BIBINGKA AND PUTO BUMBONG: FINEST CHRISTMAS RICE CAKES
It is only the first (1st) quarter of the year. There are still three (3) remaining quarters to welcome New Year. There are still more time to enjoy every months of the year 2022. People still can enjoy every moment together with their family and friends; to embark on a new adventures and create lifetime memories. Every New Year starts, I would immediately looks forward to my favorite holiday that really has a special place in my heart; Christmas Day. The day when we commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. The day when happiness has no end. The day when the word full no longer exists in our vocabulary because you can’t really avoid eating delicious food every Christmas Day. As we, the Filipinos mark –ber months (September, October, November, and December) as the start of the Christmas countdown, the ever-famous and nostalgic smell of Bibingka and Puto Bumbong would remind us that it is almost Christmas Day though there are still few months left to celebrate it.
What are these Christmas delicacies? Bibingka is just one of the few famous rice cakes in the Philippines; a soft and cushioned rice cake cooked in a pot lined with banana leaves. Its aroma is just as addicting as someone puts magic potion in you. On the other hand, Puto Bumbong is also a rice cake; violet in color steamed in a bamboo tubes topped with cheese and grated coconut.
Pre-pandemic just hits really different when the season of Christmas is coming. I would wish my schedule in school was Afternoon shift so the dismissal would be around 6:00 PM and I could smell and buy my favorite Bibingka and Puto Bumbong. What is more, every mass around months of September to November and Simbang Gabi when December comes, you would see countless vendors selling these tasty and mouthwatering kakanin. The feeling you could not explain when you start eating it hot along with your family and friends is just that a feeling you would miss after the Christmas season ends.
When Misa de Gallo ends, numerous Filipino would wait for a minutes to hour/s to have the two classic rice cakes every Christmas; Bibingka and Puto Bumbong. Our family often asks for reservation because most of the time these two rice cakes (kakanin) sell out really fast and it just Christmas evening is not complete without having it in our table.
If someone is planning to build a seasonal business, you could sell these rice cakes during the Christmas season as Filipino people would really waited for a months to finally have these kakanin again. This time, it is not just about how much you earn but it also about how you were able to create an unexpected relationship and connection with your customers; not to mention the nostalgic feeling you would feel after the holiday ends. Puto Bumbong and Bibingka make Christmas season more special and memorable. The smell, taste, and appearance would make you feel of an exceptional happiness.
