Ube, the yam used to make strikingly purple desserts, is a traditional Filipino ingredient that has become ubiquitous in mainstream American grocery stores. The flavor has gotten so popular it can be found outside of Filipino eateries, from bakeries and ice cream shops to the aisles of Trader Joe’s. But awareness and adoption of a bold and core Filipino ingredient, calamansi, has lagged behind, in part due to difficulties in finding fresh or even packaged versions of the citrus fruit.
The ping-pong-ball-sized green and orange fruit is the citrus of choice in Filipino cuisine. It can be used as a marinade, a finishing acid, a preserving agent or the base of a sweetened drink. Its unique floral, sweet and sour characteristics are a key flavor that cannot easily be substituted.
The supply chain issues around calamansi, also known as calamondin, are part of a broader challenge many Filipino restaurants in Chicago are facing in sourcing ingredients. “I’ve been in this business for almost 20 years,” said Joseph Fontelera, chef and owner of Boonie’s Filipino Restaurant in North Center, which was added to the Michelin Bib Gourmand list in 2023. “Of everything that I’ve ever had to get a hold of, Filipino goods have been consistently the hardest to get a hold of.
” No other ingredient encapsulates the supply chain challenge better than calamansi. “Calamansi is definitely the citrus in the Philippines,” Fontelera said in a text. “Hardly lime or lemon is used unless.