Narvarte Wilma Lopez HISTORY OF BAKING

Republic of the Philippines
Pangasinan State University

Lingayen Campus
College of Education
Narvarte, Wilma Lopez

III-BTVTED Food Service Management
HISTORY OF BAKING
What is Baking?
Baking is a form of cooking where you cook flour-based food under prolonged heating. An oven
is generally used to bake food but there are a few other methods to bake food without an oven.
Homestead Honey mentions a few ways of baking without oven. I experimented the baking
without oven by baking cookies without oven.
Bread is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of baking. However, cookies,
cakes, muffins, and many other foods are also popular in baking.
The History of Baking: From Ancient Egyptians to Today
From bread and pie to pastries and cakes, baking has a long history that has satisfied the hunger
of countless people from worldwide civilizations for thousands of years. The next time you bake
a culinary masterpiece—or simply pop a frozen pizza in the oven—think of this history of
baking.
Ancient Baking
The oldest known ovens were unearthed in Croatia in 2014. They are estimated to be 6,500 years
old. The Egyptians were also pioneers in baking as the first recorded civilization to use yeast in
their bread as long ago as 2600 BC.
Then, there was the Roman Empire’s Baker’s Guild established around 168 BC. This
organization, called the Pistorum, recognized bread bakers as skilled artisans. In fact, baking was
held in such high regard that a festival was held once a year to celebrate Fornax, the oven
goddess.
Baking in the Middle Ages

During the Medieval period, ovens weren’t a standard fixture in any home. Those who could
afford wood-burning stoves (and the fuel to heat them) baked bread. The ability to produce high-
quality bread helped people climb higher up the social ladder.
In the Middle Ages, wheat bread was reserved for wealthy people. Dense, rich cakes in exotic
colors were only available to the highest echelons of society. Poor people stuck with rye and
black bread and, if they could afford it, meat pies.
15th – 17th Century Baking

The introduction of saffron and other expensive spices helped baking take off in Britain in the
15th century. Sweetened dough buns, mincemeat pies, and gingerbread all entered the scene at
this point in the history of baking.
Economic growth and globalization in the 16th and 17th centuries led to more decadent treats
with butter, cream, and raisins. Baking became more accessible to the average person at this
time, so families started to bake cakes and biscuits together. Late in the 17th century, the price of
sugar went down, and refined flour became available, bringing desserts to the forefront,
including pastries, pies, and iced cakes.
18th – 19th Century Baking

The Industrial Revolution marked a turning point for the accessibility of cake-making in the
average home—not only because of changes in taste and the availability of ingredients, but
because of evolution in technology. The development of the semi-closed oven and the publishing
of The Art of Cookery in 1747 provided budding chefs with the tools and ideas they needed to
try an array of cake recipes.
As more women became employed in the 19th century, they had less time to devote to elaborate
food preparation. As a result, convenience food grew in popularity, which cut down on the time
women had to spend in the kitchen. Also introduced in this century, baking powder transformed
the dense, yeast-based cakes of centuries past into the light, fluffy baked goods we know today.
Modern Baking
Today, baking plays an integral role in modern life. Whether you enjoy baking from scratch or
you like the convenience of purchasing premade food you can throw in the oven, there’s no
arguing that flour is one of the most important features of our diet. It takes on countless forms,
from traditional sugar cookies to easy frozen pizza to homemade wheat rolls.
BAKING IN THE PHILIPPINES
Have you wondered how the art of baking began, and spread its reach across the Philippines?
Baking, in itself, goes back at least a thousand years. The use of enclosed ovens, to produce
bread and pastry, was probably introduced by European explorers and colonizers.
17th century oven as depicted by Jean-François Millet
Pies, and cakes, were prevalent in Europe during the 17th century, and as the continent spread its
reach across the seas, they brought the art of baking along with it.
Philippine Baking Influences from Around the World
Baking in the Philippines goes back to at least a thousand years ago. Pies, and cakes, were
prevalent in Europe during the 17th century. And, as the continent spread its reach across the
seas, it brought the art of baking along with it.
One school of thought is that Spanish missionaries introduced baking to the country. Wheat was
often used in food, by missionaries, who introduced the diet, as well as the preparation and
process to the locals.
On the other hand, as early as 618 AD, China was already making “moon cakes” and the early
settlers and traders who landed on Philippine shores, also inevitably shared this unique process
of using dry heat to make bread and other desserts.
However, let us not forget the contribution of our Malay ancestors, who introduced sticky rice
cakes and layer cakes. One can argue that the Malay’s knowledge of baking was still derived
from their Dutch colonizers, but the ingenuity in the use of local ingredients such as rice, corn
and coconut, as well as making do with clay pots and wooden steamers, created something
totally original.
The History of the Baking Oven in the Philippines
Evidence of the most ancient oven in the world dates back to over six millenia ago. According to
Wikipedia.com, it was discovered in Croatia. Before this, ancient bakers used flat, hot stones to
make bread. The ancient Greeks lead the pack when it came to the practice of baking bread. It is
believed that this began in 600 BC. In the days of the Roman empire, being a pastry chef was a
top profession. Today pastry chefs the world over enjoy celebrity status.
The use of ovens in the Philippines all started with the humble pot oven or palayok. This is still
in use today day. Filipinos baked their creations in the palayok over charcoal. It was set on top of
a hibachi, a Japanese grill. It may come as a surprise, but the hibachi was first used in Ancient
Japan.
With the advent of electricity in the 1800s came the use of industrial ovens. Today, we enjoy the
convenience of a wide range of ovens. These are powered by gas, electricity, conduction, and
convection. Other types are the microwave, toaster, roaster, and even self-cleaning ovens.
The History of Cake in the Philippines
The history of cake in the Philippines starts with our Malay ancestors. They introduced sticky
rice cakes and layer cakes. One can argue that the Malay’s knowledge of baking stems from their
Dutch colonizers. But, we can thank the Malays for their ingenuous use of local ingredients.
These include rice, corn and coconut. They also taught us how to make do with clay pots and
wooden steamers to create original baked goods.
But, the history of bread and pastry in the Philippines began with European explorers and
colonizers. They introduced enclosed ovens to the locals. And, when the Americans came to our
shores, they introduced the use of flour and the technology needed to mill it.
Maria Orosa & Her Contribution to Philippine Baking
If there’s one person in our history that we can thank for all her baking contributions, its Maria
Orosa. She developed foods from native ingredients, using her background as a chemist. One
was Darak made from rice bran and the other Soyalac from soybean.
Our love for banana ketchup is all thanks to her. She also introduced powdered calamansi and
certain types of local wine. The palayok was her invention.
She risked her safety to smuggle food to the prisoners of war during the Japanese occupation. A
true heroine, she was a guerilla captain who fought for Philippine independence.

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Republic of the Philippines

Pangasinan State University

Narvarte, Wilma Lopez

The History of Baking: From Ancient Egyptians to Today

Baking in the Middle Ages

15th – 17th Century Baking

18th – 19th Century Baking

BAKING IN THE PHILIPPINES

17th century oven as depicted by Jean-François Millet

Philippine Baking Influences from Around the World

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