World Pandesal Day — Really?

Iris Palma in Ang Pinoy Stories

Oct 16, 2019 • 2 min Read

Apparently, may umiikot na balita na World Pandesal Day today. So I googled for that executive order. Wala naman a. Then I asked myself: kilala ba ang pandesal sa buong world? I don’t think so. I bet kung saan lang may Pinoy ay doon lang maaamoy, makikilala, at makakakita ng pandesal.

Mukhang fake news ang World Pandesal Day pero marami ang sumakay kaya sakay na rin tayo!

How sikat is pandesal?

One can see from posts ng friends and family sa iba’t-ibang lugar sa world na pandesal makes them happy. They prepare pandesal to soothe their homesickness over the national bread of the Philippines. May nagpapadala pa  nga ng pandesal from the Philippines.

Kung dati sa umaga lang may pandesal sa Pilipinas, ngayon ay 24 hours na may pandesal. This tells you how saleable ang pandesal.

Lately ay may isang klase ng healthy pandesal na may malunggay leaves, mas mahal nang konti pero mabenta. Healthy rin ang saluyot—may taker kaya? Hahahaha!

If nagutom kayo sa usapang pandesal, here is a recipe to follow:

• Bloom the yeast in either warm water or milk. Set aside.
• Mix flour with sugar and a pinch of salt.
• Add bloomed yeast.
• Form dough. Let rise.
• Roll out and slice into individual pieces.
• Dip into breadcrumbs. Let rise.
• Bake

Pan De Sal Saves the Day by Tuttle Publishing

But there is one kind of pandesal na ipinakilala sa United States and Asia. It’s an illustrated children’s book authored by Norma Chikiamco who writes for the Philippine Daily Inquirer. The book is titled “Pan De Sal Saves the Day” and published by Tuttle Publishing. The story won first prize in the Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for Literature in 1995. Illustration is by Mark Salvatus whose arts have won him awards from the Philippine Board for Books for Young People (PBBY) and the National Book Awards–Manila Critics Circle. The book tells the story of a young girl named Pan de Sal, talented and resourceful pero walang self-confidence. At the end of the story, she “wins the admiration of her classmates and finds the confidence she needs to fulfill her dreams.” The story teaches “children to see the unique qualities in everything and everyone, even themselves.”

So Filipino. So resilient. So true to her pandesal name.

Source of Featured Image: Mama’s Guide Recipe