I spent the morning foraging for ube and turmeric root, while collecting coconuts from the forest floor.

The bees were humming all morning as I harvested the honey that vaguely smelled of the native flowers.

When I return, a family member pounds the turmeric root into a fine powder while telling stories of anitos, or spirits, that lived in the trees and in the earth.

Once the ube is roasting over the open flame, I season it with flakes of asin tibuok, also known as the dinosaur egg.

The coconut, honey, and turmeric root are sprinkled over the roasted ube and enjoy the hearty meal with the village.

U B E 

Inspired by Kamoteng Kahoy, I wanted to use purple yam, known as ube, as a savory dish. Ube is slightly sweet, but we use honey to complement the sweetness. The sauce is coconut milk and fresh turmeric. Garnished with latik or caramelized coconut crumble and shredded coconut.

For weeks now, I’ve started my day at dawn to climb coconut trees with my bare hands and feet.

I use my weapon to cut jagged steps on the tree, traversing upwards and gathering coconuts. I open up the coconut using the opposite side of my blade to capture its fibrous parts called husks.

I then venture to the ocean to soak the husks I’ve gathered for weeks, where they absorb natural seawater minerals.

In four months’ time, I revisit the ocean when the tide is low and visit the parill, the enclosure that holds the husks .

My blade chops the husks into smaller pieces to sun dry, slow-smoke, and burn, further creating coconut charcoal ash.

I now begin this delicate process of using the charcoal as a means to filter seawater that’s actively poured.

I line up my handmade claypots in a trough where I have five in a row, and 24 to the side, filling about 120 pots in one firing.

I cannot do this alone. My kababayan are pouring sea water little by little using a nautilus shell attached to my bamboo stick, while I’m closely monitoring the fire. We must be careful, as the fire and heat must be controlled at all times, so the clay pots do not break or get too hot.

Both the fire and salt cannot be left alone, we must stay up all night (8 hours) to completely fill the clay pot, further ensuring the salt solidifies. Once complete, we have to wait 24 hours to hold it

My salt is born.

A S I N T I B U O K

Harking from the Philippine Islands’ pre-subjugation by Spain nearly 500 years ago, the Asin Tibuok is on the brink of extinction. This old form of salt preservation was once used for trade; inland bound rice farmers in need of salt trade with asinderos in need of rice, each obtaining their staple for the year. 

Asin Tibuok was inducted into the internationally acclaimed Ark of Taste by The Slow Food Adjudicating Committee made up of members of the Slow Food nonprofit organization. The aim of the Ark of Taste is an international catalogue of endangered heritage foods unique in taste and part of a distinct ecoregion. The Ark is designed to draw attention to the risk that foods such as the Asin Tibuok might disappear in a few generations. Since the foundation of the Ark in 1996, nearly 5,000 candidates from over 149 countries have been inducted since 2018.

If you’d like to support this family in Bohol, please visit this link to purchase your own Asin Tibuok