Mandaue takes aim at record for biggest ‘bibingka’

MANDAUE CITY, Cebu—The Mayol family has been making the famous Mandaue bibingka (rice cake) for generations.

When the city government decided to take a shot at the Guinness Book of World Record for biggest rice cake, the family was asked to help.

Eight members of the Mayol clan took up the challenge in supervising the cooking to ensure that the bibingka would come out soft and tasty.

One of them was Christine Mayol Cortes, a high school teacher who grew up with the familiar smell of freshly cooked bibingka cooked by her grandparents, Lorenzo and Lourdes Mayol.

The process was tedious, said Christine, but it showed how dedicated the volunteers were in ensuring that a positive and progressive image of Mandaue City was projected to the world.

Close to 300 teachers and students prepared the bibingka, which measured 50.5 feet in diameter, 3 inches in thickness and weighed more than 5 tons.

At least 61 sacks of rice, 61 sacks of sugar, 10 cans of yeast and milk from 13,500 coconuts were used to make the batter.

The preparation started at 8 a.m. of May 9. It was supposed to be unveiled at 3 p.m. of May 10 before a crowd of 6,000 inside Mandaue City Sports and Culture Center.

But due to its sheer size, it took longer for the bibingka to cook.

The bibingka was finally presented midnight of May 11. But the wait was worth it.

People lined up to get a slice of the 182-square-meter bibingka.

It was not yet known if the Mandaue City government was able to break the record although documents had been sent to Guinness Book of World Record headquarters in London.

But for Christine, the family will continue making the bibingka—a family tradition that started when her forefathers first cooked the rice cake for people attending the carnival during the town’s fiesta.

Christine said the family would continue to make bibingka even as they pursue their other jobs.

“This is tradition for us, a treasure that we can pass on to the next generation. Our parents were able to send us to school by making bibingka. For now, the members of the seventh generation are also exposed to making bibingka. This is something we are proud of and we intend to keep it,” Christine said.