puto-seko

Tagalog

Alternative forms

• puto seco
• puto seko
• putoseko
• putuseko

Etymology

From Philippine Spanish poto seco, where Spanish seco (“dry”) and Philippine Spanish poto itself is from Tagalog puto which comes from Malay putu, which is from Tamil புட்டு (puṭṭu, “a South Indian Tamil pastry”). By surface analysis, puto +‎ seko (“dry”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˌputo ˈseko/ [ˌpuː.t̪o ˈsɛː.xo]
• Rhymes: -eko
• Syllabification: pu‧to-se‧ko

Noun

puto-seko (Baybayin spelling ᜉᜓᜆᜓᜐᜒᜃᜓ)

1. puto seco (a sweet rice cake pastry delicacy made up of sugar, cornstarch, rice flour, egg, and butter, but is drier unlike puto, which is cooked steamed and is softer in texture)

   Synonym: puto masa

Usage notes

Usage in Tagalog/Filipino or in the Philippines in general is neither offensive nor vulgar, unlike when read in Spanish which it should not be mistaken with Spanish puto. The term is a popular pasalubong (a souvenir item to bring home) among Filipinos.

Further reading

• “puto-seko” at KWF Diksiyonaryo ng Wikang Filipino‎^[1], Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, 2021
• http://www.shellyviajeratravel.com/2017/08/filipino-phrases-borrowed-from-spanish.html