Kusina ni Atching Lilian Borromeo (Pampanga Cookies)

Last Saturday, September 10, 2011 I was blessed  to have joined a very interesting and fulfilling tour organized by Travel Tales, Inc. Dubbed as Viajeng Cusina Matua (Old Kitchen  Tours of Pampanga), the tour was participated by food enthusiasts, bloggers, students including people in social media.

ABOUT VIAJENG CUSINANG MATUA.

The Kapampangan cuisine is highly regarded as one of the most delicious variety in the Philippines. The tour is handled by Travel Tales Inc. Discover the secrets of the locals and explore the rich culture of Pampanga through this one of a kind cultural culinary experience. Atching Lily welcomed us with a smile.

At first atching Lily prepared all of us a very sumptuous breakfast.

I can imagine myself asking for more as the meal was also served with hot tsokolate tablea, a combination of local hot choco – 2 tableas + 800 ml boiled carabao’s milk.

After the breakfast, Atching Lily gave us a very good show, a demonstration of how to make a San Nicolas cookies patterned and molded into different virgin Mary and saints.

She also gave us a very interesting history of the different saints and narration of how the family tradition and different towns in Pampanga participated and patterned her designs to the cookies. She has a lot of cooking implements from wooden bowls to baskets to jars and ladles. Atching Lily also mentioned they are doing Dulce Prenda, a sweet bread with Kundol fillings.

 It was indeed an interesting journey as our first stop is to visit the Kusina ni Atching Lilian Borromeo, who is also known for making San Nicolas Cookies (named after Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of bakers) and Ive heard one of the famous local culinary expert. Atching Lily has its own template and religious design in her cookies. Timely, our trip coincides with the feast of San Nicolas.

The Sanikulas is a native sweet biscuit made of uraro flour and coconut milk. She mixed third-class flour, margarine, egg yolks, coconut milk, baking powder, and cornstarch (locals used arrowroot flour back in the day) to make dough, which she then sprinkled with small bits of lemon rind. She covered the dough in flour, broke the dough into parts, and pressed a small lump into a mold.  Atching Lily mentioned that it is originally given away by a priest to people attending mass during the San Nicolas Feast. I really enjoyed the demo!

If you are interested about the tour and experience the fun and learning, The tour will bring the enthusiast to an experience of an old kitchens of Pampanga. You can contact The tour is handled by Travel Tales Inc. at (632)2390950 or text them at 09175455615 or email traveltales@ymail.com

In a few i will blog about my TRIP to BACOLOR and BETIS CHURCH as well as my HACIENDA Tour at PRADO FARMS! Everything organized and Courtesy of Travel Tales Inc.