Davao Dark Chocolate + Orange by Askinosie-A Surprise Gift from A Friend

A long-time and good friend had a small surprise for me the other day- a bar that says DAVAO PHILIPPINES DARK CHOCOLATE + ORANGE from Askinosie chocolate. Thanks a million, my friend for the unexpected gift. 

I have written about otap from Cebu and barquillos from Iloilo, but I have not written about our chocolate for a long time. It is about time.

A little history on our table

In the Philippines, many of us grew up with tablea. Cacao came to the Philippines in the 1670s, brought from Mexico to the Philippines via the Acapulco galleon. For centuries we made it into tablea for champorado and tsokolate. It was always good, but it was always for home.

Now Davao is different. Davao City and Davao del Sur, Davao del Norte, in Mindanao, is our cacao capital. The soil, the rain, the elevation- it is perfect for Trinitario beans, which is what is in this bar. For many years we exported our beans as commodity. Now chocolate makers from America, France, and Japan come to Davao to buy single-origin beans. This bar is 58% dark, made from Davao Trinitario beans.

The Maker

Askinosie is not a big factory. It is a small bean-to-bar maker in Springfield, Missouri, started by Shawn Askinosie in 2007. They do direct trade - they go to Davao, meet the cooperative, and pay above market price. That is why the farmer's face is printed on the wrapper. When you buy the bar, you know who grew it.

They also press their own cocoa butter in their factory. That is rare. Most small makers buy it.

What is inside and how does it taste?

I like simple ingredients. I worked many years as a chemist for the US FDA, so I read labels.

Ingredients: Davao Philippines Cocoa Beans (Trinitario), Organic Turbinado Sugar, Cocoa Butter (made in their factory with Davao beans), Organic Oranges, Organic Orange Oil, Organic Vanilla Bean. Nothing else.

They mix in organic oranges, peel and pulp plus a little orange oil. It is like candied orange peel dipped in chocolate, but in bar form. On first bite: bright, juicy orange. Then the dark chocolate comes - fudge, a little tart citrus, and vanilla sweetness at the end. Askinosie's own tasting notes say juicy orange, chocolate-dipped citrus peel, and vanilla. That is exactly right.

Net weight: 85 grams (3 oz). It is vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free. Price on their website is $11.50.

How I enjoy it at home

Here in Walnut Creek, I do it the Filipino way:

1. After dinner, with black coffee. The bitter of Barako or even plain American coffee cuts the sweetness of the orange. Break it into small pieces, do not chew fast.

2. With otap or barquillos. As I posted last week, we had three tubs of otap - buko-pandan, ube, and classic. A small piece of this Davao chocolate with a crisp otap is wonderful. The butteriness of otap and the citrus of the chocolate balance each other.

3. For tsokolate. If you like to experiment, shave a little of this bar into your tablea when you make tsokolate for a light orange aroma. Your grandchildren will notice.

Do not put it in the refrigerator if you can avoid it. Chocolate likes cool, not cold. Keep it at 65-68 degrees if you can, and it will keep its snap.

Why I am proud of this bar

When I was young during the war, chocolate was a luxury from America. Now American makers are putting Davao on the wrapper. This means our farmers can earn more from quality, not just volume. If you visit Davao, you will see chocolate shops and cacao farm tours now. That is new, and that is good for our food tourism.

If you find this bar, please try it and tell me what you think. And if you are in Davao, what is your favorite local chocolate? Is it Malagos, Theo & Philo, Auro, or this kind of small American maker?

You can find Askinosie Davao bars at askinosie.com and at World Wide Chocolate and specialty stores.

https://worldwidechocolate.com/shop/askinosie-chocolate/davao-philippines-58-dark-chocolate-bar-with-orange/?attribute_pa_quantity=five-pack&nbt=nb%3Aadwords%3Ax%3A17809749528%3A%3A&nb_adtype=pla_with_promotion&nb_kwd=&nb_ti=&nb_mi=117016111&nb_pc=online&nb_pi=as-101-mp5&nb_ppi=&nb_placement=&nb_li_ms=&nb_lp_ms=&nb_fii=&nb_ap=&nb_mt=&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=17811045280&gbraid=0AAAAADKrQi8slyDb0zBjk8ShTQlBpt25u&gclid=CjwKCAjwuczWBhA9EiwAYGgEoRskvz2yqfbDTNaV7gKMo04nBE9FQznNTkPMLsmN2z6mdeSQIAPpYxoCKlUQAvD_BwE

AI Overview:

---

Askinosie Chocolate 77% Davao, Philippines Dark Chocolate Bar

$11.00

Askinosie Chocolate& more

An earthy single-origin craft chocolate bar made with Trinitario cocoa beans sourced directly from a cooperative in Davao, offering tasting notes of brown sugar, nutmeg, and a clean caramel finish. Available directly via Askinosie Chocolate or through World Wide Chocolate.

The maker: 

Askinosie is a small-batch bean-to-bar maker in Springfield, Missouri. Founder Shawn Askinosie started it in 2007 and they are known for "direct trade" — they go to the origin, meet the farmers, and pay well above commodity price. They press their own cocoa butter in-house.

The beans:

• 
  
• Origin: Davao, Mindanao in the Philippines. Davao is the cacao capital of the Philippines -Trinitario beans.
• This bar is 58% dark. Askinosie also makes a 77% pure Davao bar, a 62% dark milk, and a white chocolate from the same origin.
• The man on your wrapper is one of the farmers from the co-op they source from. Askinosie puts the actual grower on every bar.

This flavor:

The description from Askinosie is: "Imagine a candied orange peel, dipped in chocolate. Now imagine it in bar form".  It's not just orange flavoring. Ingredients are: Davao Philippines Cocoa Beans (Trinitario), Organic Turbinado Sugar, Cocoa Butter (made in their factory with Davao beans), Organic Oranges, Organic Orange Oil, Organic Vanilla Bean. They blend in organic orange peel and pulp plus a dash of orange oil. Tasting notes they list: juicy orange, chocolate-dipped citrus peel, and vanilla, and from retailers: notes of fudge, tart citrus, and vanilla sweetness. 

Specs:

85g (3oz) bar, $11.50 on their site. It's Certified Kosher D.E., vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free, but processed in a facility that also processes milk, peanuts, tree nuts and wheat. It's a nice example of how good Philippine cacao has become in the last 10 years, Davao used to export mostly bulk beans, now it's recognized for fine-flavor single-origin like this.

My Photo of the Day:

Beef kaldereta is the rich, tomato-based stew that shows up at every big Filipino celebration.

The Otap of Cebu and Barquillos of Iloilo

Just recently, I posted that I received a Gift of Otap during our THD celebration of FAHM. A few of my Fellow Residents here at THD informed me that this is the first time they heard of Otap, but are familiar with Iloilo Barquillos. Here are the similarities and differences between these two pastries.  

While Barquillos and Otap are both wildly popular, crunchy Filipino treats heavily rooted in Spanish culinary history, they are fundamentally different pastries. One is a paper-thin poured wafer roll, while the other is a dense, multi-layered laminated puff pastry. 

Direct Comparison

Feature	Barquillos	Otap
Primary Region	Iloilo City (Jaro District)	Cebu Province
Shape & Form	Long, hollow, cylindrical tubes or rods	Flat, oblong, oval biscuits
Pastry Type	Wafer / Batter-based pancake	Laminated puff pastry
Texture	Ultra-thin, light, snap-crispy, melts in the mouth	Thick, brittle, heavy flaky layers with a shattering crunch
Key Ingredients	Flour, sugar, milk, eggs, butter, vanilla	Flour, shortening/butter, sugar, coconut oil, yeast
Cooking Method	Pressed flat in a iron waffle mold (barquillera), then immediately hand-rolled while hot	Multi-stage rolling/folding of two doughs, sliced, rolled paper-thin, then oven-baked
Mess Factor	Low; crumbles neatly into your mouth	High; "shattering" layers leave a trail of flakes and sugar

---

Key Similarities

Colonial Heritage: Both treats evolved from Spanish baking influences. Barquillos derived directly from Spanish wafer rolls (historically linked to communion wafer leftovers in Iloilo), whereas Otap is closely related to Spanish hojaldres (puff pastries) and French palmiers.
The "Pasalubong" Culture: Neither is typically baked at home due to the complex, specialized equipment or time-intensive preparation steps required. Instead, they serve as iconic pasalubong (travel souvenirs or gifts) bought from regional institutions like Deocampo in Iloilo or Shamrock in Cebu. 
Flavor Profile: Both focus heavily on a simple, sweet profile consisting of toasted flour, sugar, and fat. They are both traditionally paired with hot local coffee (kapeng barako) or hot chocolate (tsokolate). 

Key Differences

1. Texture and Eating Experience

Barquillos are incredibly delicate and light. Because they are entirely hollow, they offer a very neat, clean snap and quickly melt on your tongue.
Otap delivers a massive, shattering crunch. It is made by folding a yeast dough and a fat dough together over and over again to create hundreds of microscopic layers. When you bite into it, the structural integrity collapses instantly into hundreds of flaky shards, usually showering your clothes in crumbs and caramelized sugar.

2. How They are Formed

Barquillos start as a liquid batter poured directly onto a specialized hot iron press called a barquillera. After a few seconds of cooking, the flat pancake is rolled tightly around a metal rod into a tube while it is still piping hot, hardening instantly as it cools.
Otap relies on intense dough lamination. Once the dough is layered with shortening, it is sliced into small wheels, pressed down, rolled out flat with a rolling pin into long ovals, heavily dusted with sugar, and slow-baked in an oven until the dough puffs and bubbles up. 

3. Modern Evolution

Barquillos have evolved to include hollow cores filled with sweet polvorón (called barquiron) or infused with distinct local flavors like ube, pandan, or carrot.
Otap stays mostly true to its original laminated form, though modern iterations include variations like Ube Otap or versions brushed with extra honey glazes. 

While barquillos and otap are both highly cherished, crispy Filipino treats, they are fundamentally distinct in texture, preparation, and structure.

The comparison below details how Cebu’s beloved otap stacks up against Iloilo’s signature barquillos.

AI OVERVIEW: 

1.A polvoron (also spelled polboron or pulburon) is a soft, crumbly shortbread confection named after the Spanish word polvo, which means "powder" or "dust".

There are two provinces famous for their Polvoron, Pampanga and the Bicol Region ( for their Pili Polvoron).  

Origins and Varieties

Spanish Polvorón: Traditionally baked in Spain (especially in Andalusia), this version is made with lard, flour, sugar, and almonds, and is often enjoyed during the Christmas season.

Filipino Polvoron: Introduced during the Spanish colonial period, the Filipino version is a beloved no-bake treat. Instead of baking, it is made by toasting flour in a pan, mixing it with powdered milk, sugar, and butter or margarine, and pressing the mixture into small, oval-shaped tin molds.

Direct Comparison

Feature	Otap (Cebu)	Barquillos (Iloilo)
Origin / Identity	Rooted deeply in Cebu (often associated with brands like Shamrock).	Associated with Iloilo / Bacolod (Western Visayas); has Spanish colonial roots.
Shape & Structure	Flat, oval-shaped biscuit.	Long, hollow cylindrical wafer roll.
Texture & Body	Flaky and brittle puff pastry; crumbles instantly into layers of fine flakes upon biting.	Thin, crisp wafer with a clean, snappy crunch.
Core Ingredients	Flour, shortening, sugar, yeast, and occasionally coconut.	Flour, sugar, eggs, butter, milk, and vanilla.
Preparation Style	An 11-stage lamination process(rolling and folding dough with fat layers), then baked.	Prepared as a thin liquid batter poured onto a heated iron press (barquillera), then rolled immediately while hot.
Sweetness Delivery	Extensively dusted with granulated white sugar on the outside before baking.	Sweetness is baked directly into the batter, giving it a uniform flavor.

---

Key Differences

The Crunch vs. The Flake: Otap relies on yeast and layered vegetable shortening to create a puff-pastry structure resembling French palmiers. It breaks apart into thousands of tiny, messy flakes. Barquillos, conversely, are tightly rolled individual wafer sheets that give a firm, snap-like bite.
Dough vs. Batter: Preparing otap requires a labor-intensive, multi-step dough lamination process. Barquillos are crafted by pouring a smooth, liquid egg-and-milk batter onto an open waffle-like iron press, then rolling the cooked wafer around a wooden dowel.

Key Similarities

Visayan Pride & Pasalubong Culture: Both items serve as the ultimate regional pasalubong (travel gift). Taking a trip to Cebu almost universally requires bringing home a box of otap, just as a trip to Iloilo prompts a stop for fresh barquillos.
Coffee Companion: Neither pastry is overly heavy. Both are traditionally served alongside hot coffee or tea, allowing the dry, crisp textures to complement a warm morning or afternoon brew.
Spanish Influence: While adapted locally over generations to match Filipino ingredients, both pastries trace their culinary ancestry back to Spanish baking traditions introduced during the colonial era.
Meanwhile, Dungeness crabs from Canada is only $10.99/lb



Which Filipino bread is the BEST?


Pandesal - the classic morning roll
Ensaymada- sweet buttery perfection
Pan de Coco- coconut-filled heaven
Monay - dense and satisfying
Spanish Bread - that buttery crumb filling


Finally, THE Chicken Adobo is the dish every Filipino learns to cook first, and the one they never stop perfecting.





Long before refrigeration, Filipino cooks discovered that simmering meat in vinegar and soy sauce preserved it for days in tropical heat. What began as a practical preservation method became the national dish, with every family guarding their own version of the recipe. Some swear by coconut vinegar, others by cane. Some add coconut milk for richness. The one rule everyone agrees on: never rush the braising.