Asian Journal- The Filipino-American Community Newspaper

In our recent journey in the City of Malolos, we not only were struck by the sights and sites of revolutionary history. We were also captivated by the culinary junctures this historic city showcases. Each locale has a culinary secret, and we found out that this city was definitely also a sweet tooth’s haven.

Just a kilometer drive away from the Tabang Exit at the North Luzon Expressway, at the junction of Malolos and Guiginto, there is this one culinary shrine you will never ever miss. Its front store is always packed with people, carrying back to their vehicles boxfuls of popular Bulacan sweets and pastries, quite a usual scene in any destination.

But these boxes sporting the signature green checkered design contain not just any other pastry. For the people flocking this store right after the Malolos Arch, they are taking home a piece of a well-kept family recipe.

In a span of more than two decades, Eurobake, the brand and the bakeshop, has become a by-word among Malolos and Bulacan locals and pastry lovers. But its history dates back to pre-war times when the Ramos Family, who began the baskeshop in 1983, still made bread in that old, quaint panaderia in the Malolos Poblacion.

In the mid-40s, the matriarch, Salome Ramos, a natural pastry connoisseur, created in her kitchen what would be a merienda hit among the Malolos folks. Calling it inipit, she culled the name from the Tagalog word to describe the pastry which puts in a thick and sweet custard-like mixture spread between two beds of flat sponge cake.

In 1983, two years after going on a European trip, husband and wife Rene and Bessie Ramos thought of continuing the family legacy through Eurobake. Buying the property in its present location, the business grew fast and the treats became popular. Aside from Inipit, the bakeshop also carried another one of Malolos’ favorite pastries, the Ensaymada.

Today, Eurobake is at the helm of son Raymond Ramos, who led us back down memory lane in that first stop of our Bulacan culinary tour. The husband and wife team later on joined the group to show how the tempting pastries are made.

"Ensaymadas are always best with Queso de Bola and Quesong Puti," says Rene, who originally worked in the construction business. "The original ensaymadas are simply baked bread with lard on top. But we Filipinos are so creative, we’ve topped it all up with so many things like ham and salted egg. We always love extras, I think," chides Raymond, while helping out prepare the specialty extra large ensaymadas.

While many have followed suit in selling their own brands of the ensaymadang Malolos, Eurobake is proud that their pastry remains a well-guarded family recipe, a remembrance of the old town ensaymada from the times of their Panaderia Concepcion.

The inipit meawhile remains a hit, as Eurobake continues to expand. With stalls in the Greenbelt Mall in Makati and in the Greenhills Shopping Center, the third generation Ramoses of Eurbake continues to carry the legacy which began in the kitchens of their forebears.