By: Christopher V, Canete

"ROSQUILLOS FESTIVAL"
Liloan, Cebu, Phils.

Cebu is considered an island of festivals. Almost every town of the province has their own festival in answered to the call of Gov. Gwen Garcia about One Town, One Product wherein every town should have at least one celebration that is unique from the others.

Liloan repeatedly amazed the crowds with their extravagant parade of rosquillos in their very own “Rosquillos Festival”. It is celebrated every 29th and 30th days of May, in cognizance of its patron saint, San Fernando Rey.

Rosquillos is directly associated to Liloan. This native specialty has become a favorite snack for all ages. Through the festival, rosquillos was introduced into a wider patronage. No other products that brought much pride and prestige for this humble town of the north.

What is Rosquillos ?

  

Rosquillos is a cookie, designed as ringlets or with a hole at the center resembling a donut but crispier though. It is a concoction of flour, egg, sugar, shortening and baking powder. Yet, though the ingredients are so simple, but only in Liloan one can savor its best quality. Somehow, there must be other ingredients that are kept hidden for years why these cookies are so delicious for a nibble.

History

The making of these mouthwatering ringlet cookies can be traced way back April 3, 1907. The then 21-year old Margarita “Titay” Frasco got bored and started to experiment.

With her baking ingredients, a wooden eggbeater, some baking tins and a clay oven, little did she knew that she was making a product that would launched Liloan into local and international map when it comes to native delicacies.

Her neighbors and passers-by were the first ones who have tried the cookies. Titay offered them the snack as giveaways for every purchase of a bottle of soda.

The cookies remained unidentified until Sergio Osmeña, once Cebu governor and Philippine president, baptized it as “Rosquillos” in reference to the Spanish word, rosca. Also, Rosquillos de Vino is a Spanish wine ring cookie.

Years after years, the patented recipe of Rosquillos was passed to the next Frasco generations and only at Frasco that the best quality is guaranteed. The family also adopted other home-made delicacies like binangkal, polvoron, mammon, otap, caycay, bao-bao, elorde, galletas de bato, torta, peñato and many others.

The prestige of Titay’s rosquillos does not limit to local but penetrates the international market as well. Many people going north made it a habit to stop-over her store and buy her products. As for foreigners who loved eating this Filipino delicacy, it is available in also all Filipino stores worldwide.

Resolution No. 2008-103 proclaiming Rosquillos Festival as the official festival for the Municipality of Liloan, Cebu was passed and unanimously adopted on 21st of July, 2008. Through the festival, it allows the municipality to further promote their products which in turn, is very helpful in uplifting the economy of the locality.