Popular travel guide Lonely Planet has featured the Filipino “Bibingka” in its recommended Traditional Christmas Desserts from around the world.
The Bibingka from the Philippines is first on the Lonely Planet list with writer Elizabeth Warkentin noting that the Christmas season begins in September for Filipinos.
Lonely Planet then describes how the sweet, glutinous rice cake is created:
“The batter is traditionally poured into a terracotta dish lined with a banana leaf and steamed in a clay oven with coals above and below. The sticky cakes were initially presented as offerings to pre-colonial gods or were given as gifts to honored guests.”
Lonely Planet then recommends the Bibingka from Cafe Via Mare in Manila.
The love for the dessert is shared between the Philippines and in the Christian-majority areas of Indonesia, a region that is close to the country both geographically and culturally.
Indeed as Christmas is fast approaching in a few days, celebrations won’t be complete without the Bibingka and other mouth-watering desserts to complement your Noche Buena (Midnight Feast) or any gathering this holiday season.
The Christmas feast adds more essence to the season of togetherness in families across all countries and cultures, and the delicious and nostalgia-inducing sweets seal the deal for the feasts.
The Bibingka rice cake dessert is commonly sold outside of churches during the nine-day Novena masses or Simbang Gabi. The rice cake is brought home for the post-service breakfast.
Bibingka continues to be a special, essential, and popular delicacy among Filipinos that is eaten during the Christmas season and can even be a great Christmas present for your Christmas family gatherings,
To find more delicious Bibingka, check out Ferino’s Bibingka.
And if you want to know why the Philippines has the most Christmas spirit this season here are the nine reasons to prove it.
TELL US in the comments below about your favorite Christmas dessert!
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