Bulacan town gears up for biggest cookie jar

PREPARATION Bustos town Mayor Francis Juan helps local bakers make some “minasa” cookies during the 10th Minasa Festival in Bulacan province. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

BUSTOS, Bulacan, Philippines — This town is seeking a Guinness World Record for the “biggest cookie jar” where 2,500 pieces of its famous “minasa” cookies will be placed.

The preparation began on Saturday as the town celebra¬ted its Minasa Festival, a crowd drawer for the past 10 years.

Minasa cookies are popular Bulacan sweets made from arrow root (“sago”) cassava flour, fresh coconut milk, sugar and egg. Minasa refers to the knea¬ding motion used to create the dough.

Mayor Francis Juan said the town government had tapped local bakers to make the coo¬kies within 34 days.

“These minasa cookies (each measuring 17 inches by 11 inches) will be placed inside a coo¬kie jar that is 2 meters high and 3 m wide,” Juan said, adding that the finished product will be presented to the Guinness World Records’ official adjudicator on Feb. 21.

The regular minasa biscuits are packaged in small and round transparent plastic jars.

Wilson Bonifacio, tourism officer here, said minasa cookies were first made in the town by the rich Bulakenyos as a favorite snack served to their guests during the Spanish era.

Over time, these biscuits have become a popular “pasalubong” (homecoming gift) that can be bought in Bulacan pro¬vince.

Eliseo dela Cruz, Bulacan provincial tourism officer, said the cookies’ shelf life allowed some Bulaqueños to take these abroad as pasalubong for their families.