"Panecillos de San Nicholas"

 

I have been intrigued by Panecillos de San Nicholas, a delicately molded biscuit available at Panaderia Dimas-Alang in Pasig, one of the oldest surviving bakeries in the country. It is modestly labeled as “San Nicholas bread” in their glass display, yet not many people coming in the bakery perhaps know that the name and form carry a deep legacy. My fascination with it began when I started exploring the intersection of early local industries and the spread of Catholicism—an inquiry that naturally led me to the history of the construction of the Pasig Cathedral.

Panecillos available at Panaderia Dimas-Alang , Pasig

Why should a study of local history begin with a biscuit named after a medieval saint? San Nicholas of Tolentino, a 13th-century Augustinian friar from central Italy, was said to have received a shortbread-like loaf from the Virgin Mary after a long period of fasting. The bread miraculously restored his health. In time, San Nicholas began distributing these blessed loaves, which were believed to possess healing properties. He would later become one of the earliest and most venerated figures of the Augustinian Order.

When the Augustinians arrived in Manila and its surrounding areas in the 1570s, they established missions along the Pasig River—from present-day Guadalupe in Makati, through Mandaluyong, and into Pasig. These areas, aside from becoming centers of evangelization, were also places rich in pre-Hispanic folklore and sacred geography—fertile ground for the merging of indigenous beliefs and Catholic tradition. Here emerged enduring legends: Malapad na Bato, the cave of Doña Jeronima, the tale of Buwayang Bato, the uli-uli of Santa Rosa, and many others.

Even José Rizal referenced Buwayang Bato in El Filibusterismo, recounting the legend of a monstrous crocodile that was turned into a rock-island after a Chinese man fervently prayed to San Nicholas de Tolentino.

But how could we connect the history of the Cathedral of Pasig and the bread of San Nicholas connect?

When the Augustinians began constructing their churches in stone, they employed a building mixture known as "Argamasa"—a plaster blend of lime, sand, water, earth, and a crucial ingredient: egg whites (Klaro ng itlog). Church historians often note the volume of egg whites used in this process. In areas like Pasig, which had a thriving duck-raising industry long before the Spanish arrived, the production of balut and other delicacies ensured a steady supply of duck eggs. What then became of the surplus egg yolks?

In Pampanga, there exists a tradition that the leftover yolks were turned into Panecillos de San Nicholas, continuing a culinary legacy that blends monastic ingenuity with local resources. Could a similar practice have developed in Pasig?

There is a "visita" (chapel) in Pasig—one of the original twelve visitas recorded by Fray Gaspar de San Agustin in his Conquistas de las Islas Filipinas (1565-1615). It stands less than a kilometer from the main Pasig Church, near Pariancillo Creek (also known as Bitukang Manok), which connects to both the Pasig and Marikina rivers.

The missing link in my inquiry is this: could the tradition of Panecillos de San Nicholas in Pasig date back to the early days of the Church itself, only to have faded from collective memory over time? Was the biscuit not just a devotional artifact, but also a silent witness to the intertwining of faith, local industry, and folklore?

The answer is a definite no—I recently interviewed Manolo Lozada, owner of the famous Pasig bakery, and he confided that the 'Panecillos' are a recent addition to the shop. He was inspired to create the recipe after a recent trip to Pampanga.

I rest my case. But sill I insist: Who knows? In the distant past it cold have been?

 

 With Tito Manolo Lozada-proprietor of one of the country's oldest 'panaderia" (bakery)--"Dimas-Alang Bakery" -- Tito Manolo is the brother of world renowned Pasig violinist, the late Carmencita Lozada.