World's Biggest Bibingka

THERE’S bibingka and there’s Bibingka Mandaue, a delicacy that has become synonymous to this modest city in Metro Cebu.

“You have not been to Mandaue if you haven’t tasted the city’s bibingka,” said Adolf Hoerson, a German national who has lived in the city for more than 30 years.

Eating bibingka is one thing, preparing it is another. Mandauehanons, though, are so used to preparing the coconut rice cake that they’ve decided to make a 182-square-meter version. That’s roughly half the size of a basketball court.

To pull off the record-breaking task, some 300 public school students and teachers had to lend a hand, from squeezing milk from fresh coconut meat to preparing the bibingka mixture and pouring it into pans lined with banana leaves.

A panting Jenelyn Choi, a teacher of the Bakilid Elementary School, had to massage her arms after six hours of preparing the caramelized sugar and coconut milk mix, which would be combined with the sticky rice later.

Tiresome

“Kapoy ang pagmix uy (Mixing is tiresome),” Choi exclaimed, as she and about 28 teachers mixed all of the ingredients to make the bibingka batter.

The participants had to mix about 61 sacks of rice, 61 sacks of sugar, 10 cans of yeast and milk from about 13,500 coconuts to make the batter.

Exhausted after the feat, Choi said she’s unsure if she could eat the bibingka she helped bake.

“Lami unta ikaun ani, pero ambot lang kung matulon pa kaha nako sa akong kakapoy (I’d
love to eat, but I doubt if I can still swallow from this exhaustion),” Choi said in jest.

Compared to Choi’s efforts, however, those who prepared the stoves for the fire had it worse.

Sweating from the searing heat, Marty, one of the students working on the stoves, had difficulty breathing as smoke rose from the charred coconut husk.

He will find consolation, though, in eating the hot bibingka along with fellow students.

“Kung makakaun lang ko aning bingka, bahala na ang kakapoy (If I can eat some of the bibingka, I wouldn’t mind the fatigue),” Marty said.

Baffling

The mere thought of chewing on a slice of bibingka three inches thick baffled onlookers.

“Naglibog gyud ko kung unsaun namo pagkaon ana (I’m really confused how we’d manage to eat that),” said Tessa Abapo, 45, yesterday. Abapo added she will be returning today to taste the humongous delicacy.

For Christine Mayol-Cortes, who belongs to the sixth generation in a family of bibingka makers, cooking rice cake that big is no laughing matter.

Cortes, who is assisting teachers in making the batter, said the bibingka they are making is a tough challenge.

“It’s really a challenge, especially since we have to meet a specific size and thickness,” said Cortes, who has been helping her family in the delicacy business for years.

To set the record, the giant bibingka should be more than 182 square meters, have a 50-foot diameter, and be three inches thick.

Cortes is confident they will break the record, as not only her family’s reputation hangs on the line, but that of the city as well.

“If we break the record, history will never forget that Mandaue made the best bibingka in the world,” Cortes adds.

Bibingka sa Mandaue

Bibingka Recipe

Ingredients:
7 kilos of rice
11/2 kilo of oil
1 baking powder
2 cups coconut milk
small amount of yeast
2 ¾ refined sugar
Step 1:
First of all, you have to grind your rice until its fine enough and powdered.
Step 2:
Put the coconut milk on the ground rice, add sugar and baking powder. Before putting the yeast, dissolve it in a little water, then mix all.
Step 3:
Cut the banana leaves into circles, it must be based on the size of a tin cup.
Step 4:
Put the banana leaves on the tin cup, balanced and with enough space enough so that the edge of our bibingka will be attractive.
Step 5:
You can now put your bibingka mixture in the middle of an oven. Wait for 30 minutes, until it is brown.
You can now have your own bibingka (rice cake). If you failed in this attempt, you can still try and try until you succeed.

Mandaue City

The City of Mandaue (Cebuano: Dakbayan sa Mandaue, Tagalog: Lungsod ng Mandaue), is a city in 

the province of Cebu in the Philippines. It is one of the three highly-urbanized cities on the island and forms a part 

of the Cebu Metropolitan area.Mandaue City is located on the middle eastern coastal region of Cebu, bordering 

to its right-side are Mactan Island where Lapu-Lapu City is located. Mandaue is connected to Mactan Island via 

two bridges which includes the Mactan-Cebu Bridge and Marcelo Fernan Bridge. And is bounded south and the 

west by the Provincial Capital, Cebu City and north by Consolacion which is linked with Cansaga Bay Bridge. The 

city has an area of 2,518 hectares (6,220 acres) with a total population of 331,320 people as of the 2010 census.

Mandaue City is part of the Sixth District of Cebu joined with the municipalities of Consolacion and Cordova. 

Although qualified for a lone district since 1991, this was neglected by lawmakers. Mandaue is a highly-urbanized 

city but is administered with the supervision of the provincial government.

MANTAWI FESTIVAL

The founding of the settlement Mandawe on April 7, 1521, has several historical value and significance in the history of Cebu. In order to commemorate the city’s foundation, a festival was conceptualized and came to be known as the Mantawi Festival.

The festival was a project started by the former mayor of Mandaue City. It was first celebrated on the 33rd charter day celebration of Mandaue, August 30, 2002. The next year the day of the festival was changed to last Sunday of August since it overwhelmed the city's charter day celebration the year before. In 2004, the festival was stopped due to organizational problems. In to 2005 the date was again moved to May 7 to coincide with the city's fiesta celebration.

The festival is a symbol of Mandaue City’s history. Its historical past affirms its present identity as a highly urbanized industrial center and a new tourism destination where arts and culture become tools for progress and prosperity. The highlight of the festival is a parade of street dancers and dioramas showcasing the history and culture of Mandaue accompanied by brass instruments. Industries in the city join in the celebration with their creatively crafted floats. Other participants range from the government officials, teachers and to students. In 2005, the festival was opened for participation from places outside Cebu. The festival also includes the parade of higantes (giants)--The people who shaped the present Mandaue City. The festival culminates in the awarding of the winners of the street dance and float competition followed by a grand fireworks display.

Mandaue City Map