The cultivation of wheat was initially introduced to the Philippines by the Spanish missionaries that came to the country as early as the 17th century. This was initially for a Eucharistic purpose. The Chinese had already used wheat by the time they came to the Philippines; working out methods of baking just like most other countries had done.
- History
The very first evidence of baking is found in ancient history. The first example is when humans had taken wild grass grains and soaked them in water. They then mixed everything together by mashing it into a broth-like, thick paste. The paste was then cooked by pouring the mixture onto a flat, hot rock, which created a substance that can be described as similar to bread.
Later on, the same kind of paste would actually be roasted on hot embers, which created the process of making bread much easier. This meant that bread could be made wherever fire was created, meaning baking actually became feasible.
Baking later flourished in the Roman Empire, it is this civilization that is often credited with being one of the major influences on modern society. Around the time of 300 BC, the pastry cook became an actual occupation in Roman culture. It was a respected profession and methods of baking, and what was baked was developed over the next few hundreds of years.
The Romans were great lovers of celebration and baking soon became a part of these celebrations. Baked goods were used for these huge Roman feasts and celebrations and pastry cooks would try and invent something new all the time. Baking soon became inventive, and due to this history, it became as important as it is today.
