Breakfast Time

Our Saturday Breakfast (Bingka and Pandesal Bread with Coffee and Tableya)

•Pandesal is essentially a Philippines history lesson in bread form, though its origin stories are a bit murky. Until the Portuguese arrived in the Philippines, the indigenous diet was primarily focused on rice. "Wheat isn't native to the country," explains Ponseca. The majority of Filipino historians agree that the earliest version of wheat-based bread was introduced by Portuguese explorers and early settlers in the 1500s.

With the Portuguese, and eventually the Spanish colonizers, came strong ties to the Catholic church, which according to Layug, needed wheat to produce "the hostia, or sacramental bread, in their quest to convert indigenous people." Layug notes that not much is known about the first iteration of bread introduced to the Philippines, but it likely used tuba, an alcoholic coconut toddy, as a leavening agent, because yeast was not widely available yet. But this early bread iteration would have been quite different from pandesal.

•If not consumed at breakfast, pandesal is a popular choice for a mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack time known as merienda. Then, the bread is transformed into a simple sandwich which is often filled with just a piece of a fried Spam, says Ponseca. Other variations include mayonnaise spiked with chicken or tuna salad or a layer of sautéed corned beef. Regardless of what time of day people consume pandesal, the key is to eat it hot out of the oven.

•Pandesal is now also used as a base for more playful dishes, like a take on a peanut butter and jelly, bread pudding, or a Bagel Bites-like pandesal pizza. Ponseca pushes the bread one step further at Maharlika and uses it as the foundation for her very Filipino makeover of the brunch classic eggs benedict. Dubbed "Eggs Benigno," Ponseca swaps pandesal for the English muffins, and tops each piece with crispy Spam (instead of ham), poached eggs, and a drizzle of a kalamansi-spiked hollandaise. She has also transformed day-old pandesal into croutons for a Filipino take on a panzanella, tossing the bread with tomatoes and a fermented shrimp paste.

In the Philippines, it's not uncommon to use pandesal as a vessel for ice cream, either. "You could save a couple of pesos by going to an ice cream man and giving him pandesal instead of a cone," Ponseca says. "He would take it and stuff it with ice cream," an item that she fondly calls a "dirty ice cream" and often serves at her restaurants.

*BINGKA FROM CATMON!
*Have you tried bibingka from Catmon?
•If you are, better try stopping by the Bibingkahan sa Catmon located along the highway at the boundary of Barangay Macaas and Catmon Daan.

•The town of Catmon, Cebu, is known for many things: its beautiful beaches, its lush mountains, and its friendly people. But one thing that Catmon is most famous for is its bingka.

Bingka is a traditional Filipino rice cake that is made with ground rice, coconut milk, and sugar. It is often cooked in a clay pot and topped with grated coconut and muscovado sugar. Bingka de Catmon is known for its soft and spongy texture, its rich flavor, and its slightly charred crust.

There are many different theories about how Bingka de Catmon came to be. Some say that it was introduced by the Spanish colonizers, while others believe that it is a native Cebuano dish. Whatever its origins, bingka de Catmon has become an integral part of Cebuano culture and cuisine.

Bingka de Catmon is a popular snack or dessert that can be enjoyed at any time of day. It is often served with coffee or hot chocolate, and it is also a popular pasalubong item for people traveling to and from Cebu.

More than that, Bingka de Catmon is also a source of pride for the people of Catmon. It is a delicious and unique product that represents the town’s rich culture and heritage! Definitely, Garbo sa Sugbo, Garbo sa Catmon.

*Have A Wonderful Saturday To All Of Us!🤗😍

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