Today, in Bohol, Cebu, and Davao, cacao is grown on a small scale, intercropped with coconut and banana.
In Bohol, cacao is not a large-scale crop, but it remains a significant part of local life, primarily serving traditional processing needs. The harvested beans are often processed into tablea – a type of pressed cacao used to make sikwate, a popular breakfast drink. In recent years, several small farms and production facilities have developed experiential models, allowing visitors to observe the entire process, from harvesting to chocolate making. These activities help maintain traditional craftsmanship and create additional livelihoods for local people, while preserving the unique character of cacao within the Philippine culinary landscape.
Ripe cacao pods are cut in half right in the garden.
The chocolate-making experience often begins right in the garden. When the chocolate bar is split in half, it reveals a creamy white seed inside a slightly sweet flesh. Visitors can sample this flesh before learning about the fermentation process – a step that directly affects the flavor. After separating the seeds, they are aged in wooden barrels for several days before being sun-dried.
Experience making handmade chocolate in Bohol.
The most exciting part of the experience is when participants get to make chocolate. Dried cocoa beans are roasted in a cast-iron pan. When the shells crack and release their aroma, the beans are poured into bamboo sieves and gently rubbed to separate the shells. The kernels are then pounded in a stone mortar or ground with a small machine. Thanks to the natural butter content, the mixture gradually becomes smooth and creamy.
Cocoa beans are roasted in a cast iron pan until fragrant.
Cacao is ground in a stone mortar to create a smooth, viscous paste.
Tourists participate in pounding cocoa beans using a stone mortar, a manual step in the traditional chocolate-making process.
The cocoa mass is then molded into small pieces called tablea – a popular form of pure chocolate in Filipino cuisine, low in sugar, with a rich and slightly bitter flavor. Visitors can participate in molding and shaping the product and take it home. The process is carried out using familiar tools such as pans, mortars, and stoves, similar to how it's done in many local households.
The process of manually removing the cocoa shells after roasting.
Use snail shells to grind the cocoa until it reaches a fine consistency.
The smoothed cocoa mass is then wrapped in banana leaves to form the finished product.
Awaken the sikwate flavor from these table cubes.
The final product isn't the familiar chocolate bar, but sikwate – a traditional hot cocoa drink. To make a proper cup of sikwate, drop a tablet (rounded pure cocoa powder) into a pot of hot water, then use a special wooden utensil called a batirol to stir continuously. When the cocoa is completely dissolved, the drink will reach its characteristic consistency with a fine layer of foam on the surface. Sikwate is the soul of Filipino breakfast.
Sikwate is often served with sticky rice dishes such as sticky rice cooked in coconut milk, and eaten with ripe mango – a familiar breakfast combination in the Philippines.
They often enjoy a cup of hot cocoa with bread or rice cakes to start their day. This is considered a rustic tradition that many Filipino families have persistently preserved for generations, from small-scale cultivation to traditional processing techniques using stone mortars and open fires. The silwate cocoa has a rich, distinct flavor, different from the familiar kind found in pastry shops: bold, slightly sour, and intensely earthy, with the characteristic "earthy" aroma of pure cocoa. For many, this rustic flavor is the essence of cocoa from these tropical islands.
After a few hours, participants can complete the basic steps and take home their tablea pieces. For tourists, the experience of grinding cocoa beans by hand and taking the product home helps them better understand the lives and stories of cocoa-growing families in the area who have preserved their craft.
