After days of setting traps and following tracks through the dense jungles, a large wild boar has finally been captured.

I return home with a group of men from my village, carrying the beast on our backs, with a strong sense of pride knowing that I’ll be able to feed my tribe for weeks to come once the meat is cooked and preserved using vinegar.

When we return, a large pot is already simmering over an open flame, releasing the sweet and savory scent of vinegar cooking.

I hear the excited chatter of everyone helping. They thank the gods and ancestors for the fruitful cultivation of our kabog millet, despite the heavier rains we’ve had.

Pieces of wild boar are added to the stew to cook alongside the kabog millet, eggs, and garlic.

The rich, flavorful dish is the perfect ending to an exhausting hunt.

P A K S I W

Although rice was a present grain that was native to the Philippines; millet was another pre-colonial grain that we do not really see in the Filipino pantry today. Paksiw is a pre-colonial culinary technique that means “simmered in vinegar.”