As part of its annual lecture series — now on its seventh year — and in celebration of Food Month, the Museo ng Kaalamang Katutubo (MusKKat) in Pasig City held 23 April an engaging and curiosity-arousing lecture on biskwit, the Philippine biscuit.

Titled “Biskwit: From Alfajor to Uraro” and presented by food writer-editor Michaela Fenix, the talk marked the third installment of MusKKat’s lecture lineup this year, following Lorenz Lasco’s discussion on bladed weapons in March and Mapre Singson’s lecture on exhibition narratives in February.

Organized in collaboration with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the lecture forms part of MusKKat’s continuing effort to explore ethnographic materials, music, food, and other aspects of Filipino culture.

In her presentation, Fenix traced the many names of biscuits across the country — malutong in Cavite, sortidos in Batangas and Naga in Camarines Sur, sopas in Albay, and caran-on in Leyte and Samar. She noted that the term sopas in Albay reflects an earlier practice of eating biscuits with soup, a culinary pairing that lingered in local memory long after.

Diverse types

Fenix also examined the varied ingredients used in traditional biscuits: arrowroot for uraro in Southern Luzon; a mix of arrowroot and cassava flour for minasa in Bustos, Bulacan; and wheat flour combined with pork lard for other regional varieties.

She highlighted biscuits tied to faith and special occasions, such as Pampanga’s panecillo de San Nicolas and dulce prenda, and the roscas of Barugo, Leyte. Other examples included the baulo of the Tausug people. Baulo, though, is often considered a cake.

Historic Manila bakeries such as Bodigos and La Suiza were likewise discussed, alongside distinctive pairings of biscuits and local dishes. In Malabon, pansit Malabon is eaten with camachile cookies; in Marilao, Bulacan, pansit marilao is paired with binanle or egg crackers; while in Cuenca, Batangas, pansit sotanghon is served with a flat, rounded biscuit called tiping.

Rich milieu

Taken together, these examples reveal a rich milieu of Filipino biscuits — shaped both by local practices and influences from other cultures.

Fenix also explored the custom of pasalubong biscuits packed in large tin cans, as well as cookies produced by religious communities, such as the host cookies of the Holy Spirit sisters and the well-known lengua de gato and alfajor of the Good Shepherd sisters.

She cited institutions known for high-quality baked goods, including Panaderia de Molo in Iloilo City, Iloilo, and Ideal Bakery in Silay City, Negros Occidental. Extending the discussion beyond the Philippines, she introduced comparable treats from Southeast Asia, such as Malaysia’s colorful kueh makhmur, Singapore’s kuih loyang, Indonesia’s kue kembang goyang and Myanmar’s nankhatai.

Fenix argued that Iloilo City may well be considered the country’s “capital of cookies and panaderia,” given the sheer number of bakeries and the consistent quality of their products across the province.

The lecture concluded with a tasting of more than 10 biscuit varieties, including the Hindi Ko Akalain from Dimasalang Bakery in Pasig and Cavite’s jacobina.