Necessity truly is the mother of invention. Nothing like a sweltering summer in the tropics to bring on visions of cold puffy air. Preferably in the form of ice cream.
Long before anyone had a word for ice cream, folks around the world were already trying to make something like it.
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| an ancient icehouse inside a defensive wall, Iran photographed by Gen. Sir Percy Molesworth Sykes KCIE, 1900 |
In China around 200 BCE, mixtures of milk and rice were frozen using ice collected from mountain lakes. By the Tang Dynasty, frozen milk desserts were being served to royalty from ice stored in underground houses built specifically for that purpose.
In Persia around 400 BCE, people were eating faloodeh, a frozen dessert made with rose water, lime juice, and delicate noodles, a version of which still exists today.
In India, kulfi developed as a slow-frozen milk dessert packed with pistachio, saffron, and cardamom. In the Middle East, people were drinking sharbat, fruit syrups chilled with ice — words sherbet and sorbet evolved from.
The tropical islands of the Philippines may well have gotten our treats from Asian traders plying our waters for centuries prior to the arrival of colonizers.
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| a carabao sled (kangga) in the Philippines (c. 1899) |
In Bacolod City on the Negrense Island our #BAO was born and raised — long before the country came to be formed, the island was inhabited, or the city itself was founded.
As children of this island we had the rare treat of growing up on carabao’s milk and its derivative delicacies — like kesong puti, pastillas de leche, leche flan, and of course ice-cream. Did you know a traditional ice cream flavor for sorbetes known as helado de mantecado was made from carabao milk.
We even had a manual churn at home. Happy memories persist of clamping ropey thighs tight around the wooden bucket, lined in rock salt encrusted ice — as we took turns cranking away on the churn. Good thing we were many siblings, all eager to jump in and take our turn at it.
Flavors varies according to whatever fruits happened to be plentiful during the season. Mango or avocado pilit. Ube, melon, buco. langka. Mostly ingredients that went into our native halo-halo — including red beans and nata or kaong.
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| classic halo-halo, a heritage Filipino treat |
Later, with the advent of PX goods, we’d toss in some frozen Bird’s Eye strawberries or Hershey’s cocoa powder.
We had other local ice treats like popsicles and a-go-go bags but the creaminess of the carabao milk and its rich full bodied flavor made those home churned ice cream recipes a personal favorite.
We are happy to find that after a long hiatus, carabao milk production and products are back being pushed into our local markets.
DA-PCC at La Carlota Stock Farm in La Carlota City, Negros Occidental
The carabao may not be the country’s officially declared national animal — yet it is still relevant amidst the technological innovations and mechanized industrialization prevalent today.
Given the growing industry for carabao milk and other related products its production is a hopeful solution — especially to poverty and hunger in the countryside.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) is revitalizing the cultivation of Philippine carabaos nationwide to help generate income among peasant and small scale farmers. The current administration is actively supporting a growing dairy nutrition program.
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| meet Dalisay, Matipuno, the future of premium carabao milk |
The road has been long and challenging. Even though carabao milk offers a unique taste and strong connection to Filipino culture it has been often overlooked beside imported milk brands.
The carabao (or water buffalo) is one of the most familiar animals we know in the Philippines. As Filipino children we were raised on their stories — at bedtime, in storybooks and our schoolbooks.
We know them as the farmer’s steady, hardworking companion — helping plant crops, carry harvests, and plow fields long before modern machinery were available or affordable.
Often called the farm’s hardiest partner, the carabao has become a national symbol of hard work, patience, and resilience in Filipino culture.
Yet even while we admire the animal itself and despite its growing presence in local food production, many Filipinos still overlook carabao milk as a nutritious and locally sourced alternative to commercially available milk.
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| abao, a Bacolod based brand of carabao ice cream |
More surprisingly, it turns out carabao milk is far superior to milk most folks are used to buying in supermarkets. Carabao milk is no simple local milk — it is a valuable dairy product with its own distinct qualities and strengths.
Although visually similar, carabao milk is far richer, creamier, and more nutritious than regular cows’ milk. It naturally contains more fat and protein, along with higher amounts of calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Slight differences that add up to make a great deal eventually.
That richness is why carabao milk has long been used in many favorite Filipino delicacies. For generations, it has helped create creamier ice cream, softer kesong puti, richer leche flan, thicker yogurt, and a more delicious and authentic tibok-tibok.
For those on the hunt for a distinct mix of flavor, texture, and nutritional content, it works especially well in milk tea, coffee, custards, and baked goods.
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| pastillas de leche, a traditional candy made from carabao milk |
Once only available as provincial treats in roadside stalls or traditional cultural delicacies they are transformed into premium food products. Now that dairy preferences worldwide are shifting towards something richer, fresher, and more closely tied to a stronger cultural identity. Carabao milk has gained a growing niche as the latest liquid gold.
Rather than compete head on with mass-produced imported milk, the Philippine government should help Filipino farmers and businesses highlight what is special and worthwhile about carabao milk.
With Bacolod at the center of the Terra Madre Asia and Pacific movement and Negros Island the bedrock of the (good, clean and fair) slow food revolution in the region — better support and stronger investment could lead to a more established local industry that in turn supports farming communities while also giving Filipinos more homegrown dairy products to consume with pride.
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| kesong puti, one of the earliest traditional dairy products in Southeast Asia |
Carabao milk reflects the same qualities we admire in the carabao itself. Both are plentiful, dependable, strong, and deeply connected to the Filipino way of life. For generations, the creature helped feed and sustain Filipino communities across its seven thousand plus islands.
The carabao is a symbol of hard work and resilience all along. It is time to proudly celebrate our faithful partner beyond stories, classrooms, and national identity and symbology.
Let us make this Filipino dairy product our prime choice and give it what it needs to remain proudly home grown and sustainable. Live it up with our very own carabao milk!
https://delish.ph/news-stories/food-and-drinks/what-is-carabao-milk-and-why-you-should-drink/
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23311983.2026.2662027#d1e531
By: Bhakti Issa Urra
