Filipino artisanal salt
Asin tibuok
is a rare
Filipino
artisanal
sea salt
from the
Boholano people
made from filtering seawater through ashes.
[1]
A related artisanal salt is known as
tultul
or
dukdok
among the
Ilonggo people
. It is made similarly to
asin tibuok
but is boiled with
gata
(
coconut milk
).
[2]
[3]
Both of them are part of the unique traditional methods of producing sea salt for culinary use among the
Visayan people
of the central
Philippine
islands. They differ in taste from salt obtained through traditional drying beds or modern methods.
Asin tibuok
has a sharp taste with smoky and fruity undertones, while
tultul
has an innate savory flavor. They are characteristically finely textured with small granules.
[1]
[4]
[5]
They are consumed by grating a light dusting over food.
[6]
The tradition of making
asin tibuok
and
tultul
is nearly extinct due to the difficulty and length of time it takes to manufacture them, the passing of the
salt iodization (ASIN) law
in 1995, as well as competition with modern imported salts. They are only barely preserved in
Bohol
,
Capiz
, and
Guimaras
.
[7]
Asin tibuok
is listed in the
Ark of Taste
international catalogue of endangered
heritage foods
by the
Slow Food
organization.
[1]
Names
[
edit
]
Asin tibuok
literally means "unbroken salt" or "whole salt" in the
Cebuano language
of the
Boholano people
. It is the name of the salt in the island of
Bohol
.
[8]
Similar salt-making traditions also exist in
Guimaras
island and the neighboring province of
Capiz
in
Panay Island
. In Guimaras, it is known as
tultul
or
tul-tul
, meaning "lump"; while in Capiz, it is known as
dukdok
, meaning "pounded" or "pulverized". Both names are in the
Hiligaynon language
of the
Ilonggo people
.
[7]
Production
[
edit
]
The method of production varies slightly between the
Boholano
asin tibuok
and the
Ilonggo
tultul
or
dukdok
. Both methods can only be done for six months of the year, from December to May, due to the fluctuations in seawater salinity during the rainy seasons.
[9]
Bohol
[
edit
]
Boholano
asin tibuok
is made by soaking
coconut husks
for several months in special pits continually filled with
seawater
during the
tides
. They are then cut into small pieces and dried for a few days. They are burned in a pile until reduced completely to ash. This takes about a week. The ashes (called
gasang
) are gathered into a funnel-shaped
bamboo
filtering device. Seawater is poured into the ash, allowing the water to leach out the salt from the ashes. The
brine
(known as
tasik
) is collected into a hollowed-out coconut trunk beneath the funnels.
[1]
The
tasik
is poured into special clay pots and hung in walls in a special
furnace
. These are boiled for a few hours in the furnace, continually replenishing the pots with more
tasik
once some evaporate. Eventually, the pots will crack, revealing the solidified mass of salt. The salt mass will be initially very hot, and it usually takes a few hours before it is cool enough to be handled. They are sold along with the broken domed pots which has given them the nickname "the dinosaur egg" in international markets due to their appearance.
[1]
[10]
Guimaras and Capiz
[
edit
]
Ilonggo
tultul
,
duldul
, or
dukdok
is made by gathering
driftwood
(
rorok
or
dagsa
) and other washed-up plant matter (twigs, reeds, coconut husks, bamboo stems, etc.) from the beach. These are burned completely into ash for about a week. The ash is then gathered into cylindrical woven bamboo containers known as
kaing
. The
kaing
are placed on bamboo platforms and a container is placed underneath. Seawater is poured through the ash and caught on these containers. The brine is then strained and transferred into other containers where it is mixed with
gata
(
coconut milk
). These are poured into molds (
hurnohan
) and boiled over an outdoor stove (
kalan
). More of the liquid is continually poured into the molds as they evaporate until nothing but a solid mass of salt remains. These brick-like lumps (known as
bareta
) are then packaged and sold.
[11]
[12]
[13]
Culinary uses
[
edit
]
Asin tibuok
and
tultul
are usually consumed by grating a light dusting of them over food.
[6]
[14]
[15]
They were traditionally dusted over plain hot rice with a few drops of oil and eaten as is. They are also used to season
sinangag
(traditional fried rice).
[16]
Chunks can also be broken off and dipped into stews and dishes or ground and used like regular
table salt
.
[17]
Conservation
[
edit
]
Salt-makers (
asinderos
) were once important professions in Philippine society, but the craft is nearly extinct in modern times. Part of this is due to the time-consuming traditional methods of producing salt and the hard work that goes with it. Artisanal salt-makers can not compete with the cheap imported salt prevalent today in the Philippines. The passage of Republic Act No. 8172, the
Act for Salt Iodization Nationwide (ASIN)
, in 1995 also placed further stress on local salt-makers, forcing many to give up the industry altogether.
[7]
[10]
Both
asin tibuok
and
tultul
are only made by a few families today.
[6]
They are commonly sold for the tourist trade for their novelty as well as to gourmet restaurants that feature Filipino cuisine.
[14]
[15]
[18]
[19]
Due to their rarity, they are considerably more expensive than regular salt.
[6]
[16]
The demand is usually high for
asin tibuok
and
tultul
, but the supply can not keep up.
[20]
Asin tibuok
is listed in the
Ark of Taste
international catalogue of endangered
heritage foods
by the
Slow Food
movement.
[1]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
"Asin Tibuok Unbroken Salt"
.
Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity
. Retrieved
18 December
2018
.
- ^
Cruz, Jasmine T. (2 May 2013).
"Flavors of the Visayas"
.
Business World Online
. Archived from
the original
on 19 December 2018
. Retrieved
19 December
2018
.
- ^
Polistico, Edgie (2017).
Philippine Food, Cooking, & Dining Dictionary
. Anvil Publishing, Incorporated.
ISBN
9786214200870
.
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
"Asin Tibuok: Rarest of The Philippine Sea Salts"
.
xroads
. Archived from
the original
on 19 December 2018
. Retrieved
18 December
2018
.
- ^
"
'Asin tibuok' at Kitchen Elf"
.
The Philippine Star
. 14 December 2017
. Retrieved
18 December
2018
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Shi, Stephanie (4 November 2016).
"10 Unique Filipino Ingredients That Will Change the Way You Cook"
.
Town&Country
. Archived from
the original
on 19 December 2018
. Retrieved
19 December
2018
.
- ^
a
b
c
Arnaldo, Maria Stella F. (25 January 2017).
"Chef: 80% of salt in PHL market industrial grade"
.
Business Mirror
. Retrieved
18 December
2018
.
- ^
Lago, Amanda (26 September 2012).
"Not your usual salt: Bohol's Asin Tibuok"
.
GMA News Online
. Retrieved
18 December
2018
.
- ^
Reynaldo, Jerricho.
"Guimaras: The Sweet Taste of Summer"
.
asianTraveler
. Archived from
the original
on 19 December 2018
. Retrieved
19 December
2018
.
- ^
a
b
"Rare and Precious Salt: Asin Tibuok"
.
The Fermentary
. Archived from
the original
on 19 December 2018
. Retrieved
19 December
2018
.
- ^
"Tultul production"
.
Tultul Production
. Retrieved
19 December
2018
.
- ^
Tolentino, Bee Jay.
"Ang Pagtultol sa Tultul"
.
I Love Iloilo
. Retrieved
19 December
2018
.
- ^
"Food for Thought: Do You Know The Guimaras Ingredient Tultul?"
.
Bitesized.ph
. Retrieved
19 December
2018
.
- ^
a
b
Fenix, Mikey (16 June 2013).
"When Filipino food tells delicious stories, both old and new"
.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
. Retrieved
19 December
2018
.
- ^
a
b
Magalong, Joko (22 October 2016).
"Iloilo eats: Farm to Table highlights local ingredients"
.
ABS-CBN News
. Retrieved
19 December
2018
.
- ^
a
b
"Tultul "Rock" salt from Guimaras"
.
Flavours of Iloilo
. Retrieved
19 December
2018
.
- ^
Lago, Amanda.
"Not your usual salt: Bohol's Asin Tibuok"
.
GMA News Online
. Retrieved
19 December
2018
.
- ^
Reyes, Lai S. (2 May 2013).
"The flavors of Iloilo"
.
Pilipino Star Ngayon
. Retrieved
19 December
2018
.
- ^
Jarque, Edu (5 January 2014).
"Into the heart of Ilonggo cuisine"
.
The Philippine Star
. Retrieved
19 December
2018
.
- ^
"Guimaras' Organic Salt Blocks "Tul-Tul" Bears Numerous Health Benefits"
.
Philippine News
. Retrieved
19 December
2018
.
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