Pandesal Research Essay Example

walk in a gourmet shop and find Pan de sal even among expensive French breads like the Bagels, Foccata, La Ciabatta, Croissant etc.

Attractive in its latest makeover - the Raisin Pan de Sal, Cheese Pan de Sal, Vegetable Pan de Sal are instant hits from among the elites. Quick fixes like Corned Beef Pan de Sal, Asado Pan de Sal, Menudo Pan de Sal, etc., provide instant lift for metro executives on-the-run and of course, the top-of-the-line gourmet Pan de Sal packed with masses of cheese, bacon, lettuce and tomato is a head turner in most elite coffee shops these days.

But however revolutionary, nothing beats the original, homely pandesal that we know of, with less of the décor and presentation. Perhaps, what makes it special is not the rolls in itself, but those lingering memory attached to it that makes it real personal. So much like the after taste, it makes one recall the early years, waking up to a fine morning with a hot cup of coffee waiting nearby and a bunch of hot pan de sal packed in a brown paper bag, staring directly from across that old familiar breakfast table, with a slab of margarine, or perhaps, Reno liver spread, or peanut butter, or everyone’s first-love, the sweet of “condensada”. And not to forget “pakaplog” (pandesal, kape, itlog), “pakaskas” (rub-on butter) and the good-old fashion “sawsaw sa kape” (drench in coffee).

So it only came naturally a challenge to the authors of this research to think of ways on how to improve the experiences that Filipinos get over the classic bread without compromising the heritage that comes

with it. And as pandesal is made purely of flour, eggs, yeast, sugar, and salt, it entails that it contains only very minimal nutritional contents.

As an answer, the researchers thought to create a new recipe that will incorporate a cost efficient ingredient to the traditional mix to make an improve pan de sal that could market to the Filipino masses. This actually is one of the major considerations for this project for in fact, the size of the pan de sal is considered a gauge of the national economy. Sta. Maria explains that a good-sized pan de sal indicates good times at hand, while shrinking pan de sal means that the peso value is declining. With this approach it will address both the current economic standing as well as the preservation of this rich Filipino culture while adding uncompromised nutritional value.

There were several candidates for the added ingredient, like ampalaya, malunggay and etc., but as a final decision made, it was “kamote” or sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) that came appealing to the writers of this thesis.

The sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the family Convolvulaceae. Although the leaves and shoots are edible, the starchy tuberous roots are by far the most important product from sweet potatos. Besides simple starches, sweet potatoes are rich in complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin B6, manganese and potassium and among all food staples like “mais” or corn, sweet potato remains to contain adequate nutritional contents at a very low price. Also, since historically speaking, along with pandesal, the Filipinos and “kamote” also go to trace a

long history.