Ever tasted “siling duwag” aka aruyuy? How about bangkiling, tabungaw, and pahutan? You may not know what you’re missing.
In a leveled-up version of this podcast, Howie Severino invites foodie influencer Sherwin Felix to his home in Batangas to talk about delicious Philippine fruits and vegetables hidden in plain sight.
The millennial behind Lokalpedia, the popular food heritage digital archive, Sherwin assembled for our cameras a wide variety of heirloom foods foraged from nature that have long been part of Filipino cuisine. But these have been neglected or forgotten because of the advent of fast food and foreign flavors.
Lokalpedia has a growing audience that’s interested in rediscovering Philippine food biodiversity.
In a leveled-up version of this podcast, Howie Severino invites foodie influencer Sherwin Felix to his home in Batangas to talk about delicious Philippine fruits and vegetables hidden in plain sight.
The millennial behind Lokalpedia, the popular food heritage digital archive, Sherwin assembled for our cameras a wide variety of heirloom foods foraged from nature that have long been part of Filipino cuisine. But these have been neglected or forgotten because of the advent of fast food and foreign flavors.
Lokalpedia has a growing audience that’s interested in rediscovering Philippine food biodiversity.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 Happy anniversary Podmates!
00:02 We're here with food heritage advocate, Sherwin
00:05 for our very first audiozine.
00:08 Beautiful, Sherwin.
00:16 Hello!
00:17 How are you?
00:18 I'll give you a little orientation on our geography
00:23 because a lot of people are wondering where we are in Taal Lake.
00:27 This picture is not a satellite photo.
00:31 This was taken from the International Space Station
00:35 about 6 months ago.
00:36 That's why the volcano is still erupting.
00:38 We're here on the eastern side.
00:42 This is where we are right now.
00:43 This is Napaiong Island.
00:45 You can see that peak.
00:47 This is the volcano.
00:49 It's still a bit bald because we know that it erupted in 2020
00:54 and our whole area became a ghost town
00:58 and it was covered by ashfall
01:00 just like what happened in Tagaytay and many other places in Cavite.
01:04 We're very close to the volcano.
01:05 10 kilometers away.
01:06 We're inside the danger zone.
01:08 So we can say that it's a disadvantage.
01:12 But I think the advantage of living here is greater
01:19 because the land here is very rich.
01:22 Look at this.
01:24 This is a lake shore.
01:26 But look at my plant.
01:28 It's alive.
01:29 It's alive.
01:30 It's active.
01:31 Think about it.
01:32 It's summer now.
01:33 They're all alive
01:34 because there's a lot of rich soil under that lake shore.
01:36 That's why Batangas became rich in terms of agriculture.
01:40 It became rich in coffee, in crops, in many kinds of products.
01:47 Taal liquor.
01:48 Our Lawa, actually the locals here call it Dagat.
01:53 They don't call it Lawa.
01:54 They never call it Lawa.
01:56 The locals will call it...
01:57 If you meet someone who calls this Lawa,
02:00 he won't stay here.
02:01 There was a time, Sir Howie, when there was a flood.
02:04 The Lawa was flooded.
02:06 It's amazing.
02:07 It's like you're in the sea.
02:08 You have the same behavior.
02:09 Yeah.
02:10 You came here in July.
02:12 It was flooded.
02:13 Now, it's very rich because it's summertime.
02:17 [music]
02:19 Of course, the big disadvantage is that the volcano is very close.
02:24 Sometimes, we have to evacuate.
02:27 Sometimes, the sulfur goes to the air.
02:32 So, we have to wear masks.
02:34 But if there's a disadvantage, Sir Howie,
02:36 there's an advantage.
02:37 For sure, you have a supply of fish.
02:40 Yes.
02:41 Of course, that's the endemic fish here.
02:44 And it's a freshwater variety of sardine.
02:49 And to us, it's much tastier than your ordinary sardine.
02:53 And you can only find it in Taal Lake.
02:55 [music]
02:58 I was surprised because our Nara tree was blooming.
03:01 You know, one time, I was eating here.
03:03 I was having breakfast.
03:04 Then, the flowers were falling on my food.
03:07 I was actually eating salad.
03:09 So, I was surprised.
03:10 I searched on the internet.
03:13 I was wondering if Nara flowers are edible.
03:16 It's edible.
03:17 So, I thought it was just right.
03:20 It's like there's a cosmos that added garnish to my salad.
03:28 And then, my food was just straight.
03:31 As opposed to, it's dirty.
03:33 It's like the concept of farm to table.
03:35 But tree to table.
03:37 Exactly.
03:38 And no human intervention.
03:40 It just fell.
03:42 It's like we have flowers on our hair.
03:44 So, again, it's part of the magic of this kind of place.
03:51 [music]
04:00 There are a lot of these, Sherwin.
04:01 Wow.
04:02 If you tour me, sir Howie,
04:05 I will tour you all of our food in different parts of the Philippines.
04:10 Sir, going around the Philippines,
04:13 I realized that we are really rich when it comes to biodiversity.
04:17 We have a lot of native species that are marginalized, that we don't know.
04:22 But we also have endemic, the more vulnerable part of our food system.
04:26 And then, we also have introduced ones that,
04:29 let's say, they are foreigners but we have adapted them and they have become indigenized.
04:34 So, all of these are edible?
04:35 Yes. None of these are edible.
04:42 Except for the carrot or nami.
04:45 This is called nami or intoxicating yam.
04:50 Actually, it has a taste.
04:51 So, it's addictive.
04:52 Yes.
04:53 If you eat it raw, it has a chemical that is not good for the body.
04:57 But it's a symbol of traditional process, traditional knowledge of the Filipinos.
05:02 What they do here is they peel it, wash it several times,
05:06 soak it with salt water, wash it again.
05:09 There are different processes throughout the Philippines, sir Howie.
05:12 Some people wash it in the river for several days,
05:15 they put it in a sack, others put it in the sea.
05:19 Then, they say that if there are shrimp eating it, it's okay, there's no more poison.
05:23 Because what else will they cut?
05:25 They will collect it, find a big rock, and cut it.
05:29 There are so many. The Filipinos are so good at this.
05:32 Where in the province do they find this?
05:34 Throughout the Philippines, from Bicol region.
05:36 Upland, lowland?
05:37 In the forested areas.
05:40 What's interesting is that it's distribution is wide.
05:43 From Palawan, Bicol region, even in Mindoro.
05:46 So, it means that the traditional knowledge has been here for a long time.
05:51 So, what's the taste of this?
05:52 It's delicious.
05:53 It's like you can put it in fried rice or you can put it in margarine.
05:57 It's like they're alternating it with rice.
05:59 How do they cook it?
06:00 Just stir-fry it or you can put coconut milk.
06:06 So, by itself, you can eat it.
06:08 Yes.
06:09 But in other parts of the Philippines, they say that they eat it when they're hungry.
06:15 Because it's a long process.
06:17 Okay, for those who are just listening,
06:20 it's a root crop.
06:22 It looks like potatoes or a type of gabby.
06:28 But it's not.
06:30 It's not a gabby.
06:31 It's its own species.
06:33 It's hairy because it has a lot of small roots.
06:36 The top part of its stem is long.
06:41 Its stem is long.
06:45 It's unique.
06:46 It really looks wild.
06:48 It's wild.
06:50 [music]
06:52 Sir, I have a challenge for you.
06:54 This is what we call Aruy Uy.
06:56 Do you wanna try it or are you scared?
06:59 Let's just describe it.
07:01 [chewing]
07:02 What can you say?
07:04 It's not spicy.
07:07 -It's not spicy. -It's not.
07:08 It's not spicy.
07:10 This is what we call Siling Duwag or Aruy Uy.
07:13 -Siling Duwag? -Yes.
07:14 If you have a strong Siling Labuyo, a chili cultivar,
07:18 we have a very spicy one.
07:20 This is what we call Siling Duwag.
07:22 They make this Pakbet.
07:25 It's actually good.
07:26 They cook it with shrimp paste.
07:27 It's good.
07:28 -It's cultivated. -It's cultivated.
07:30 It's good even if it's grilled.
07:32 It's really good.
07:33 Where did you find this?
07:35 This is a food heritage of Ilocos region.
07:39 Aruy Uy.
07:40 -So it's native. -It's introduced.
07:42 Okay.
07:43 For those who are just listening,
07:46 it looks like a long chili.
07:48 It's green.
07:49 All of them are green.
07:50 There's no red variety.
07:52 None.
07:53 It's green but it's already ripe.
07:56 It doesn't taste spicy.
08:00 You can actually be a Buddha.
08:02 -Yeah. -It looks super spicy.
08:04 -Show it to other people. -I'm proud of myself.
08:08 I'm proud of my spiciness.
08:11 Wait. I'll warn you.
08:15 Even if this doesn't have a spicy kick,
08:18 there are some that do.
08:21 You'll be lucky if you get one.
08:24 But it's tolerable.
08:25 [music]
08:27 -You have a lot of ingredients. -Wait.
08:29 You can choose the one that you're interested in.
08:33 For those who are from Europe,
08:36 they think of olives.
08:38 -But it's like-- -Sometimes, it's blueberry.
08:41 It's like a fruit.
08:42 -What do you call this? -Lipote.
08:45 Lipote.
08:46 We are now currently in Sitio Lipote.
08:51 -This? -Did you know?
08:52 -No. -We are in that--
08:54 We're in the municipality of Mataas na Kahoy,
08:56 Barangay Kinalaglagan, Sitio Lipote.
09:00 Wow. Maybe this is it.
09:01 -This is it. -This is it.
09:03 That's why we have a tree called Lipote here.
09:05 -So you don't know. -There's one that exists?
09:07 -We planted it. -Wow.
09:09 -We want-- -I didn't know we're here in Sitio Lipote.
09:12 -This is perfect. -Yes.
09:13 -And this is made into wine. -Yes.
09:16 You can also make it into jam.
09:18 What other things does Lipote use?
09:21 Berries?
09:23 -Fruits? -Yes.
09:24 This is a native fruit.
09:25 For those who are listening,
09:26 it starts to grow in clusters.
09:30 Like this one.
09:31 It's ripe when it's this color.
09:33 But other parts are still hard.
09:36 It also looks like a tree branch.
09:38 I just want to ask, do you also study the health aspects of our food heritage ingredients?
09:45 What are the benefits for health?
09:47 What can be used as herbal medicine?
09:53 Yes.
09:54 Or are there any harmful?
09:55 For sure, there are.
09:56 But most of the time, Sir Howie,
09:58 when I'm documenting,
10:00 I really rely on the knowledge of the locals.
10:02 They know what is poisonous,
10:04 what should not be eaten,
10:05 and what is really edible.
10:07 So, the locals are really good at knowing the varieties that we shouldn't eat.
10:12 This one is okay.
10:13 Even if they just look at a forest,
10:15 they can teach and know hundreds of plant species.
10:19 That's why the local pigeon stays true to its mission,
10:23 the voice of the locals.
10:25 As for medicinal, Sir Howie,
10:27 I'm not an expert.
10:29 I'm really only in culinary use.
10:31 Though, I record the other medicinal aspects,
10:34 but Sir Howie,
10:35 I'm careful.
10:38 Because, you know, there's a lot of biopiracy in the Philippines.
10:41 If I put it all in public,
10:43 it's an easy lead for those people with a bad motive.
10:48 So, unlike, for example, food,
10:50 it's not easy to steal that.
10:52 It's a shared heritage.
10:53 But, if it's medicinal,
10:54 and suddenly, a forest,
10:55 I tell them about the medicine,
10:57 and I post it online,
10:58 it can be a doom for them.
11:03 Okay, this one is big.
11:04 This is the biggest one.
11:05 Oh, this one is even smaller.
11:07 It's getting bigger.
11:09 This is called Tabungaw.
11:11 Tabungaw?
11:12 This is an heirloom variety of--
11:14 Can you guess?
11:15 What is it?
11:16 Heirloom variety of--
11:18 What kind is it?
11:20 What is it?
11:21 Vegetable?
11:22 Eggplant?
11:25 It's a Upo.
11:29 Upo is not native.
11:30 It's not native in the Philippines.
11:32 But, it's local.
11:33 We have it here.
11:34 It's delicious.
11:35 It's delicious.
11:36 And, aside from culinary use,
11:39 it's used as a hat.
11:41 Tabungaw.
11:42 Sombrero.
11:43 Sombrero on the back.
11:44 That's right.
11:45 Have you seen national artists?
11:47 It's big.
11:48 And, they--
11:50 It lasts long.
11:53 It doesn't get rotten.
11:54 It's broken, too.
11:55 But, for hats,
11:57 they make it bigger.
11:58 For those who are just listening,
12:00 it's like a bell-shaped pear.
12:03 P-E-A-R in foreign fruits.
12:05 It's not like--
12:08 That's why it's called eggplant.
12:09 There are also eggplants that are shaped like that.
12:11 But, as you said, it's more like an Upo.
12:14 Tabungaw is native.
12:16 Upo is not native.
12:18 Why are the non-native--
12:19 You know what?
12:20 Because it's also an Upo,
12:22 it's also introduced,
12:23 but we have our own cultivar.
12:25 I see.
12:26 I see.
12:27 Because Upo is more popular than that.
12:29 Old.
12:30 It's a variety.
12:31 Is it delicious?
12:32 It's delicious.
12:33 Is it cooked like that?
12:35 Yes.
12:36 Whatever is cooked in Upo,
12:38 it's cooked like that.
12:40 I see. Okay.
12:41 Sir, I have a trivia.
12:46 Of the 18 vegetables mentioned in my house,
12:49 18 crops,
12:50 none of them are native.
12:52 None are native.
12:53 Yes.
12:54 But, this one,
12:55 I'm showing you our native vegetables.
12:58 There are a lot of Chinese, Malunggay,
13:00 Lagikwai, Lubilubi,
13:02 this is Lubilubi,
13:04 Tikus Sudapalma.
13:05 So, there should be a version of my house
13:07 where all non-native crops are replaced by native.
13:10 Actually, my opinion on that is
13:12 let's not replace it.
13:13 It's also part of our culture.
13:16 But, we should also give them a spotlight.
13:20 Or, let's make our own song for them.
13:23 Let's not necessarily replace it.
13:24 But, there's a space for every vegetable.
13:27 Yes.
13:28 This dinosaur egg in the middle,
13:34 what can you say about it?
13:36 Actually, I can say that this is the emblem
13:38 of the Filipino food heritage.
13:40 Emblem?
13:41 Yes.
13:42 For me, this can be a symbol.
13:44 Because, Sir Howie,
13:46 before,
13:47 no one bought this.
13:49 This is from Albuquerque, Bohol.
13:51 Asin tibuok.
13:52 Tibuok means ful.
13:53 This is salt.
13:54 Traditionally produced in Bohol.
13:56 Salt in Bohol.
13:58 Yes.
13:59 And, this is a long process.
14:02 Yes, it's very long.
14:03 It's a very long process.
14:04 But, before,
14:05 they were just selling for around 300 pesos.
14:07 And, they were still in debt
14:09 for a very tedious process.
14:12 That's why I said
14:13 we can use this as an emblem of the food heritage, Sir Howie.
14:17 Because, during this time,
14:18 the focus is not yet on our local ingredients.
14:22 And, this Asin Tibuok is one of the famous
14:24 that we have this.
14:27 Imagine,
14:28 in the whole world,
14:30 there's no Asin like this.
14:31 We're the only one who has this.
14:33 This is a symbol of creativity,
14:35 hard work of the Filipinos.
14:37 It's great.
14:38 Asin Tibuok.
14:39 Okay.
14:40 For those who are listening,
14:43 just think,
14:44 salt is salt.
14:45 Why go through all the trouble
14:46 to make this kind of salt?
14:48 You can buy salt from the grocery.
14:51 What's the difference?
14:52 I want people to know
14:54 that they look at food
14:56 not just the taste,
14:57 that they're just up to that.
14:58 They say, "It's just salt."
14:59 There's no difference.
15:01 But, it's connected to the story of the community.
15:03 Even the process itself is different.
15:05 It's an art.
15:06 So, regardless,
15:07 it's just salt.
15:08 But, look at the go beyond,
15:09 the taste.
15:11 Imagine,
15:12 the process is not in other parts of the world.
15:14 But, even the taste,
15:15 the taste is different.
15:16 It's a bit...
15:17 Let's eat it.
15:18 It's hard to eat.
15:21 I don't have a nail.
15:22 Yes.
15:23 So, even the bottom part.
15:25 So, what is this?
15:26 It's like...
15:27 It's like a fish.
15:28 Yes, it's really like a fish.
15:29 It's really like a fish.
15:30 So, that's how it's cooked.
15:31 So, it's like it's fired like ceramic.
15:34 Yes.
15:35 It's been a long time.
15:37 It's different, right?
15:41 It's not that salty.
15:42 Yes.
15:43 It's not flat saltiness.
15:46 For example, if we buy table salt
15:47 from the markets,
15:48 it's just flat salt.
15:50 Even the nuances,
15:51 you can see that there's a slight difference.
15:54 So, there are cooks and chefs
15:57 who prefer this kind of salt
15:59 for the flavor.
16:00 Yes.
16:01 I can understand,
16:02 the whole process has value.
16:04 It's traditional, right?
16:05 We want to preserve that
16:07 because it's from our ancestors.
16:08 But, when it comes to restaurants,
16:11 you won't look at it.
16:12 So, chefs,
16:13 it's really shown
16:14 because the food icon here
16:16 is not just about the looks.
16:18 So, the restaurants now,
16:19 let's say,
16:20 in Toyo Eatery,
16:21 they really show this
16:22 so that the customers can marvel.
16:25 That's the saltiness.
16:26 Yes.
16:27 They also have performance art.
16:30 They have a scrape.
16:32 For example,
16:33 they have Leche Flan ice cream.
16:35 I forgot.
16:36 They shade it.
16:37 This is their salted caramel salt.
16:40 Okay.
16:41 So,
16:42 what it means is
16:43 that they value the traditional salt.
16:48 So, you said that in a restaurant,
16:50 they even demo it.
16:51 They taste the raw tibuo
16:54 in the diners.
16:56 If it's popular in Filipino restaurants,
16:58 traditional restaurants,
16:59 then the demand for this will increase
17:02 in the market.
17:03 And then, that will also help
17:04 conserve the tradition.
17:06 That's true.
17:07 How long does it take
17:08 before you can make one like this?
17:11 It will take days.
17:12 I'm not sure how many exact days.
17:14 But, it's not just three days.
17:16 Mostly, more than that.
17:17 Because there's a drying part.
17:19 They will buy the coconut husk.
17:21 Then, they will burn the coconut husk.
17:26 It's a long process.
17:27 The coconut husk that was burned,
17:29 the ash will be collected
17:30 and put in a filtering system.
17:32 Then, the salt water will pass through.
17:34 Then, the salt water will be put
17:37 in earthenware.
17:40 Then, they will boil it for a few hours
17:43 until it solidifies.
17:46 When it solidifies,
17:47 it's not done yet.
17:49 They will let it cool for a few hours
17:52 because it's very hot
17:53 when it's done cooking.
17:55 And when it's done,
17:57 they will clean it
17:58 and they will squeeze it
17:59 with the coconut husk.
18:01 It's a very long process for a salt.
18:03 What is your origin story
18:08 when it comes to food?
18:10 I document heritage ingredients,
18:13 Philippine ingredients as a whole.
18:15 I have a page, Local Pidja.
18:17 It's a digital archive of Philippine ingredients
18:22 from heirloom varieties,
18:23 native, endemic,
18:25 and even introduced food
18:26 that is culturally relevant
18:28 to Filipinos.
18:30 I started Love Cove for Food
18:32 because we all have a deep connection
18:35 to my hometown, San Jose Occidental Mindoro.
18:38 My parents raised me in a house
18:42 where the food is delicious
18:43 and we don't use shortcuts
18:45 or alternatives.
18:46 We use, let's say,
18:48 if there's a "sampalok" or "sinigang,"
18:49 that's our sour food
18:51 or "kamya" in "tulingan,"
18:52 cooked "tulingan."
18:54 I can't eat food
18:56 with a "sinigang" mix.
18:58 You didn't eat fast food when you were young?
19:00 I did eat fast food,
19:01 but it's not...
19:02 Maybe it's one of the factors
19:03 because in Mindoro,
19:04 there's not much fast food there.
19:06 So maybe it's also a factor
19:08 why I was more exposed
19:09 to traditional food.
19:10 It's like,
19:11 there are only a few fast food chains
19:13 in our town.
19:15 So, my dad and my sister
19:17 are good at cooking,
19:20 but I'm not good.
19:22 During the pandemic,
19:23 I learned how to cook.
19:25 I tried a lot of ingredients
19:27 that are available in the market
19:28 and I said,
19:29 "Why are they all the same?"
19:31 But it's not like that.
19:33 You just need to be aware.
19:34 You really need to know
19:35 because if you don't know,
19:37 you'll easily pass through the market.
19:39 It's like you have a blindness.
19:41 Like a heritage blindness.
19:43 So, it's easy to ignore
19:46 because you don't know
19:48 how to use it.
19:49 Then,
19:50 when I became a skin observer,
19:52 I saw that we have a lot of ingredients.
19:54 So, in my hometown,
19:56 I talked to vendors,
19:59 fisherfolks, and farmers.
20:02 I asked them for certain ingredients.
20:03 "How do I use this?
20:04 How do I cook it?"
20:05 And they were happy
20:07 because when I was young,
20:08 I was 27 years old.
20:10 But at that time, I was 23 or 22.
20:12 I was happy because
20:13 a kid is interested in these kinds of foods
20:15 that are not usually liked
20:18 by people my age.
20:20 Usually, it's only older generations.
20:22 And from there,
20:23 I started to document
20:25 and research
20:27 existing literature.
20:29 And then, once the pandemic ended,
20:31 I started to travel to the Philippines
20:33 to document these ingredients.
20:36 So, how do you support this kind of work?
20:39 Before,
20:40 I had a job as a public relations manager.
20:43 And my savings there,
20:45 I used it for traveling.
20:49 Then, I also sold my toys,
20:53 collections.
20:54 Because it's my passion.
20:55 It's just money.
20:56 And the idea is that
20:57 you can use your money
20:58 for a bigger cause.
21:01 And then, last time,
21:03 I sold T-shirts,
21:05 local pigeon.
21:06 I bought one shirt.
21:07 Thank you very much.
21:09 So, that's how I raise my amount.
21:11 But sometimes,
21:12 it's not enough, Sir Howie.
21:14 Because I don't have support
21:16 from the government.
21:17 And I'm an independent researcher.
21:20 So, most of the time,
21:21 sometimes, I do crowdfunding.
21:23 And then, a lot of people help.
21:26 It's nice that
21:27 I'm not the only one
21:28 in this advocacy.
21:31 A lot of people extend help.
21:33 Even on the ground,
21:35 when I travel,
21:36 even if it's not money,
21:38 they let me stay at their homes.
21:40 They will take care of me
21:42 around the province.
21:43 It's a big help.
21:44 So, I was able to sustain it.
21:46 Travel is expensive.
21:47 That's the question I'm always asked.
21:49 How do I earn funds?
21:52 So, that's how it is.
21:54 It comes from different places.
21:57 You noticed that
21:59 a lot of people are interested
22:01 in your passion.
22:03 I just post it.
22:04 And then, from eventually,
22:06 I noticed that a lot of people comment.
22:08 A lot of people like it.
22:09 A lot of locals
22:11 from other parts of the Philippines
22:13 comment that
22:14 this is what we eat.
22:16 This is what we ate as a child.
22:19 This is what we, Ilocanos, eat.
22:22 I see that
22:23 there are a lot of people
22:25 connected to food.
22:26 Because you will realize that
22:28 food is the core of Filipinos.
22:30 So, this is one of our identity markers.
22:33 If, let's say, a Batuan,
22:36 Western Visayas,
22:38 they identify themselves with Batuan.
22:40 Or if you're from Batangas,
22:41 you identify with Tawilis.
22:43 So, that's it.
22:45 The interest is just there.
22:47 You just need to advocate
22:49 and put it in the world.
22:51 There's really something to talk about.
22:53 You need to start a discussion
22:54 about our heritage,
22:55 about our food culture.
22:57 So, what is the connection of native ingredients
23:01 to our culture?
23:03 Sir Howie, the connection of native
23:05 to our culture,
23:07 it's not just native.
23:08 Food is an intersection of nature and people.
23:13 So, this is where our culture and environment is.
23:16 So, there, native,
23:17 we have endemic,
23:18 those are our terms.
23:19 And then, introduce.
23:20 So, it's connected.
23:21 Because you need to know
23:22 the science of food.
23:24 When we say native,
23:26 this is our original food here.
23:28 For sure, we already know that, Sir Howie,
23:30 especially to our listeners,
23:32 they need to know,
23:33 native, if this is what's really here,
23:35 endogenous,
23:37 and when you say endemic,
23:39 the distribution is limited.
23:40 It's also native,
23:41 but the distribution is more limited.
23:43 Like, for example,
23:44 food, Katmon,
23:45 Dilenia philippinensis,
23:46 is an endemic species of fruit berry tree.
23:49 Between native and the endemic,
23:51 the endemic are more vulnerable
23:52 because their distribution is not just wide,
23:55 but also,
23:56 they have a lot of polluted areas.
23:58 So, when the area is polluted,
23:59 the endemic will be gone.
24:00 And then, we have introduced,
24:01 they are the foreigners.
24:02 So, if they are foreigners,
24:04 are they not Filipinos?
24:06 I don't think so.
24:07 Like, the Filipino food,
24:09 like, say, ingredients,
24:10 we embrace that already.
24:11 What we choose,
24:13 what food we eat.
24:15 For example, the tomatoes,
24:17 for example,
24:18 in my house,
24:20 there's no native,
24:22 but it became Filipino vegetables.
24:24 So, this is connected to our culture
24:26 because if you're,
24:28 if you're biodiverse,
24:29 your environment,
24:31 you're culturally rich.
24:33 Because that's where we develop our culture,
24:35 in our environment.
24:36 We develop harvesting culture,
24:38 we develop recipes,
24:40 stories, myths,
24:41 about food.
24:42 So, if your food is not diverse,
24:44 your culture will not be diverse.
24:47 That's how it is.
24:49 So, it's interesting that
24:50 all the vegetables mentioned in my house,
24:53 one of the most famous songs in our culture,
24:57 especially among the first songs
24:59 that were sung by the youth,
25:01 of a vegetable that was mentioned there,
25:04 is native.
25:05 All of them were introduced.
25:06 Introduced.
25:07 Why?
25:08 Okay.
25:09 So, in my house,
25:11 there are 18 crops that were mentioned.
25:13 It's either naturalized,
25:14 meaning it's already adapted,
25:17 without even human intervention,
25:19 but they were still introduced.
25:20 And then there's also
25:21 "exists in cultivation,
25:23 but not yet naturalized."
25:24 Meaning,
25:25 if you don't do anything
25:27 or continue the interaction with it,
25:30 it will not persist in the locality.
25:33 So, you have to plant it again and again, etc.
25:35 So, those 18,
25:37 it reflects the current,
25:40 for me,
25:41 it reflects our knowledge,
25:44 our familiarity with these ingredients,
25:47 with these 18 introduced,
25:49 what they are.
25:50 They are common in the market.
25:52 You go to a public market,
25:55 what you will see,
25:56 that's what was mentioned in my house.
25:58 And the natives,
25:59 either marginalized,
26:01 not often seen.
26:03 For example,
26:04 "binahian" or "alukon",
26:06 "himbabao",
26:07 "sugud-sugud",
26:09 "bago".
26:10 Aren't they like foreign to us?
26:12 Just listen,
26:13 the familiar for the most people
26:15 that is known as a native vegetable.
26:17 But for the many native vegetables,
26:20 we are very unfamiliar.
26:22 And it reflects our limited consumption of vegetables.
26:27 We have a lot of vegetables.
26:29 And Sir Howie,
26:30 not just in vegetables,
26:31 even in our fruits.
26:33 For example,
26:34 you go to apple,
26:35 orange,
26:36 or even mango,
26:37 it's not native.
26:38 The mango,
26:39 the common mango,
26:40 but we have native species under mango.
26:44 I'll share some native fruits,
26:46 "gumihan",
26:47 "galo",
26:48 "pili",
26:49 "paratungon",
26:50 "dugyan",
26:51 "ared durian",
26:52 species endangered.
26:54 "Seriales",
26:56 where are they?
26:57 Most of the time,
26:58 they are just a few.
26:59 Why?
27:00 Because these native species,
27:01 these native fruits,
27:02 their habitat is being destroyed.
27:04 But those are not even common,
27:05 they're not recognizable for most.
27:07 How about the familiar fruits to us,
27:11 are they native?
27:12 "Aratiles"?
27:13 No.
27:14 "Kalamansi",
27:15 it's a hybrid.
27:16 It's a different school of thought,
27:18 but I think it's no.
27:20 "Balimbing"?
27:21 No, not native.
27:22 "Duhat"?
27:23 No, not native.
27:24 "Sampalok"?
27:25 No, not native.
27:26 "Tamarindu sindika",
27:27 it's not native.
27:28 Oh wow, so,
27:29 "strawberry",
27:31 of course,
27:32 it's not native.
27:33 So, those are the familiar fruits,
27:36 because when you go to Baguio,
27:38 there are a lot of strawberries,
27:39 but they're not native.
27:41 That's true.
27:42 What are the common ones that we know of?
27:46 "Dragon fruit"?
27:47 No.
27:48 "Diren"?
27:49 There are a lot, Sir Howie,
27:50 the so-called translocated species,
27:52 that came here.
27:54 For example, the "Manila galleon tree",
27:57 they brought a lot of flora to the Philippines.
28:00 "Piña",
28:01 "chico",
28:02 "suha"?
28:03 I think it's not native to the Philippines.
28:06 "Diren"?
28:07 No.
28:08 And then, in other places,
28:09 there are watermelons that came.
28:11 "Pakwan",
28:12 not native to the Philippines.
28:13 "Melon",
28:14 not native to the Philippines.
28:16 It's surprising that
28:18 the people we thought were native all along,
28:21 they were introduced.
28:23 Then,
28:24 they're the people we thought were native,
28:25 but the natives,
28:27 they're foreign to our ears.
28:29 Yes.
28:30 It's sad.
28:31 Maybe for sure,
28:32 when they're young,
28:33 they don't know the "kalumpit".
28:35 So, that's the status of our knowledge,
28:37 of our food heritage.
28:39 That's just the first part of our story,
28:42 with the food influencer,
28:44 Sherwin Felix,
28:45 of Localpedia.
28:46 In part 2,
28:47 we'll get to know and taste
28:49 other native Filipino ingredients.
28:52 I hope I don't fail.
28:54 Mmm.
28:57 He'll also answer
29:00 some of your questions, Podmates.
29:03 Stay tuned.
29:04 Is there a "forever"?
29:07 Forever?
29:08 Where is this?
29:09 I, uh...
29:11 [♪♪♪]
29:14 [♪♪♪]
29:15 [♪♪♪]
29:17 [♪♪♪]
29:18 [♪♪♪]
29:21 [♪♪♪]
29:22 [♪♪♪]
29:23 [♪♪♪]
29:24 [♪♪♪]
29:25 [♪♪♪]