Sangka sa Kaha: Battle of the Tortas

CEBU, Philippines - After the successful search for the best humba in the town of Ronda, southwest of Cebu City,

Cebu Parklane International Hotel brought their friendly cooking competition to another part of the province to seek for the best torta.

Argao, south of Cebu, is best known for their torta, a kind of bread made without yeast and is given its distinct taste by tuba or coconut wine and pork lard.

Last May 22, Parklane Hotel brought their Sangka sa Kaha to Argao where five of the best torta makers in Argao participated.

The Sangka sa Kaha is an event in line with the hotel’s thrust to establish its name as “the hotel in Cebu that stands for Cebu.” It aims to feature the best dishes and specialties of different places in Cebu while establishing camaraderie among the cities and municipalities and learning to adopt techniques on how to cook their specialty dishes and delicacies.

Among the five participants, Carmen’s torta got the nod of the judges while Chitang’s torta came in second.

Unlike the previous Sangka sa Kaha where the dish was cooked right in front of the judges, ready-made torta were presented to the judges because according to the cooks, it takes time to make the torta and the best torta tastes better days after it was made.

However, guests were still treated to a cooking demo on how to make the torta.

The cooks showed the conventional way of making their specialty, mixing all seven ingredients, namely: flour, egg yolks, margarine, pork lard, tuba (coconut wine), sugar and milk, all by hand.  It was also cooked in a “hudno,” an improvised clay oven with coconut husks below and above it that served as the charcoal.

Judges during the competition were food writer and critic Jigz Arquiza, Parklane Hotel’s Kan-anan restaurant food and beverage manager Joward Tongco and Edgar Linotan, owner of a tableya business in Argao,.

Kan-anan’s Executive Chef Armand Polon said that all the entries were equally delicious but they were looking for something unique in the taste.

Kan-anan is a new restaurant in Parklane which is dedicated to show-off Cebuano cuisines. Winners of the Sangka sa Kaha will have the chance to be featured as the cook of the month in the restaurant showcasing her specialty.

Cenelyn Manguilimotan, General Manager of Parklane Cebu shared that with the great feedback of the first leg of the friendly competition, they saw the need to continue the event as it gives highlight to all towns in the province.

Manguilimotan shared that they will be pursuing the activity until they cover as many towns as they can. She also assured that they will be continuing on their efforts to further promote Cebu’s rich culture and heritage with more activities and within their hotel premises.  (FREEMAN)