Ensaymada overload

It used to be, many decades ago,  a special bread for special occasions, like Christmas. Ensaymada, indeed has traveled a long journey from its origin in the Balearic Islands along the coast of Spain on the western side of the Mediterrenean, specifically Mallorca. Records show that the Arabs, in the 17th Century, left a bread legacy when they were driven off. This was the ensaymada (spelled ensaimada), from the Spanish word sain which means pork lard and the Arabic word shain, meaning fat. It is a sweet bread initially referred to as Ensaimada de Mallorca.

This sweet bread traveled through various countries starting in Latin America and subsequently landed in the Philippines during the Spanish era. The ensaymada is done with a heavy handmade dough of flour, eggs, sugar, milk and premium butter (Brunn). Left overnight it is allowed to rise, then formed into a snail-like swirl before baking. It is then dusted with more sugar and grated queso de bola.

Through the years, ensaymada became an almost everyday bread baked by many shops in the country. It lost its original form with innovations, including being stuffed with ube. Only a few hometown bakers offer the original, soft, croissant-like bread. It now looks more like mamon and somehow the texture has changed as well.

This season, our ensaymada overload started with each family member bringing their favorite ensaymada – Hizon’s, the nearest to the original; Cunanan’s, the first to offer its new form; Baguio’s generously topped with queso de bola; Mary Grace, the fave of our apo B; Antonio’s in Tagaytay, with sticky bottom; Robert Castanada’s, made using the traditional recipe; Bellevue Hotel’s ube variety. We each have a favorite among these but we need to explore more ensaymada bakers. Any referrals?

More families are engaging in home-based food ventures. Helen Moreno and daughter Mar have introduced us to more food gifts for Christmas. Digging into her mother Isabel Lontok’s recipe files, she has resurrected the ubod atsara (pickled heart of palm). The atsara is a blend of various flavors of the ingredients she has mixed with ubod – carrots, cocktail onions, red capsicums and ampalaya (bitter melon). Perfect with any fried food. She also makes aceitunas alinadas (pickled olives), ideal for salads and pasta topping.

Mar now makes bread pudding, moist but firm. We have tried all these and we give them our thumbs up.

Merry Christmas! May we put Christ in our hearts and minds!

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