Like the medieval wafer, Deocampo Barquillos in Jaro, lloilo, had religious origins. In 1898, Emilia González-Deocampo made altar bread for a living. Since altar bread and barquillos are cooked the same way, she tried her hand at barquillos. She formulated her own recipes, including one using coconut milk, when no milk was available. In time, a following grew for her barquillos.
In 1955, Emilia’s son, José and his wife, Bessie Girado, turned it into a business. They began with one firewood-fuelled barquillera that required three people to operate. Over the years, operations streamlined and grew. They shifted to charcoal, then to kerosene, and most recently, to liquid petroleum gas. What has not changed is Emilia’s recipes, which first gained them the patronage of Jaro’s old families.
Associated with ice cream, barquillos are a vestige of Spanish gentility – for the refined, privileged and
beautiful. The barquillera or wafer iron is key in preparing barquillos. This is a mold composed of two metal plates connected with a hinge. These plates are pressed together using the handle attached to each plate. The batter is poured into and pressed in a heated barquillera, This is then placed over fire or live charcoal.
Source: Reynaldo Gamboa Alejandro and Vicente Roman Santos in Estilo Ilonggo: Philippine Southern Lifestyle published by KCC Innovations in cooperation with DOT (2009)
