Balikucha

{{Short description|Filipino pulled candy}}

{{Redirect|Balikutsa|the type of doughnut from Bicol|Pilipit|the coconut milk and sugar candy from the Visayas and Mindanao|Coconut toffee}}

{{Use Philippine English|date=January 2024}}

{{Infobox prepared food

| name = Balikucha

| image = Balicucha.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Balicucha a candy made from sugarcane, serves as a natural sweetener for coffee and tea.

| alternate_name = Balicucha, Balikutsa

| country = Philippines

| region = Ilocos

| creator =

| type = Sweets

| served =

| main_ingredient = Sugarcane juice

| variations = Butong-butong, Tira-tira

| calories =

| other =

}}

Balikucha, also spelled balicucha or balikutsa, is a type of traditional pulled sugar candy from the Philippines. It is made by boiling pure sugarcane juice or crystalline sugar (usually muscovado or palm sugar) until it caramelizes and becomes a syrup. It is then pulled and folded repeatedly against a nail until it turns a creamy white color. The resulting ropes of candy are then cut into sections and curled at the ends, resulting in a distinctive shape similar to palmier pastries. They are allowed to dry under the sun before being sold.File:Balikucha1.jpg|left]]They can be eaten as is and are popular candies for children. They have a hard porous texture that melts in the mouth. They are also commonly used to sweeten hot drinks like coffee, tsokolate, and tea, as they melt quickly. They can also be melted again into a syrup used to sweeten desserts like cariocas (fried glutinous rice balls).{{cite news |last1=Cruz |first1=Jashley Ann |title=iJuander: What is Balicucha? |url=https://www.gmanetwork.com/gtv/magazine/i_juander/88552/ijuander-what-is-balicucha/story |access-date=18 January 2024 |work=GMA GTV |date=19 May 2022}}{{cite news |last1=Medenilla |first1=Vina |title=Going beyond refined sugar: Traditional sweeteners in the Philippines |url=https://mb.com.ph/2022/7/16/going-beyond-refined-sugar-traditional-sweeteners-in-the-philippines |access-date=18 January 2024 |work=Manila Bulletin |date=16 July 2022}}{{cite news |last1=Miniano |first1=Marcy |title=18 Locally Grown Ingredients From the Philippines That You Need to Try |url=https://www.tripzilla.ph/locally-grown-ingredients-philippines/29985/ |access-date=18 January 2024 |work=TripZilla |date=17 August 2021}}

Balikucha is similar to the tira-tira candy of the Tagalog regions (which are also sometimes called balikucha) and butong-butong of the Western Visayas, except that tira-tira are shaped into small sticks and butong-butong is shaped into a coil.{{cite book |last1=Polistico |first1=Edgie |title=Philippine Food, Cooking, & Dining Dictionary |date=2017 |publisher=Anvil Publishing, Incorporated |isbn=9786214200870}}{{cite news |title=The Peculiar Life of a Buri Palm and an illustrated Philippines sugar map |url=https://meryenda.substack.com/p/the-peculiar-life-of-a-buri-palm |access-date=18 January 2024 |work=Meryenda |date=10 October 2022}}{{cite book |last1=Besa |first1=Amy |title=Memories of Philippine Kitchens |date=2014 |publisher=ABRAMS, Incorporated |isbn=9781613128084}}{{cite web |title=In Vigan, coffee is sweetened with balicucha |url=https://devour.asia/in-vigan-coffee-is-sweetened-with-balicucha/ |website=Devour.Asia |access-date=18 January 2024}} Balikutsa is also the name for coconut toffee, a traditional chewy candy from the Visayas and Mindanao islands made from hardened coconut milk and sugar syrup.{{cite web |title=balikutsa |url=https://cebuano.pinoydictionary.com/word/balikutsa/ |website=Cebuano Dictionary |access-date=18 January 2024}}{{cite web |title=Balikutsa |url=https://www.onecebu.com/dictionary/cebuano/word/620 |website=OneCebu.com |access-date=18 January 2024}}

Balikucha is celebrated in the annual Balicucha Festival of the town of Santa Maria, Ilocos Sur during the months of March and April.{{cite news |last1=Lazaro |first1=April |title=Balicucha Festival in Ilocos Sur unwraps on Easter Sunday |url=https://mb.com.ph/2024/3/29/balicucha-festival-in-ilocos-sur-unwraps-on-easter-sunday |access-date=17 April 2024 |work=Manila Bulletin |date=29 March 2024}}