By: JANTZEN ALVIN
THE first ever “National Hopia Day” in the Philippines will be held on July 19, with Eng Bee Tin leading the celebration.
On July 19 to 21, 2024, the celebration will be held at the Mall of Asia Music Hall to honor Filipino-Chinese heritage, of which ‘hopia’ is such a large part, said Gerik Chua, Eng Bee Tin’s chief operating officer and his sister Roche Chua, who is the company’s finance manager.
Said event, they said, will bring lots of fun and excitement as well as star sightings, along with games and surprises for the whole family and chances to win prizes that would include a lifetime supply of Eng Bee Tin products.
According to Gerik, the history of hopia in the Philippines dates back to the early 1900s when a wave of Chinese immigrants from Fujian province in China first came to the country.
“Hopia is a staple snack and pastry for the Chinese, it’s their version of puff pastry. They brought this culture with them as they lived in the Philippines. Chinese families would bake this at home or sell it in their small neighborhood bake shops catering to the Chinese community,” he said, adding that ‘hopia’ came from the Fookien Word “Ho-Bia” which, when directly translated, means ‘Good Biscuit’.
“Traditionally made up of a flaky pastry exterior with a sweet mung bean paste filling, the pastry gained popularity over the years, among mainstream Filipino consumers as a tasty snack and cheap everyday treat. Flavors such as Hopia Mongo, Hopia Baboy and Hopia Hapon were crowd favorites,” he said.
For her part, Roche said that it was only in the late 1980s that the very first ‘Ube Hopia’ was made by their father Gerry Chua. .
Currently, Eng Bee Tin boasts a wide selection of hopia flavors, all featuring distinctly Filipino flavors and had become synonymous to the word ‘pasalubong’, she said.
“Extremely grateful and honored to be able to serve the Filipinos for 112 years, and with our commitment to quality and innovation, we are excited to serve you more great flavors for the years to come,” says Gerry, president and CEO of Eng Bee Tin which is now on its 112th year.
