From a humble beginning in 2010, Hacienda Camerino, Inc. has evolved into a pioneer in workforce management by providing good quality of traditional foods. If there’s a Filipino food that we can call our own or authentic in its form, recipean compositions, historical and economic background, and true in its indigenal roots, it is the kakanin, and it has been a part of Philippine cuisine as far as history could record, centuries pass centuries. And, luckily the most basic and rudimentary composition, cooking techniques, and taste identities linked with such festively humble victuals of rice, glutina, coconut smothering preferences, muscovado, burnt-sugars, citrusing, glazey carameling, and coco-grates, are still maintained and used even in our modern times.

Kakanin as a word, and as a merienda-companion is famous to all. Its name was derived from its main ingredient, which is kanin. Not the regular rice but glutinous rice. This native food is always a part and never been missed in the Filipino eating tradition, always in the list of food in every occasion, a favorite merienda and also breakfast. Its importance and demand is evident through the many vendors or hawkers in the streets or public places selling this great food. This authentic Filipino food is not only a favorite of its creators (Filipinos) but also captured the taste of the foreigners, the reason why it is always a part of the buffet of the leading food establishments in the country, usually in the dessert section.

In the time of our grandmothers, cooking kakanin requires a special stove made of clay which is called bibingkahan. This cooking instrument is made to work by live coals over the stove’s metal lid. Cooks of kakanin should have patience and endurance, because primarily it requires continuos fanning of the coals or blowing on it using a blower (a narrow pipe, made of wood.) Also, kakanin should be stirred continuously for a well-blended mixture; while other native pastries can be cooked by steaming, frying and boiling.

Usually rice flour is used for the base of kakanin and native pastries. The rice flour that has two types, galapong and malagkit (glutinous rice) are being added with gata (coconut milk), white/ red sugar or panocha to taste, also, ubi, pinipig, monggo, anise and achuete are used for coloring and flavoring.

Galapong is prepared by soaking the rice flour in water overnight, afterwards it is ground and strained through levels of cheesecloth. Galapong is being used for the base of sapin-sapin, cuchinta, maja blanca, panara, puto, bibingka and palitaw. However, Maja blanca base is mixed with corn kernels, and or flavoring.

Malagkit (glutinous rice) is the base used for cuchinta, espasol, puto maya, suman sa ibus, suman sa lihia and bibingka. Also, the favorite simbang gabi food, puto bumbong, is a mixture of malagkit and pururutong (dark purple rice) which gives it the color purple.

Puto bumbong is being cooked by steaming the mixture placed in bamboo tubes, when cooked, the tubes are tapped to bring out the cooked mixture. It is served on a banana leaf, brushed with melted margarina and sprinkled with sugar and niyog.