Bibingka or Rice Cake |
According to what I have been researched about the history of bibingka, its name comes from the Hokkien root word “bi” which means “uncooked grain”. An anthropologist named E. Arsenio Manuel said that bibingka was originated from the Chinese. So much for the brief origins of bibingka, we will discover its secret ingredients that make it very delicious.
Bibingka of Mandaue is simply made
with rice flour and coconut milk or water. Well, just two ingredients and you
can now have a delicious bibingka to
crave for. But I know there’s still a question mark into your mind why for just
two ingredients its taste is very impressive and mouth-savoring and that’s only
here in Mandaue. Well, the key to the
secret ingredient of bibingka which
makes its taste very astounding is just on
how it is prepared because It is what matters most as much as the ingredients. But
according to a Bibingka maker from
Mandaue, the smoke from the charcoal gives the bibingka its distinctive taste and the cooking style also which
follows a traditional way of preparing the bibingka
or what they call inurno style also is involved to its delicious taste. Moreover, adding its
fluffiness and softness especially when it is still prepared hot makes it very
pleasuring to eat.
Map to Cebu and Mandaue City |
There are variations of bibingka in different locations in the Philippines but the most prominent variety of bibingka can be located in Mandaue! Many tourists are already coming into Cebu, particularly to visit the delicious bibingka spot which is Mandaue. When you’re in Cebu, don’t forget to taste this native specialty that Mandaue is famous for. The rice cake or bibingka is perfect for snacks or dessert. Even if you are not in familiar with Cebu, it is easy enough to find their selling station. Just tell the taxi driver you’re bound for Mandaue City’s “Coliseum”, the popular name for the cockpit. If you feel adventurous and want to go on a jeepney, look for one with “Mandaue Ibabao” on the signboard route which is located infront of the jeepney or the destination place painted on its sideways. It passes by Ibabao Street where the bibingka makers sell their product.