During the observance of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, glutinous rice-based delicacies with coconut cream, and sugar are served to match the tradition that underscores familial ties distinct among Filipinos.

Elena Bayona, who is fond of preparing the traditional Filipino delicacies, said that “malagkit” or glutinous rice symbolizes the tightness of families, citing the value of the family that sticks together.

“Ang mga kakanin at malagkit for me parang kustombre na ng ating mga ninuno na ang malagkit, 'yan ang sign ng pag-isa ng family,” Bayona said.

Maygrace Banaag, a businesswoman, said that her family is fond of preparing “kakanin” (the Filipino term for sticky rice-based desserts) during the observance of All Saints’ Day and All Souls' Day. Making these "kakanin" has provided extra income, as part of her enterprising pursuits.

Banaag said that large number of orders is placed days to the observance, such as suman (elongated rice cake wrapped in banana leaves or palm leaves), puto cheese (steamed rice cake with cheese), kutchinta (steamed brown rice cake with jelly-like consistency), ube rice, palitaw (flat, chewy patties of glutinous rice dough boiled until they float and then coated in grated coconut and sugar), pitchi-pitchi (chewy steamed cassava dessert), and butchi (deep-fried ball made from glutinous rice flour, coated in sesame seeds, and typically filled with sweet paste).

One of her bestseller items is ube suman with yema (sweet candy made with egg yolks, milk, and sugar). The glutinous rice is cooked in coconut cream with ube (yam) flavoring. The yema filling is added. Coconut cream, milk, salt, and eggs are mixed until creamy and used as toppings for the ube suman.

“Nasanay na ang mga tao na bago ang Undas, nagki-crave rin sila ng malagkit. Kaya halos everyday may order na,” Banaag said.

Traditional beliefs and practices during the observance of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Days are as varied as the ways rice-based delicacies are prepared.

It is deemed important that families continue to stick together and pass the delicacies around, despite the others who have already passed on.