Tinapay Natin: Pinoy Bread Baking Competition 2016
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
As a nation tied to a vibrant food culture, beloved staples have become a huge part of the Filipino lifestyle. A popular must-have in every local dining table is bread—a universal favorite that has countless versions lining panaderia shelves across all corners of the Philippines. Apart from history, socio-cultural practices, cooking methods, and traditions, it also carries stories that must be preserved and passed on to elevate one’s sense of pride in local culture and enable one to support local industries.
In celebration of the colorful tradition of Filipino bread-making and to honor of our food culture, Pilmico has partnered with Max’s Corner to spearhead a nationwide bread competition, aptly called the Tinapay Natin Pinoy Bread Baking Competition.
A bearer of Filipino pride and identity
Here in the Philippines, beyond being an ever-reliable snack, bread is also a reflection of each of our province’s culture and history, which have been shaped by various influences throughout the ages.
One of the most important Filipino breads is the ubiquitous pandesal, which was introduced to the Philippines in the 16th century. It was the Spaniards’ counterpart to the French baguette. Pan de sal means “bread of salt” in Spanish, for the pinch of salt that is added to the dough. Originally, this bread had a hard crust because it was made with wheat flour. Due to the lack of wheat production, Filipino bakers eventually had to use a different type of flour which resulted to the softer pandesal that we find in our favorite panaderias across the country today.
Sparking a renewed love for local breads like the pandesal is the inspiration behind the latest pillar of the Pilmico’s brainchild, Mahalin Pagkaing Atin movement, an advocacy aimed at amplifying the role of every Filipino as a producer and guardian of our food heritage. This year’s Tinapay Natin Pinoy Bread Baking Competition aims to highlight how bread plays an important role in our local food culture and heritage, supporting our rich food history and empowering community bakeries to become storytellers for the land and the people.
Marco Lobregat hosted the Tinapay Natin Pinoy Bread Baking Competition which was held at the very first Max's Restaurant Branch, at Scout Tuazon, Quezon City.
“Bread is a reflection of our identity and our people’s history and affinity to food and agriculture,” says CarlynTrota-Salud, Max’s Bakeshop Inc. President. “With a wide variety of breads enjoyed by Filipinos around the nation, each region definitely has a native bread—a TinapayNatin—that tells a unique story about its origin and its journey.”
A national tribute
Every food in every region is a direct reflection of the land, from the ingredients and methods used to the flavors and names of each one. More than just being a competition, the Tinapay Natin Pinoy Bread Baking Competition also pays tribute to our regions’ distinguishing local identity, culture, and produce by sharing the inspiring stories that each local bread variant carries.
“We thought of an initiative anchored on encouraging Filipino bakers to pursue and share their passion for bread and baking, and that’s how TinapayNatin became a reality,” shares Maribeth Marasigan, Pilmico Chief Resource Officer.
The contest invites young members of society to recreate a beloved traditional bread as well as a modern bread—in the hopes that by inviting the youth to add their own new twist to Philippine bread making, the art can be furthered. It is open to students aged 18 to 35-years old from anywhere in the Philippines. “This isn’t just about making another delicious baked creation. Since each bread carries a distinct story of their own, each group will also be tasked with weaving a tale that expresses how their creation is a representation of a region and its culture,” continues Marasigan.
"If you look closely at our bread basket, I guess you could say we are an ingenious people who could create many breads from one dough." Shares Philippine Culinary Heritage Movement Convenor Chef Jam Melchor at the Tinapay Natin Pinoy Bread Baking Competition as he shares different cuisines from local provinces in the country.
The competition legs will be held in Manila, Bulacan, Batangas, and Iloilo, respectively. The partner universities, namely Treston International College, STI College-Bulacan, Lyceum of the Philippines - Batangas, and St. Therese College - Iloilo City, will then act as venue sponsors, while also encouraging their own students to join the contest.
The team with a bread concept that clearly carries a unique story, innovation, creativity, and deliciousness will be then awarded as makers of the country’s first Tinapay Natin Pinoy Bread Baking Competition, with either the regional tourism director or culinary heritage expert—or both—providing the preamble as to how the bread perfectly summarizes the inspiring story of its place of origin.
The Mechanics: (Who can join?)
1) Teams of two students each, aged 18-35 years old and currently enrolled full-time in an academic institution as of August 12, 2016 can join.
2) To qualify for the eliminations, each team must enter one (1) regional bread and one (1) modern bread.
a. Regional bread –associated with a region or a place within a region in the Philippines.
b. Modern bread –inspired by any local bread but is given a modern twist, whether in terms of baking style, preparation, ingredients used, or flavors harnessed.
These could be two breads of the same type (e.g. regional bread: Ensaymada from Central Luzon / modern bread: Ensaymada with Cocoa Cream Filling), or two completely different bread variants that adhere to the definitions above (e.g. regional bread: Elorde from Cebu / modern Bread: Raisin Monay), both of which must use only a maximum of ten (10) ingredients indicated in the pantry list provided in the online application form.
3) To submit, contestants must fill out the official Tinapay Natin Google form found on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/TinapayNatin. Complete competition guidelines are also posted on these links.
4) Deadline for submission is on August 12, 2016. The Consortium reserves the right to disqualify participants within the contest period should they fail to comply with the requirements or have committed fraudulent acts to appear eligible.
Prizes
The #TinapayNatin Bread Competition will be giving away the following prizes:
a. All participating teams will be provided with their respective Certificates of Participation.
b. The winning team from each of the elimination rounds will receive ten thousand pesos (Php 10,000) worth of gift certificates from Max’s Restaurant, plus a chance to get exclusive training from Pilmico Research and Training Bakery.
c. The grand winner will receive a cash prize of fifty thousand pesos (Php 50,000.00), plus a trophy and medal. In addition to this, at least one of their bread entries will be sold and distributed at MCB outlets for a probationary period of forty-five (45) days.
d. After the competition, Pilmico and MCB shall reserve the ownership and the rights to use the recipes of all bread entries that competed in the grand finals.
Bread for one and all: Distribution
The winning recipe will be subject to modification by the MCB Technical Research & Development team for selling purposes. Their bread story, meanwhile, will be published via in-store collateral and media features.
August 12 - Deadline of submission of entries
August 19 - Announcement of qualifying teams
August 26 - Deadline of improved recipes
Baking back
The competition coincides with the mission of Max’s Corner Bakery to promote appreciate for local food, especially when it comes to inspiring a renewed love for baked goods. With this, Max’s Corner Bakery—one of MGI’s oldest and most well-known brands—will be officially distributing the winning bread creation, sharing its captivating bread story, through its outlets nationwide so that the rest of the nation may take part in crafting the first TinapayNatin ever.
Max's Corner Bakery itself takes pride in a rich and colorful history that dates back to the 1960's when its founder, Ruby Trota, baked the first batch of soft bread rolls using a wood-fired oven. It was well-received by the Filipino patrons of Max's, then still flourishing restaurant. Soon, the bakery expanded its baked goodies to include breads, pastries, and cakes that eventually became the irresistibly delicious treats Filipinos know and love today.
As the competition also aims to encourage and empower the local youth, a predetermined amount from every piece of the winning bread sold by Max’s Corner Bakery will also go to the team’s chosen public school beneficiary.
“Thanks to Filipino ingenuity and an unyielding passion for bread, it is not difficult to see our bread culture carry on through the generations with more TinapayNatin creations joining the esteemed roster of breads that tell our distinct Philippine story,” ends Marasigan.
For more details:
Instagram: @TinapayNatin
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