Let’s Get That Bread: The Lowdown on Filipino Breads
Rice is life, but for others, bread is lifer.
Rice may be a meal staple, but for many Filipinos, bread is a quick option to fill a growling tummy. You may have had pan de sal for breakfast or seen your relatives pair pancit with sandwich bread. But in the Philippines, there’s a variety of options available, straight from the local panaderya (bakery)--we’ve picked out a few with interesting names and origins, and you may want to try them out on your next flight here.
Pan de regla (menstrual bread)
Screengrab from PagkaingPinoyTV
Filipinos are known to be resourceful–and no, it’s not what you’re thinking about. Locally known as kalihim or pan de pula (red bread), this popular snack option utilizes leftover bread for its sweet, red-tinged filling. Because of its striking looks, Filipinos from all over the archipelago have come up with equally crazy and creative names for it: lipstick, floorwax, kabukiran, and even maligaya.
Tasty
Photo courtesy of NoliSoli.ph
Also known as Pullman or pan Amerikano (American bread), no one really knows the name origins of what is typically known as sandwich bread. Instead of serving it fresh from the oven, you’d usually spot bags of tasty stacked on top of the other at your local bakery. You may have also seen your relatives carbo-load by pairing it with pancit, or if you’re a certain age, ate rainbow-colored versions of this snack.
Monay
Photo courtesy of Foxy Folksy
This type of bread, made with milk and eggs, is typically round and smooth-crusted, with a crease right in the middle. It’s also best eaten straight from the oven. The dough for monay also serves as a foundation for all other types of Filipino bread such as putok, pagong, sputnik, and a host of others–all with slight tweaks in the formulation. No wonder it’s aptly called “the mother of all breads.”
Putok
Photo courtesy of Foxy Folksy
On one hand, putok may mean “body odor”–but on the other hand, this type of bread is named for the split on top of its surface. Its “exploding crown” is usually topped with a sugar and milk glaze, with golden brown ridges from baking. It is denser and more compact than monay, and may require pairing with a beverage to make it less of a potential choking hazard.
Sputnik
Photo courtesy of atbp.ph
This mini version of monay is named after the Russian spacecraft robots launched into space in the 1950’s. These little globs of dough have the same spherical shape as those in the Sputnik Program. Other monikers for these egg-shaped rolls include “mushroom bread” and “Pacman” (for its “mouth” on the side).
Spanish bread
Photo courtesy of Lutong Bahay Recipe
There really isn’t hard evidence of whether this snack originated in Spain. But all the same, this yummy treat is as soft as pan de sal, more oblong-shaped, and filled with a sweet, buttery, and textured paste. The filling is usually made with margarine, bread crumbs, and brown sugar–a delightful contrast to the soft roll encasing it. Yum!
Pan de sal (salt bread)
Photo courtesy of Tastemade
No list of Filipino types of bread would be complete without the OG–pan de sal. Next to rice, it’s the most common breakfast carb for many Filipinos. It’s named for the pinch of salt added to the dough and is the perfect piece of bread to dunk in a hot cup of coffee or cocoa. Some local bakeries sell wheat, ube, cheese, or even malunggay (horseradish) versions of these rolls–but don’t worry, the horseradish version doesn’t taste as vegetable-y as you might think.
Filipinos definitely love their bread–and while it might not knock rice off its top spot, these breakfast or snack options are warm, filling, and bring a wave of nostalgia or comfort no other food item can.
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