Variety: Culture plays a major role in deciding ice cream flavours – from Japanese greentea to Levantine mastic
As the temperatures soar, our quest for unique chilled eats continues. This week, GulfWeekly lists some interesting ice creams from around the world, highlighting distinct flavours and cultural ways of devouring these irresistible cool
Queso Ice Cream Pan de Sal
THE Philippines is known for its unique ice cream flavours like ube, corn, avocado and queso, which blends cheddar cheese with sweet cream, sometimes, with bits of cheese in it! Slightly crumbly in texture, the chilled treat has the perfect balance of salty and sweet. The scoop is traditionally devoured as an ice cream sandwich paired with a cloud-like pan de sal – a slightly sweet Filipino bread roll that is soft on the inside with a crispy crust.
Booza
This frozen dairy Levantine dessert brings interesting flavours together like mastic (resin), which has an earthy, piney taste and sahlab or orchid flour, which is light and floral, reminiscent of the bloom. Over time, it has grown in popularity in the Middle East. It has a stretchy, chewy texture, which connoisseurs might say feels like the Turkish dondurma. However, the flavour profile remains unique, lending it a distinctive personality.