Gypsy Jan - 1-6-2013 at 01:57 PM
From The San Diego Union Tribune
By Sandra Dibble
TIJUANA - "A giant version of the Mexican sweet bread known as Rosca de Reyes is the centerpiece of a Three Kings Day celebration scheduled on Monday
afternoon in the city's Río Zone.
The festivities at the federal Cultural Center (Cecut) are expected to draw thousands of Tijuanenses eager for a slice of brightly decorated bread and
a cup of milk or hot chocolate. The public event, which starts 4 p.m., comes the day after Three Kings Day, the traditional Jan. 6 commemoration of
the visit by the Wise Men to baby Jesus in Bethlehem.
"Every year, we prepare a bigger one," said Bianca Servitje, director of El Molino, a Tijuana bakery in charge of preparing Cecut's giant rosca for
the third year in a row."We don't want to leave anybody without Rosca."
The spongy, ring-shaped cake is tradition that came to Mexico from Spain. The form emulates a crown, with dried fruit representing precious stones,
Servitje said. Her grandfather, Juan Servitje, was a Spanish immigrant to Mexico who opened the family's first bakery in Mexico City in 1928.
Like bakeries all across the city, El Molino is preparing far smaller Roscas for retail sale at its two Tijuana stores today, one in downtown Tijuana
and the other in the city's southern La Gloria neighborhood.
Preparing the Cecut's massive Rosca took a staff of 45 people, including bakers and assistants. Ingredients included more than 1,300 pounds of flour,
over 370 pounds each of sugar and butter, more than 180 pounds of eggs, and nearly 50 pounds of yeast, according to a news release from the Cecut. The
bread is being decorated with 370 pounds of dried fruit, including candied lemon, figs in syrup, caramelized papaya, and raisins.
If extended lengthwise, the Rosca would measure more than 328 yards. Servitje said it is not prepared all at once, but assembled from sections
measuring about a yard apiece."