I emerge from the dense jungles and head towards the ocean, carrying a basket full of dried venison, caught earlier in the month.
Members of my tribe are already on the beach with yesterday’s catch, cleaned, cut & salted.
They’re preparing for a feast with fresh mango, pili nuts and guavas already spread across banana leaves.
Using nature's most abundant resource, the sun, I’m able to preserve fresh meat and fish.
There is even a dipping sauce made with vinegar to add flavor and tenderize the meat.
As we spread the protein across the banana leaves, we can hear the waves crashing gently on the shore.
K A M A Y A N
A Word From The Chef: Our Kamayan dish is a combination of ingredients that you would gather and forage on the archipelago. Since Pre-Colonial Filipinos did not have electricity or the ability to refrigerate, they would use the sun to preserve their meats and fish. In this dish, we included venison jerky with lime, garlic, vinegar, and toasted black rice. The fish is sun-dried and salted; taro chips are fried; pili nuts (an endangered ingredient in the Philippines) are a cross between macadamia and almond in terms of flavor; honey will be included. Fruit will depend on the season: either mango or guava.