Are these Spanish ring-shaped treats a cultural slight or just a really good snack? We bite into the history and the biscuit itself to find out.
I was walking along a street in Porto, Portugal, when a neighborhood supermarket caught my eye. Curious about the local pantry staples, I stepped inside, expecting to maybe discover a quirky pasalubong. Instead, I stumbled upon something far more unexpected: the controversial chocolate-coated biscuits boldly labeled “Filipinos.”
At €1.89 (₱128.50) per pack, the snack was inexpensive enough to satisfy my curiosity. I grabbed two varieties—white chocolate and milk chocolate—and headed out, eager to finally see what the decades-long fuss was about.
The house of Artiach
To understand the biscuit, you have to understand its maker. Filipinos are produced by Artiach, one of Europe’s oldest and most prestigious biscuit companies. Founded in 1907 in Bilbao, Spain, by the Artiach family, the brand has spent over a century becoming a household name in the Iberian Peninsula.
Their lineup is a gallery of Spanish childhood staples: the dinosaur-shaped Dinosaurus, the tea-friendly Artinata wafers, and the toasted Chiquilín. But among their “stars,” the ring-shaped Filipinos remain their most globally recognized—and debated—export. Available in dark, milk, and white chocolate (and even trendy salted caramel), the snack is a staple across Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands.
A recipe for controversy
The name isn’t a recent marketing gimmick; it has been around for over 40 years. However, it reached a boiling point in 1999 when the Philippine government filed a diplomatic protest against the manufacturer (then Nabisco Iberia) and the European Commission.
The objection was rooted in the product’s imagery. Critics, including former President Joseph Estrada and Congressman Heherson Alvarez, argued the name was offensive—specifically the dark chocolate version, which was described as “dark outside and white inside,” seen by many as a racial slur. While the Spanish government maintained the name was merely a tribute to a former colony, the protest never led to a name change. In fact, the publicity only seemed to cement the biscuit’s popularity in Europe.
The verdict: bittersweet or just sweet?
Controversy aside, how do they actually taste?
My verdict: they’re actually good. Not a high-end artisanal chocolate biscuit, but comfortably above decent. The biscuit has a satisfying crunch, while the chocolate coating adds just the right sweetness. It’s the kind of snack you can easily demolish half a pack of without noticing. The white chocolate version is creamier, while the milk chocolate feels more classic and balanced.
And here’s the honest part: after tasting them, I wasn’t offended. If anything, I was more puzzled than outraged. Why name the biscuit “Filipinos” when there’s no Filipino ingredient or cultural story attached to it? The closest association I could find is a visual one—their resemblance to rosquillos, the ring-shaped Cebuano biscuit traditionally enjoyed with coffee. The similarity, however, is purely aesthetic; the flavors are worlds apart.
So there I was in Porto, halfway across the world from Manila, in my hotel room enjoying a biscuit called “Filipinos.” It was a strange, meta-moment of cultural consumption.
The biscuit has a satisfying crunch, while the chocolate coating adds just the right sweetness. It’s the kind of snack you can easily demolish half a pack of without noticing.
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