 Wrapped chocolate morón bundled and unwrapped solo | |
| Alternative names | Murón, chocolate morón, chocolate suman, chocolate rice cake |
|---|---|
| Type | Rice cake |
| Course | Dessert |
| Place of origin | The Philippines |
| Region or state | Eastern Visayas |
| Main ingredients | Glutinous rice, coconut milk, sugar, chocolate |
| Similar dishes | Suman |
InFilipino cuisine,morón (also spelledmurón,[1] with the stress placed on the last syllable[2]) is arice cake similar tosuman.[3] It is a delicacy native to theWaray people of theEastern Visayas region of thePhilippines, particularly in the area aroundTacloban City in theprovince ofLeyte[2] and in theEastern Samar province.[4][5] Other parts of the Philippines have their versions of it, however.[6] In fact, the morón was adopted as one ofMambajao,Camiguin's locally produced products.[7][8]Since it is a variety of suman, the morón is cooked withglutinous rice,coconut milk and sugar.[9] The main difference is that morón is gyrated with chocolatetablea (chocolate tablets) or mixed withcocoa powder while a regular suman is not.[5][3][2] It also has a hint of vanilla and is usually partnered with coffee orsikwate (tsokolate, a native Philippine chocolate drink).[2] With chocolate as its distinct ingredient, it is also calledchocolate morón orchocolate suman.[2]
The common ingredients of morón consist of glutinous rice (locally known inTagalog asmalagkit and in the Eastern Visayas region aspilít), ordinary rice, coconut milk, sugar,chocolate or cocoa powder and melted butter.[2][4] In preparation for cooking themalagkit and the ordinary rice, both rice types must be soaked together overnight and then ground the following day.[2][4] The ground rice is then soaked in coconut milk until it is soft,[2] after which sugar and chocolate powder are added.[2] The mixture is cooked over low fire while repeatedly stirred.[2][4] When the consistency is thick, the cooked mixture is set aside for it to cool.[2]
After the mixture cools, banana leaves are prepared and cut to be used as wrappers.[2] The recommended amount is two tablespoons of the mixture perbanana leaf.[2][4] The morón is then brushed with butter.[2] After wrapping, both ends of the banana leaf are tied with string.[2] Lastly, the morón are steamed for about half an hour.[2][4] After the morón is cooled, it can now be served.[2]
Morón is usually sold in bundles of four pieces that are individually wrapped in a banana leaf.[2][1] Tourists from Leyte usually buy morón as apasalubong or gift for their relatives and friends.[2] In the places where morón originated, it is usually served at festivals, birthday parties, and funeral wakes.[1] Visitors from those parties usually take home some of the morón.[1] The food is also a medium of exchange for goodwill in Tacloban and the nearby municipalities ofPalo,Tanauan,Tolosa,Dulag,Mayorga andAbuyog.[1]
Philippine government agencies usually promote and support locally produced goods such as the morón.[10][11][7] TheDepartment of Science and Technology of the Philippines advocated the longershelf life of food products including the morón to help producers of those kind of food products[10] while theDepartment of Trade and Industry of the Philippines conducted trade fairs to develop and promote products, which included the morón.[11] TheDepartment of Labor and Employment of the Philippines, meanwhile, made a project in Mambujao, Camiguin for the production of morón.[7][8]
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