Visita "Bibingka" in Santa Barbara during Semana Santa

Amidst all the religious activities during the Holy Week in Santa Barbara, there's one "activity" that brings everyone together despite religion or beliefs. It's the decades-old tradition of "pamingka in the plaza" during Semana Santa.

I remember the days when these bingka are only available during Lent that we consume all the bingkas we can since it will be another year when we will get to taste these rice cakes.  And it's always a family affair on both sides - whether your family cooks and makes them or just the one who drops by and buy and enjoy it in the plaza. 

During this time the whole plaza is filled with "bingka picnickers" - with paperbags of hot-off-the-oven bingka and drinks. It's exudes a food festival ambiance without the tables and chairs as everybody just content themselves sitting on the benches and on grass. With a well-lighted plaza, this bingka happy-hour starts from late afternoon until late evening especially from Maundy Thursday to Black Saturday - as thousands of devotees troop to the church to attend various religious activities.

When the Holy Week "opens" on Palm Sunday, bingka stalls start to sprout in the plaza area. And without realizing it, the whole stretch of the road teems with a number of these temporary stalls. Its a delight to see families, clans and communities working hand-hand in making these bingkas. And you can observe the process from the start to finish like an open kitchen.

Tin can molds are lined with banana leaves then the bingka mixture - rice flour, sugar, coconut strips, eggs, milk and leaveners-pampa-alsa (though everyone has their own bingka recipe) are poured in. It goes in a makeshift oven and around 10 minutes (no, its still not yet cooked) or so, it is then taken out for a rub of margarine and a sprinkle of sugar before it goes in the oven for the second time until they turn golden brown. That's the cue when they will be out of the oven, given the final rub and sprinkle, and individually taken out  from the molds (after a brief col off period) and be ready to be sold.

And like another panata (vow or devotion) for Semana Santa, I always make it a point to taste all the bingkas especially those which sprout only during the Holy Week, thus born this Visita "Bibingka"  - my own gastronomically version of the Seven Churches Visitation every Holy Thursday.

Tungay Bingka

But I did not gobble up all these bingka in just one night. It started with Bingka ni Gaming above (1st photo) on Palm Sunday and on Holy Monday, the Bingka from Tungay above. Both are sort of gummy especially the the latter and I enjoyed former much better.

Tib;s Special Bingka

On Holy Tuesday, I decided to drop by the former Tastiest Bingka Bingka winner - Tib's. Though during the said contest years ago they made a special recipe, what they were selling last week was good. It was more fluffy rather than gummy - presence of more milk, and indeed tasty. I think I finished5 in one sitting.  

Bingka ni Luis

Holy Wednesday treat was Bingka from Luis which was rather gummy and a bit hard. Maybe I got an old stock but still it was good to eat but pales in comparison with other. RJ's Bingka was part of my Maundy Thursday and it was another gummy, hard bingka just like the day before. It seems that my penitensya had started two days earlier.

RJ Bingka

I took a break during the peak season of bingka which is Good Friday - for fasting reasons at the same time avoiding the rush of these bingkahans to cater to a deluge of bingka eaters.

Salome Bingka

On Black Saturday, I found myself really enjoying these fluffy Bingka ni Salome. I almost finished this whole plate as they were still very warm thus giving a more appetizing aroma and taste that leaves a delicious trail down the throat.

And on Easter Sunday, it's Leling's Bingka done my favorite way - crispy outside with all the margarine and sugar yet soft and chewy (not gummy) inside.

Meet Maria Shielley Simoy more popularly called "Leling". She is Santa Barbara's "Bingka Queen" - though she does not consider herself as one. Not only she sells the most popular bingka in town, she makes her bingka presence all year round. 

She started her year round bingka business just a few years ago but their bingka making has been a family business for decades now started by her lola.. They also used to appear during Lent but seeing the impact of this business to her family, she decided to devote herself to this native delicacy business. 

Since then, she established Santa Barbara bingka's popularity through year round availability selling almost 1000 bingkas day. Through this business she was able to augment their source of income that send her children to school. She also gives a source of income to other families through the manuglibod (peddler) concept.

These bingkas are placed in styro boxes in order for them to remain warm and also make them more convenient to be sold around town. Usually her peddlers, only takes them a few hours to sell these bingkas around town but they can sell up to 4 boxes if transportation is available especially in far baranggays.

For only 5 pesos each, these bingkas have played different roles for different people. For us who have tried them, it brings back our childhood food memories. For those who haven’t, it’s a gastronomic adventure of having a special kind of bingka experience.  For her manuglibods, it is a way of earning a living to support their respective families.

And for Leling, aside from augmenting their source of income that send her children to school, it was also a way of continuing her family’s legacy and making these puto-like bingka, the pride of Sta. Barbara!

* Unwatermarked photos courtesy of Santa Barbara Ugyon Facebook