Cagayan de Oro’s Ensaymada-Pastel Hybrid

Don’t let appearances fool you. This is not any ordinary ensaimada. This is a fusion of ensaimada and pastel. This was served as our afternoon snack in a seminar in Mallberry Suites Hotel, Cagayan de Oro City.

A quick backgrounder: Ensaymada is a light and airy pastry that originates from Majorca, Spain. Margarine has replaced the original reduced pork lard (saim) as ingredient, and is topped with shaved Edam cheese, butter and sugar. Pastel, on the other hand, is yema-filled buns. Yema is a sweet made from milk and egg yolks.

And so we have this hybrid—ensaimada filled with buttery yema. The saltiness of the grated cheese played nicely with the sweet filling. Apparently this was not made in-house. Any idea what establishment this came from?

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