On my last trip to the City of Pines, thanks to Azalea Residences Baguio, I was blessed to see how these delectable goodies are made.
Entering the Tartland Baguio Pasarabo factory, this electric mixer set and piping tube would be the first that would capture one's attention. This has been the family's source of inspiration, because back when they started the business, this was their tool in making their Lengua de Gato. Now that their business is constantly upgrading, this set of tools is a good reminder of their humble beginnings, that great things often start with a simple idea.
But how did Tartland Baguio Pasarabo start?
In the early 90s, Angie dela Cruz started making cheese tarts and offered them to fellow mothers at her children's schools. The product clicked, and she would then make more and more cheese tarts, but doing so caused her to throw away big amounts of egg whites, as the tarts would only use egg yolks. She was able to find a way to use the egg whites - by baking Lengua de Gato.
This new product was such a hit, that it even penetrated the Baguio pasalubong stores. Soon, they upgraded their tools to accommodate the growing demand for their products. They now employ about 25 employees, producing about 1,200 jars of their very delectable Lengua de Gato.
This was taken from a window before we entered the factory. As a food business, the need to make sure of the quality of their goods, so we were asked to wear hairnets and were asked not to touch any of the equipment and food product.
A good Lengua de Gato starts with the mixing of the ingredients. Ms. Angie dela Cruz told us there are a lot of recipes available online, but should we decide to try it out in our own kitchen, we have to make sure we use fresh ingredients.
After the batter is mixed, it is then loaded to this machine that pipes out 12 Lengua de Gato at one time. Cool!
They didn't divulge the temperature and the cooking time for their Lengua de Gato, but obviously, the next step is to bake them.
Trying not to break any of the delicate cookies, next step is to cool them and separate them according to their color. They might be cooked in the same temperature and time, but not all of them come out of the oven looking the same. They do have their standard color, but those dark ones are not completely discarded - they still pack them for other use.
Final step is to pack the cookies in their respective containers.
We truly enjoyed the short time we spent inside the factory, but aside from savoring the wonderful smell and buying the freshest Lengua de Gato, it was the story behind the success that was the biggest blessing I received from this trip. At this point, I am still trying to learn how to bake and I still don't have the strength to sell the baked goods I have tried, but I will keep this success story in my heart and hope that in time I will be successful in my own little way as well.
*** Jenn ***
I come from a family who loves cooking and eating. I never had any formal training in cooking and that I taught myself how to cook based on the handed down recipes, but I could say that I can cook good food. In 2008, I started documenting my food trips for my