Perhaps when you were growing up you wondered why the adults in your home looked for mongo on Fridays. Maybe now that you’re an adult you still find yourself wondering why carinderias and restaurants include mongo in their Friday lunch menu. At Polland, we love letting our readers in on little secrets. So, in this blog post, discover the mystery behind Mongo Fridays.
While the average Filipino knows to stay away from eating meat for the entire Holy Week or even just on Good Friday as Jesus was crucified on that day, it’s not common practice to abstain from meat for all other Fridays. However, according to legend, some Spanish friars taught our ancestors that abstaining from eating meat is for all Fridays.
You could be asking, “is mongo the only vegetable you can eat on Fridays?” The answer would be a hard and fast “no.” But, among all vegetables, mongo was and remains to be one of the cheapest and most versatile when it comes to usage and taste. Mongo is an incredible substitute to meat as it is rich in protein and other nutrients. A cup of mongo contains 15.4gm of fiber, 14.2gm of protein, and 38.7gm of carbohydrates. In addition, the vegetable packs a punch with other nutrients such as manganese, magnesium, potassium, iron, copper, selenium, folate, phosphorus, zinc, and vitamins B1 to B6.
The humble and unassuming legume takes on many different forms, and one of its most famous versions is our Mongo Special or Yellow Mung Bean Cake. Now, you have more reasons to snack on our Traditional Chinese Hopia. Share the #HopiaHappiness by placing your order on our website or shop at TikTok.