I like how we are all amazed by the making of the salt, but this man took in a child when he had nothing, raised him, and gave him a job. That is amazing!
There is a type of apprenticeship in some Asian countries. Usually an older man, a master of a craft, would adopt orphan child/children. He would teach his craft to the child and raise him for free. The child is expected to work as he gets old enough and hopefully take over the business and care for the old man as he retires.
I'm from Bohol, Philippines and I can understand the dialect they spoke. Sadly, I never heard of asin tibuok in my province until it was featured here. I appreciate their hardwork since we, Filipinos are industrious, but sadly the labor is cheap. Thank you for featuring this.
@@kitcutting Boholano/Bol-anon is a Cebuano Bisaya dialect, so there's bound to be many similarities with some own pecularities of their own that isn't the same as in Cebu.
I studied and lived in Bohol for 7 yrs, and my mom is from Panglao, Bohol. Unfortunately, I didn’t know about asin tibuok until Erwan Heusaff and his team featured it on his channel. So glad that this craft is getting more attention because even some Boholanos were and some still remain unaware of this salt. I haven’t tried this myself yet but I’ve seen this in some souvenir stores in Bohol! It was just displayed without a label and you wouldn’t be able to tell it’s salt unless you already know about it.
the workers saying they are happy even if the working conditions are not ideal are just so pure.. they really love their tradition and their product, i hope the government gives them funding to improve their craft! more power to the makers of this salt!
@@MrFatdubymanless regulated, sure. But some of these have been traditionally made for centuries now if not millennia. If there's ever a problem it would've shown by now.
Removing jewellery and all that isn't superstitious, they are working with heat/open fire, also the salt/salty water can damage the jewellery, or cause troubles while handling work.
Actually most superstition isn't grounded in reality. It's formed by mixing with half-truths. Only a few have some actual grounding. Besides removing jewelry for such work seems simply practical? Because it obviously can get in the way at the very least.
I am from the Philippines, such a profounding works of hardship and dedication surely the Philippine government should protect and support this kind of work that somehow could be put into arts and culture of being proud how technology is advance during those times centuries ago that they bring it to life again in our current time. Proud to a Filipino.
Wait, it actually tastes different to regular salt? I got too bored to pay much attention to the video but it seemed like there was no explanation to what makes these special.
To everyone who says this is just another artisanal salt, it really isn't! It's smokier (you can really taste the smoke but not in a disgusting way) and finer than table salt. It almost tastes sweet. My late grandpa used asin tibuok exclusively back when he was still cooking for everyone and even shaved off chips of it to give to us kids as a treat. Sadly it's sold at too high a price point for most locals to afford (because of the labor-intensive process). The few times I've had it, I used it for vinegar-based dishes like ensalada. Also great on sunny side up eggs and fried/grilled/baked fish.
Good for red meats and fish I would assume. Can you explain the sweet aspect, usually smokey and sweet in a salt sounds odd but im curious. Also when your grandpa(god rest his soul) was shaving off chips wee you eating them like candy straight or whats the process there? Thanks in advance.
@@roundtrip385 High-end French fleur de sel and Portuguese flor de sal also have a sweetness that is said to be contributed by salts other than sodium chloride (such as magnesium chloride), which are present in small amounts in the seawater from which such natural sea salts are made.
The sweetness is from the coconut husks. I actually make bulk orders from Nestor, and sell them whole at my local farmers market. After shipping (air) it costs me about $26 per 1.5kg egg. I make around 250% margins. People love the novelty and history. More and more local restaurants are buying from me as well to the point that I'm more financially secure than I've ever been in my life. I just sent Nestor and his workers a Christmas package last month. I got each of them a bottle of bourbon and mini Louisville Slugger bats.@@roundtrip385
I see, so basically the coconut husks are used to concentrate the seawater into brine by evaporation and infuse the 'sweetness', just like how Japanese used hay and poured sea water over it and burn them. Then they burn the husk, crystallizing the salt and infusing the salt with smoky aroma. At that point it's already similar with how Korean's bamboo salt was made, but then they refined it further by pouring brine to the salt, removing some of the overpowering aroma. Then finally it got crystalized in clay vessels.
They said the husk ash was used as a filter, the brine is concentrated seawater. After it's filtered they boil off the rest of the moisture in the clay pots. They probably don't have to do much to prep the brine, I imagine it's right out their backdoor. If you made it all over the world it would taste different and offer different rare minerals we probably don't really need but could benefit from nonetheless.
I lived in the Philippines for a while. The people are incredibly hardworking. This video made me so nostalgic and wistful I found myself crying. I'm going to try and find this salt.
I will call his technique of making salt, The Sacred Salt. In my eyes this is more valuable than I can express in words of wisdom and the work of manifestation. Love it!
I got exhausted just watching the whole process 🥵 . Absolutely incredible craftsmanship these folks have displayed here. You have to be 1000% committed to do this work, no half stepping. Hats off to them and I wish they were paid hefty amounts of money for their labor, even tho I know part of the reason they do this out of love, preserving a tradition. I want to try this salt myself !
I got exhausted watching the process because I could think of a dozen ways to make it easier and still end up with the same results. Not exactly “incredible craftsmanship”. The lady making the pots, the meticulous stacking of rocks to seal the gap between pots.. the rods that barely hold the pots in place, how the guy hand patches the pit everytime… just dozens of ways to improve each step using age old crude and many modern methods.
@@HiThisIsMine You're thinking about this in the completely wrong way. Not everything should, or even needs to be "modernized", easier or more efficient. And you say you would end up with the same result, and I doubt that tbh. The way they are doing it is a specific process, and if you start making it less labour intensive etc. you might end up with people becoming lazy, not pay so much attention to detail etc. The charm, the love, the attention to detail, the tradition etc. is what makes this special, the human touch in every part of the process. We need more of this kind of thing, not less
@@northpaul707 - As a business owner in an industry that requires extreme attention to detail and manual labor… I can tell you that you are flat out wrong that modernization is not important and no, it will not change the product. Those little details of stacking rocks or the old lady hand pressing the clay pots may make it special for you, but it doesn’t change the product one bit. We’re talking about a better, more efficient method of hand making pots… a better system of stacking them over a pit and meticulously holding them up with rows of rebar and stacking rocks between the gaps to create a seal… pointless things that these guys admitted to already have modernized with the addition of the rebar. We’re not talking about creating a factory or changing their overall process. Just simple things that will still allow them to create an identical product… less painfully. Their current method isn’t efficient, and therefore is less profitable. I mentioned it in another threat.. these people aren’t doing this out of pure love… they are doing it as a business to make money and feed their family. Traditions get lost when you make it harder to pass down. Making a pot with two stones instead of a pottery wheel or a form… or stacking them over a fire with rows of rebar… that’s not what tradition or love of what you do is about. Rebuilding a pit every time is not part of their love of this work.. the guy said he has no choice but to do it. These people are doing things the way they do because they have no other choice and don’t know better. They just know how to make salt. The old lady even said it.. she doesn’t want this work for her daughter (grandkids?).
I respect the people who bring back old traditions like this massively, but I just can't help but think in how many ways this process could be improved. The molds, the iron rods, the way they control the fire all could be improved. It's a shame they get no government support to invest in such improvements and are stuck doing it the way shown to support themselves.
@@Mr.Knallfrosch It shouldn't be "special". If you want to persevere culture making it a purposely laborious task that many don't want to do will just increase the risk of it going extinct again. If everyone is doing it, the culture survives long term.
Since special salts and their health benefits are just marketing hype, even if you make improvements it would still just be an ineffective way to process salt. This is all about the traditional process and preserving it
Im from Cebu, Philippines and Bohol is just our neighbor island. Never knew about this until now, a foreign media spread the word. Wow. Will be buying from them from now on and might visit as well.
You know I've been watching videos like this of people using old processes to make goods and I really hope there is a foundation out there that can help them survive. An influx of cash can help these individuals buy new tools and help them repair their ovens, ect. Stuff like this is culturally significant.
All of these are well deserved nyo po because you have kept the tradition out of love for the culture and traditions handed down to you po ❤️❤️❤️❤️🌹🌹🌹🌹 Perseverance and dedication and the love of your work inspires us viewers ❤️
that's what happens when that's all u have to work with lol it's called living in a 3rd world country. you would also probly like the simplicity of their wastewater management system since all they do is shit in a bucket or a hole
There are a couple of videos on asin tibuok made by locals back then and i think there was also a channel that did feature can't recall and it's more of iykyk for people interested in unique / traditional food items but glad someone with a bigger platform is making ppl know of it.
As a Latin American I’m always surprised whenever I’m reading or hearing about the Philippines, because on a lot of ways they are very similar to us. They way the use Spanish and English words with their own native language is very similar to how we speak on this part of the world. They got the Spanish and American influence later down the line, hence why it didn’t overwrote their culture as much as it did ours but it is an interesting parallel.
Back in the colonial days, Philippines was actually under the Governor of Mexico before their independence hence why there are some similarities in culture and language.
They speaking Cebuano, one of Visayan languages. I'm Capiznon speaker from Visayan group also but I can't understand what they say. I can undestand only some Spanish , English and Tagalog words.
Wrong, The Philippines was only decades later than Mexico to become a Spanish colony. The reason The Philippines preserved pretty much its own culture and identity is the fact that Asians have cattle, chicken, and goat unlike the Native Americans, thus they have some immunity to diseases that almost wiped out the Native Americans, and their old culture along with it. Getting almost 90% of their population dead from small pox and other pestilence would understandably make the Latin American culture easily replaceable with Spanish.
I'm from Bohol. As a kid, I had the opportunity to have this "asin sa kon" (asin=salt, kon=claypot) as flavoring for our food. This salt and the common sea salt were the only varieties familiar to me back then. As highlighted in the video, the production of "asin sa kon" came to a halt in the mid-90s because of the ASIN law in the Philippines, which was unfortunate. But I'm glad this "asin sa kon" is now garnering more recognition. Kudos to this family for keeping the heritage alive!
I would LOVE to buy this! Pink salt also isn’t iodized and people buy it like crazy. The gov needs to realize that there’s a world market waiting for this amazing salt.
The Philippines is a semi-feudal and semi-colonial country. National industrialization will not be allowed by foreign powers and their local ruling elite collaborators sitting in the government. Western world heavily relies on PHLs human labor export.
This iodine requirement is very short sighted. Yes, iodine is a necessary mineral but you need only a tiny bit and you can get it by simply eating seafood.
@@beckyweisfeld6977 rofl, there's a burgeoning health crisis because idiots stopped eating regular iodized salt in favor of bullshit pink rock salt. But you clearly know better than doctors and legislators and government regulators who applied their medical recommendations to law
@@beckyweisfeld6977this might not be known in some places or in a lot of younger generations now, but a lot of people used to live on extreme powerty that some days, all they can afford is just salt and rice. Some people still live this way. They had to make it a requirement to make iodized salt cheap and the people living in extreme poverty to actually have access to it. It's shortsighted in that they could have made exemptions and/or budgeted to help our saltmakers to learn how to iodize salt.
I love the Filipinos people, I've had the pleasure to work along with a few of them in my field and was always blown away with their crazy skill and hard work ethic that put a lot of people in America to shame lol. Great video, hope I can visit the Philippines soon and meet the friends I've made online one day!
As an American living in the Philippines, I can honestly say what puts most Western cultures to shame is how people stick together here. How they have the mental fortitude to handle some very tough situations without breaking down. In the current era back home, most Americans would break down. The people here are very much like how America was in our early years as a county.
To be fair its literally the corruption in the government there that are holding the people back. Plenty of Filipinos back then had to move to other countries just so their innovations get funded. If there wasn’t a brain drain and reasons to move abroad I can only imagine how much better the country might be.
And would you prefer the one for 30 cents, or this one, which takes days to make, for 250 dollars (per kilogram, real price by google)? Cuz I invented similar technique for sugar - the price is also 83300% of the normal one, and the taste is also totally same, but at least you know I spent huge unnecessary time on it... It is also necessary for most of sweet meals. (Note: Sadly, I am not from Philippines and I use normal steel ladle to pour in the water. Also heat resistant and doesn't contain synthetic chemicals, just not as cool.)
the ancient romans had a better way of producing salt for their foods so I wonder how the mystery of it got lost over time these idiots are breaking their backs doing something that should be so simplistic now days
A true chef would know that salt isn't a flavouring and doesn't add flavour to food. A true chef would know that salt is a flavour enhancer as it enhances the flavour of whatever ingredients are already there.
I remember when I was a kid, Circa 1990, there’s one small family from Albuquerque that brought asin tibook, kon (klay plots), kalan, and ginamus (fermented anchoves) to our village located in Sierra Bullones, a mountainous town in Bohol. They trade these products with humay (unprocess rice grains), and native chickens then brought it back to their town. There’s not much money back then in our village because we grew our goods and seldom buy from the market, so we pay them with our harvested crops.
Been wanting to try it for over two years, and I was amazed to find it on sale in Cebu airport. It seems that the word of mouth and coverage in the last years is helping to revitalize this market, and this is great!
Bohol island is my Father's province and this is the first time I learned about the law in regards to producing sea salt. 😢 Sad to know that this hindrance the business of salt maker even in the small towns nearby Metro. Thanks for featuring this! 😁
@@9Godslayer it was said, and even shown in the film. A population that eats iodized salz will develop no strumata. That law is to protect the people by enforcing sale of only salt that has this health benefit. Condensed seawater salt does not have that.
@@9GodslayerRepublic Act 8172, known as an “Act for Salt Iodization Nationwide” (ASIN), requires the addition of iodine to salt intended for animal and human consumption to eliminate micronutrient malnutrition, particularly iodine deficiency disorders, which remain as a public health concern in the country
@@FischerNilsA All these salt farmers need is the iodine component but sadly the country’s government is corrupt and not far sighted enough to financially support them for the machinery to make that possible. If they supported them, traditional ways are preserved, people don’t have to leave that career and over flood Manila (apperantly the capital is where they put most of the available jobs), basically that helps sustains the already available traditional source of income/jobs in Bohol and lastly, it can help boost tourism if the salt actually becomes a huge competitor outside the country.
Thanks to Business Insider's host Ruqayyah Moynihan for making the effort to pronounce Filipino words correctly. Not everything is perfect but I really appreciate how much they are trying.
I knew this would become an episode here after Featr! But I don't get why there is so much antagonism for traditional saltmaking from soitheast countries here in the comment section when no one makes a fuss about bad working conditions for mining himalayan salt or celebrating different saltmaking traditions from either Japan or Korea where the salts are considered premium and not overpriced.
Right now, the Philippines should actively marketing this. perhaps the asin tibuok should be rebranded as a flavour enhancer instead of salt which enables it to be sold in Philippines? I have never tried this but this looks like a gourmet ingredient. What are they doing man?
Maraming Salamat sa pagtataguyod at pagpapatuloy. Sana hindi po kayo mapagod na ituloy ang kultura ng paggawa ng Asin Tibuok. At higit sa lahat, naway makuha ninyo ang suporta na nararapat sa inyo. Thank you for preserving our culture and identity.
I think Featr, by Erwan Heussaff, was the first to feature them and in his channel they also introduced more and different artisan salt makers from the Philippines.
why? Its salt. The complex artisenal production process doesnt change its taste all that much, only its price. Most customers/eaters will never taste a difference. At least that much has been true for any "special salt" i´ve ever tasted, and those where quite a few. In the end ist just natrium chloride.
@@FischerNilsAprobably those high end restaurants will use this for uniqueness. I heard the taste of this salt is really different. It’s like concentrated with a smoky flavor.
@@bitchcraftwitch351 I´ll not denie that in direct comparison - fleur de sel or korean black salt vs supermarket salt - there can be differences in taste. I did those tests - but that is having the stuff before you and figertip-tasting it on its own. One after the other, comparing directly. Yes, there are differences. The moment you salt the food with it? I doubt many consumers can still tell a difference. I´d argue the chefs boasting such stuff are in the same situations as wine-experts who cannot differentiate in blind testing between discounter-tetrapak wine and 15 yo 100$-bottles. They have a personal marketing-interest to hype it.
@@FischerNilsA well that’s fine dining for you especially when it involves culture and history. With this kind of salt in a traditional Filipino restaurant it can be a cultural asset and even more so because right now the government is trying to protect the salt’s heritage because it’s endangered of vanishing.
This should be considered a luxury item and should cost at least 10k, artisanal salt in other countries cost way more, Philippines should make it one as well.
@@khanch.6807 Mostly, but it looks cool, there is a story behind it, and it may taste a bit different with the coconut added. Why do people like pink salt? $20 for some hand shaped salt doesn't seem terrible. How much salt are you going through that this wont last a long time.
@@dh4917 All that burnt stuff and impurities in salt is mildly carcinogenic too. The best price I can give for these is 5$ for the pointless effort and energy waste.
@@CreateHarmony It doesn't take a sophisticated pallet to work out that it's literally not JUST salt. If you knew anything about, well, anything, or simply paid attention to the video, you'd know that. Genuinely can't work out if you're being funny, or just a woefully unsophisticated contrarian.
@@GM-qq1wiYou can't expect many people to have ever tried this salt so most people have no idea what it tastes like. The video shows the salt being made before really giving any explanation to what the point of it all is. It really did just seem like it was no different from regular salt.
@@elio7610 What point are you even trying to make. Many people have never tried Oishii strawberries, that doesn't negate the fact that they are not the same as grocery store strawberries. Just because you can't fathom the difference, doesn't mean there isn't one. A lack of technical difference still wouldn't matter.
Iodine exemption and making a new pit in order to produce salt pots 1/4 the size of the "dinosaur eggs" would open up a huge market worldwide. The smaller pots would would cut down on production time while increasing the price per ounce of salt over the larger pots. Here in the states one of the dinosaur eggs costs between $100 to $180. A pot 1/4 the size would sell in greater numbers at 1/3 the price. Despite being a luxury item most do not buy the dinosaur eggs because they don't use enough salt to justify the price. Instead consumers buy smaller quantities of pink and other premium sea salt at an even higher premium prices per ounce. Therefore making smaller pots for international distribution would exponentially increase sales and profits. Business owners are then afforded the opportunity to improve and expand the business..... and finally hand over control of the business to the next generation so they can retire as successful and wealthy individuals. Solely producing the large pots is limiting sales primarily to the food industry. The key is targeting household consumers with smaller pots. They must act quickly before counterfeit and copycat producers take over the household consumer market and cash in on massive profitable smaller pots filled with cheap mass produced salt.
I have tried this kind of salt. It's so unique. And it is less expensive than your regular table salt, or rather it's quite cheap. The more you use the salt the more you get that sweet after tase.
@@tauruskd6688 those are probably imported ones. The last time I had the chance to try this unique salt was before covid when the whole family visited the Philippines for a month vacation. It was still pretty cheap back then that a single egg only cost us like 3 or 4$. It Was worth it tho. we had the salt for like 2 years. haha
@@lYl93 Because that's not how "everyone else" does it. That's done for sea salt. Table salt is typically mined. There are many different types of salt, based on the source and manufacturing process, which contributes to unique flavors.
I'm from Philippines and I speak the same dialect with these people (but from different region). It's sad that I don't know about this and this isn't given enough attention. It's a beautiful symbol of tradition.
@@kungbibitawngmahinahonakob5481 they're simply wrong. A dialect is a regional version of the same language like Bohol Cebuano, Negros Cebuano, Davao Cebuano, Mindanao Cebuano, Urban Cebuano, Formal Cebuano, etc. They may have different accent or slightly different words but they will understand each other. Tagalog is totally a different language like other languages such as Waray, Hiligaynon, Chavacano, Ilocano, etc.
They use a shell based ladle to avoid synthetic substances but they're also using single-use 12oz water bottle for filtration 😅 Edit: Heat doesnt matter. Plastic bottles should not be reused for food cold or hot. They shed microplastic and isnt hygiene after single use.
@@Steven-cn9jg I've worked as a Stainless (Acid-Resistant) welder, building medicine machines. The price for changing all the plastic parts used in the video, into sustainable Acid Resistant (highest level of Stainless) is absolutely something they can afford if they sell each "Egg" for $100-$180.
Sorry my point is that plastic bottle like that arent designed to be used over and over again... especially with salty water.. It can inhibit germs and add microplastics to their salt..
The Philippines' asin tibuok is now available via the local online shopping apps Shopee and Lazada. I intend to buy one each year from now on. Hopefully it becomes as in demand in our local market as adlai grains and barako coffee (liberica species) have become.
I've lived in the Philippines for just over 22 years now (US citizen) and we buy sea-salt in little plastic baggies that is sold and made locally all over the Philippines. I guarantee you two things regarding this: #1 Not one person in this country gives two sh*ts about that law (if it's even real), and #2 Most trades involving farming or native production (like this salt) are disappearing in the Philippines because 99.9% of the millenial Filipinos have zero interest in work outside of air conditioned buildings. So many amazing crafts and skills have virtually disappeared in the 20 years I have been here.
I have mixed feelings about these kind of things, on one hand its very cool that they preserved the tradition, on the other there are SOOOO many DIY things (like the metal rods) they could've done to facilitate the production. Also, iodizing salt is not a simple and cheap process, its kind of dumb their government wont help them get setup to do it.
It’s interesting that Japan is one of those countries where adding iodine in salt is Not practiced. In fact iodine is an illegal food additive and not allowed to be used in any food. People in Japan naturally get enough iodine from everyday foods like seaweeds.
Nestor and veronicas salt is amazing. I support and have purchased. The flavor is incredible. Great from tomato dishes to organic wild red meat to seafood to rare mushrooms where the salt really shines and will leave you culinary chefs speechless. I am looking foreward to rare aging cheese rubs with this salt.
Traditional Salt Tultul in Guimaras Province Philippines also have a unique flavor because of coconut milk added during the cooking of the salt. Traditional Korean bamboo salt was a billion industry.
I imagine the pot making and hanging process could be signficantly sped up and made less labor intensive by using a metal grid rack (instead of single bars and balancing rocks) layed over inflatable forms. Inflate, form clay over, let dry, deflate, pull forms out from under, flip the rack and hang.
You dont think they know that??? At the end of the day its just salt, it doesn't bring much money when you have even cheaper alternative than what you make..
I used to volunteer to visit my great aunt's and uncle's farm in the summer. He only had daughters. I'd fuss about getting up early in the summer but kept returning. I miss those days. It was family and community involved. Good food too! It really made me appreciate hard work. While that part of my life has ended, I enjoy my small garden and digging in the dirt thanks to them and my grandmother.
I almost agrees with you, except that a lot of old traditions went thru hundreds even thousands of years to perfect the process to reach desired quality. The modernization of low cost and compromised quality products are the ultimate killer.
This begs the question of how much you can modernize a tradition without it losing the value the tradition adds. I felt bad they had to balance the salt eggs with the iron rods and stones, it sounds so tedious. But would adding a fixture to hold all the pots lessen the value of the tradition?
If all you cared about was profit and making a product, then yes, tradition is in the way of making things more efficient and faster and cheaper and more profitable... But is that all you care about? Chasing purely profits and efficiencies can be detrimental as well as we can see from the state of USA farming today...
This kind of thing is the reason it's so annoying when people say "these countries rely on tourism" they didn't used to. The tourists came, changed the laws, and forced the population to join the servile class rather than making things for themselves.
Traditional crafts are like endangered species, once lost cannot be recovered. Even though there is small demand for this crafts but it shows how mankind progressed through different cultures. Also today’s machinery can’t match the craft perfected over generations. Any government should protect its cultural heritage.
To get around the law about selling salt without Iodine, a clever marketing slogan might get around this. Something like: “Condensed Sea Water Seasoning” (or something similar)
promise boholano ko pero wala gyud ko kabalo ani nga diri sa amoa ra diay ni ge himo . tig palit mo sa merkado ug naay tabo. sauna pani sa gamay pako. thank you for spreading to the world. ❤❤❤
When I was small, I'd saw how salt is made in our place, Nabas, Aklan, during Amihan period when the sea waves/humbak/balod in Cebuano are too big and fishermen are unable to go fishing that Salt water from sea water is boiled in a big pot or kawa until it become crystalline and some have become hard rock salt which we called dul-dul. While in Pulang Lupa, Las Pinas I saw near Sarao motor plant, there is Asin making field line with clay tiles producing salt but as of today, it disappeared because it had become a subdivision. Its good to know that traditional method of making salt is was activated in Bohol. Kudos to these people!
It's weird the potter does not make the little pots with square rims, so they all fit together and hang on the iron rods. They would not need to be so careful with all those little rocks, and the setup would be so much faster.
@@sadurkee5only a few minutes faster. Many simple things could make the entire process faster and safer, but the traditional aspect usually keeps people from being practical and innovative
Fantastic artisanal salt --what hard workers you are, creating this beautiful, ancient and essential salt product in the Philippines. Where can this artisanal salt product be purchased?
Tradition, legacy, how refreshing to see the spirit of the original survive so many industrial revolutions. New not always better. Sometimes the old way better for ways that can only be appreciated through greater understanding. This is what makes genuine love so special, precious, rare & priceless!
Because this is about tradition not making it easier. A machine could pump out those clay pots but the 100s. Honestly large chunks of this could be modernized... but they don't WANT to make it that way.
@@ku8721 Then why did they change to using iron rebar from stacking stones like he used to do when he was younger? Your logic isn't fully tracking with what they're (the other commenter) suggesting. He (the man doing all this work) even specified that using the iron made it EASIER. Stop speaking on behalf of people you don't know.
@@ElysetheEevee Probably because the benefit outweighed the (I guess you could call it) shame, of breaking tradition. Didn't you see where he ALSO mentioned that one rock falling in would ruin the whole batch? Yeah I'd use less rocks too. I also seriously doubt the traditional way used a plastic water bottle for filtration! BUT if you think this couldn't be modernized to make their jobs way Way WAY easier then you don't understand manufacturing engineering. Back to my previous comment why not use a machine to make the clay pots? It would cost between 8-12k depending on factors but that would pay for itself in 2 years!!! So why do they pay someone to make the pots by hand? A much much slower and more costly process. And that is the tip of the iceburg here. You could automate the cutting, use an oven for the buring of the husks to ash, even the final baking could be much more expeditious than doing it this way. ALSO THEY MENTION SEVERAL TIMES THIS IS ABOUT TRADITION!!!! I've met similar Amish people so I actually do understand what these people are saying even though I'm an engineer by trade
I'm from Catigbian, Bohol which is more inland. My family (especially the elders who remember their time) would reminisce about how coastal salt traders would trade their asin tibuok with the people more inland. This was before proper roads and transportation so traveling (even on a small island like Bohol) would take days. This was important because rice farmers would make their carabao (water buffalo) lick the salt which would allow them to store more water, thus increasing productivity when it came to the process of planting rice!
Interesting. I'll be visiting Catigbian this Jan'24. I live in Manila all my life but I remember being there when I was 7 when my grandparents are still alive. It's a very rural area and frankly, no offense, it's very poor compare to other rural places. whenever I remember the place and my grandparents it makes very sad bcoz I really wish my grandparents got to experience some comfort
Came here to see how it was made after Emmymade received and reviewed one of these "eggs." Very cool and fascinating! I hope this tradition lives on for many more years.
i was born in Bohol and raised there as a kid, crazy i didnt even know bout this stuff, also its mad cool that i can understand the people on these videos for once lol
As someone who now lives in Philippines (Bohol to be exact) I hope this tradition and lost culture will remain. I always feel PH has lots of lost culture and they need to go back to their roots like other South East Asian countries. I definitely want to order this salt and try it out.
I like how we are all amazed by the making of the salt, but this man took in a child when he had nothing, raised him, and gave him a job. That is amazing!
@NotTheMothMan A job usually pays, a family business makes you more than an associate though
embarrassing if u ask me
@@MrFatdubymanThat's why we didn't ask you.
There is a type of apprenticeship in some Asian countries. Usually an older man, a master of a craft, would adopt orphan child/children. He would teach his craft to the child and raise him for free. The child is expected to work as he gets old enough and hopefully take over the business and care for the old man as he retires.
Indentured servitude type beat
I'm from Bohol, Philippines and I can understand the dialect they spoke. Sadly, I never heard of asin tibuok in my province until it was featured here. I appreciate their hardwork since we, Filipinos are industrious, but sadly the labor is cheap. Thank you for featuring this.
Tinuod na Bai baratu ra kayu labor
FEATR showcased it before as well in their own documentary featuring the same family
Murag Naa nis Bohol Museum bai gi display..
It's not Boholano is it? It sounds a lot like Bisaya, my mom speaks Bisaya and I can sadly only understand bits and pieces of it
@@kitcutting Boholano/Bol-anon is a Cebuano Bisaya dialect, so there's bound to be many similarities with some own pecularities of their own that isn't the same as in Cebu.
I studied and lived in Bohol for 7 yrs, and my mom is from Panglao, Bohol. Unfortunately, I didn’t know about asin tibuok until Erwan Heusaff and his team featured it on his channel. So glad that this craft is getting more attention because even some Boholanos were and some still remain unaware of this salt. I haven’t tried this myself yet but I’ve seen this in some souvenir stores in Bohol! It was just displayed without a label and you wouldn’t be able to tell it’s salt unless you already know about it.
Man I love bohol so much! We went there a few months ago and I want to come back asap!
@@ruggy1689 Such a beautiful place, right? Took it for granted when I was still a child but growing up, I started loving and appreciating it.
the workers saying they are happy even if the working conditions are not ideal are just so pure.. they really love their tradition and their product, i hope the government gives them funding to improve their craft! more power to the makers of this salt!
You learn to love what you have when you don’t have much.
They won't. Philippine law requires that all salt sold for human consumption must be iodised. For the same reason natural sea salt is also outlawed.
The National Cultural Heritage Act should be expanded to protect these traditional products.
traditional products doesn't mean better products and alot of the time it just means higher priced products and less regulated and dangerous products
@@MrFatdubymanless regulated, sure. But some of these have been traditionally made for centuries now if not millennia. If there's ever a problem it would've shown by now.
@@MrFatdubymansince when did cooking salt became dangerous!?
after the ACTERS almost killed it......... yea sure
Anything Artesinal is worth your every penny. Pag sure diha. @@MrFatdubyman
People like these are what is precious to the diversity of humankind. I'm thankful to learn about them through episodes like this.
Very cool to fetishize poor people doing incredibly inefficient (borderline pointless) work to eek out sustenance for themselves.
Globalists will end true diversity. Get ready to be an Anglo-American blob
Removing jewellery and all that isn't superstitious, they are working with heat/open fire, also the salt/salty water can damage the jewellery, or cause troubles while handling work.
Exactly! Same with oily foods - you don't want oil on your skin around that kind of heat.
But they're poor brown people so Insider Business has to make them seem more exotic and backwards by mentioning superstitions 🤡
A lot of superstition is grounded in reality, somewhere. Of course, not all of it, but it definitely bears at least a bit of consideration sometimes.
Right, I thought the same thing.
Actually most superstition isn't grounded in reality.
It's formed by mixing with half-truths.
Only a few have some actual grounding.
Besides removing jewelry for such work seems simply practical? Because it obviously can get in the way at the very least.
I am from the Philippines, such a profounding works of hardship and dedication surely the Philippine government should protect and support this kind of work that somehow could be put into arts and culture of being proud how technology is advance during those times centuries ago that they bring it to life again in our current time. Proud to a Filipino.
Very cool process. I bought a dinosaur egg a few years back. It has a super smoky/fruity taste to it. Not ideal for all dishes, but amazing on meat!
What are the benefits of eating the salt?
@@RobertsDigitalit tastes good on meat.
Wait, it actually tastes different to regular salt? I got too bored to pay much attention to the video but it seemed like there was no explanation to what makes these special.
@@elio7610 well there's the coconut husks
@@elio7610 Well maybe next time watch it and you'd know 😂
To everyone who says this is just another artisanal salt, it really isn't! It's smokier (you can really taste the smoke but not in a disgusting way) and finer than table salt. It almost tastes sweet. My late grandpa used asin tibuok exclusively back when he was still cooking for everyone and even shaved off chips of it to give to us kids as a treat.
Sadly it's sold at too high a price point for most locals to afford (because of the labor-intensive process). The few times I've had it, I used it for vinegar-based dishes like ensalada. Also great on sunny side up eggs and fried/grilled/baked fish.
Good for red meats and fish I would assume. Can you explain the sweet aspect, usually smokey and sweet in a salt sounds odd but im curious. Also when your grandpa(god rest his soul) was shaving off chips wee you eating them like candy straight or whats the process there? Thanks in advance.
@@roundtrip385 High-end French fleur de sel and Portuguese flor de sal also have a sweetness that is said to be contributed by salts other than sodium chloride (such as magnesium chloride), which are present in small amounts in the seawater from which such natural sea salts are made.
@@dbadagna Very cool! Thanks for the reply.
Ive noticed the best cooking really almost entirely about whoever gets the best ingredients.
The sweetness is from the coconut husks. I actually make bulk orders from Nestor, and sell them whole at my local farmers market. After shipping (air) it costs me about $26 per 1.5kg egg. I make around 250% margins. People love the novelty and history. More and more local restaurants are buying from me as well to the point that I'm more financially secure than I've ever been in my life. I just sent Nestor and his workers a Christmas package last month. I got each of them a bottle of bourbon and mini Louisville Slugger bats.@@roundtrip385
I see, so basically the coconut husks are used to concentrate the seawater into brine by evaporation and infuse the 'sweetness', just like how Japanese used hay and poured sea water over it and burn them. Then they burn the husk, crystallizing the salt and infusing the salt with smoky aroma. At that point it's already similar with how Korean's bamboo salt was made, but then they refined it further by pouring brine to the salt, removing some of the overpowering aroma. Then finally it got crystalized in clay vessels.
Its absolutely fascinating to me how practices in one culture can be so similar to another culture's despite being 2000 miles away.
They said the husk ash was used as a filter, the brine is concentrated seawater. After it's filtered they boil off the rest of the moisture in the clay pots.
They probably don't have to do much to prep the brine, I imagine it's right out their backdoor.
If you made it all over the world it would taste different and offer different rare minerals we probably don't really need but could benefit from nonetheless.
alot of work for nothing. i'll go to walmart and buy five years worth of iodized salt for ten bucks
@@MrFatdubyman not for many dish but good on meat because of Smokey and fruity taste and its cheap
@@MrFatdubymaniodized salt is slightly bitter, but whatever floats your boat.
I lived in the Philippines for a while. The people are incredibly hardworking. This video made me so nostalgic and wistful I found myself crying. I'm going to try and find this salt.
Bless you.. xx
i salute that chef whos support the local bussiness! mabuhay ka kapatid
I remember this with my grandparents. Spent the best summers of my childhood in Catigbi-an, Bohol. Thanks for featuring my home province.
I will call his technique of making salt, The Sacred Salt. In my eyes this is more valuable than I can express in words of wisdom and the work of manifestation. Love it!
I got exhausted just watching the whole process 🥵 . Absolutely incredible craftsmanship these folks have displayed here. You have to be 1000% committed to do this work, no half stepping. Hats off to them and I wish they were paid hefty amounts of money for their labor, even tho I know part of the reason they do this out of love, preserving a tradition. I want to try this salt myself !
I got exhausted watching the process because I could think of a dozen ways to make it easier and still end up with the same results. Not exactly “incredible craftsmanship”.
The lady making the pots, the meticulous stacking of rocks to seal the gap between pots.. the rods that barely hold the pots in place, how the guy hand patches the pit everytime… just dozens of ways to improve each step using age old crude and many modern methods.
@@HiThisIsMine You're thinking about this in the completely wrong way. Not everything should, or even needs to be "modernized", easier or more efficient. And you say you would end up with the same result, and I doubt that tbh. The way they are doing it is a specific process, and if you start making it less labour intensive etc. you might end up with people becoming lazy, not pay so much attention to detail etc. The charm, the love, the attention to detail, the tradition etc. is what makes this special, the human touch in every part of the process. We need more of this kind of thing, not less
@@northpaul707 - As a business owner in an industry that requires extreme attention to detail and manual labor… I can tell you that you are flat out wrong that modernization is not important and no, it will not change the product. Those little details of stacking rocks or the old lady hand pressing the clay pots may make it special for you, but it doesn’t change the product one bit. We’re talking about a better, more efficient method of hand making pots… a better system of stacking them over a pit and meticulously holding them up with rows of rebar and stacking rocks between the gaps to create a seal… pointless things that these guys admitted to already have modernized with the addition of the rebar.
We’re not talking about creating a factory or changing their overall process. Just simple things that will still allow them to create an identical product… less painfully. Their current method isn’t efficient, and therefore is less profitable.
I mentioned it in another threat.. these people aren’t doing this out of pure love… they are doing it as a business to make money and feed their family. Traditions get lost when you make it harder to pass down. Making a pot with two stones instead of a pottery wheel or a form… or stacking them over a fire with rows of rebar… that’s not what tradition or love of what you do is about. Rebuilding a pit every time is not part of their love of this work.. the guy said he has no choice but to do it.
These people are doing things the way they do because they have no other choice and don’t know better. They just know how to make salt.
The old lady even said it.. she doesn’t want this work for her daughter (grandkids?).
ya it's called "craftmanship" when the idiot doing the work is too stupid to find the more efficient way to do it
@@HiThisIsMineall materials used are natural so the process should also be natural, more hard work, but that's better than relying on machines
I respect the people who bring back old traditions like this massively, but I just can't help but think in how many ways this process could be improved. The molds, the iron rods, the way they control the fire all could be improved. It's a shame they get no government support to invest in such improvements and are stuck doing it the way shown to support themselves.
I was thinking if they only had some kind of stand for the pots it would make the process so much quicker and easier.
Yea, but then it wouldn't really be so special anymore. Then everyone would do it, and the prices would go downhill.
@@Mr.Knallfrosch It shouldn't be "special". If you want to persevere culture making it a purposely laborious task that many don't want to do will just increase the risk of it going extinct again. If everyone is doing it, the culture survives long term.
Since special salts and their health benefits are just marketing hype, even if you make improvements it would still just be an ineffective way to process salt. This is all about the traditional process and preserving it
@@Mr.KnallfroschSo you want prices to remain artificially high so that it can only be enjoyed by the elites? Well that's not how a culture survives.
Im from Cebu, Philippines and Bohol is just our neighbor island. Never knew about this until now, a foreign media spread the word. Wow. Will be buying from them from now on and might visit as well.
But make sure you get enough idodine otherwise - especially your kids.
Strumata are no joke and its preventions still useful.
@@FischerNilsACebu has lot's of seafood, don't worry.
You know I've been watching videos like this of people using old processes to make goods and I really hope there is a foundation out there that can help them survive. An influx of cash can help these individuals buy new tools and help them repair their ovens, ect. Stuff like this is culturally significant.
All of these are well deserved nyo po because you have kept the tradition out of love for the culture and traditions handed down to you po ❤️❤️❤️❤️🌹🌹🌹🌹 Perseverance and dedication and the love of your work inspires us viewers ❤️
I love how all the materials used in the production are natural things from the environment around them.
that's what happens when that's all u have to work with lol it's called living in a 3rd world country. you would also probly like the simplicity of their wastewater management system since all they do is shit in a bucket or a hole
Natural things like plastic bottles 😂😂
@@FullPlaythroughs And rods of building steel.
And cement in the oven.
And mass refuse from coco plantations
everything that exists comes from the environment
Duh samok kaayo uban ga comment diri mga nega 🙄🙄🙄
7:07 - They're pouring the brine using a nautilus shell! That's hardcore.
Erwan Heussaff introduced this to us on his RUclips channel. Truly fascinating. I’m glad more people outside the Philippines get to see this too
There are a couple of videos on asin tibuok made by locals back then and i think there was also a channel that did feature can't recall and it's more of iykyk for people interested in unique / traditional food items but glad someone with a bigger platform is making ppl know of it.
I bet that salt is delicious because of all the trace minerals/processes that go into it. Thanks for showing me something I never saw before.
As a Latin American I’m always surprised whenever I’m reading or hearing about the Philippines, because on a lot of ways they are very similar to us. They way the use Spanish and English words with their own native language is very similar to how we speak on this part of the world. They got the Spanish and American influence later down the line, hence why it didn’t overwrote their culture as much as it did ours but it is an interesting parallel.
Hello I'm Filippino, thanks for the appreciation bro❤
Back in the colonial days, Philippines was actually under the Governor of Mexico before their independence hence why there are some similarities in culture and language.
We trade for hundred of years manila acapulco galeon trade❤
They speaking Cebuano, one of Visayan languages. I'm Capiznon speaker from Visayan group also but I can't understand what they say. I can undestand only some Spanish , English and Tagalog words.
Wrong, The Philippines was only decades later than Mexico to become a Spanish colony. The reason The Philippines preserved pretty much its own culture and identity is the fact that Asians have cattle, chicken, and goat unlike the Native Americans, thus they have some immunity to diseases that almost wiped out the Native Americans, and their old culture along with it. Getting almost 90% of their population dead from small pox and other pestilence would understandably make the Latin American culture easily replaceable with Spanish.
As a Filipino this is amazing to know. I'm going to buy one for each of my family so we keep this business alive.
Thanks
Great idea!! Wish I could buy!♥️ But it is so far away from the Seattle area.
I'm from Bohol. As a kid, I had the opportunity to have this "asin sa kon" (asin=salt, kon=claypot) as flavoring for our food. This salt and the common sea salt were the only varieties familiar to me back then.
As highlighted in the video, the production of "asin sa kon" came to a halt in the mid-90s because of the ASIN law in the Philippines, which was unfortunate.
But I'm glad this "asin sa kon" is now garnering more recognition. Kudos to this family for keeping the heritage alive!
I admire the work ethic of these people. I also find very old traditional crafts fascinating.
I would LOVE to buy this! Pink salt also isn’t iodized and people buy it like crazy. The gov needs to realize that there’s a world market waiting for this amazing salt.
The Philippines is a semi-feudal and semi-colonial country. National industrialization will not be allowed by foreign powers and their local ruling elite collaborators sitting in the government. Western world heavily relies on PHLs human labor export.
They seem like they would make great gifts. Unique and something that can actually be used.
This iodine requirement is very short sighted. Yes, iodine is a necessary mineral but you need only a tiny bit and you can get it by simply eating seafood.
@@beckyweisfeld6977 rofl, there's a burgeoning health crisis because idiots stopped eating regular iodized salt in favor of bullshit pink rock salt. But you clearly know better than doctors and legislators and government regulators who applied their medical recommendations to law
@@beckyweisfeld6977this might not be known in some places or in a lot of younger generations now, but a lot of people used to live on extreme powerty that some days, all they can afford is just salt and rice. Some people still live this way.
They had to make it a requirement to make iodized salt cheap and the people living in extreme poverty to actually have access to it.
It's shortsighted in that they could have made exemptions and/or budgeted to help our saltmakers to learn how to iodize salt.
I love the Filipinos people, I've had the pleasure to work along with a few of them in my field and was always blown away with their crazy skill and hard work ethic that put a lot of people in America to shame lol. Great video, hope I can visit the Philippines soon and meet the friends I've made online one day!
As an American living in the Philippines, I can honestly say what puts most Western cultures to shame is how people stick together here. How they have the mental fortitude to handle some very tough situations without breaking down. In the current era back home, most Americans would break down. The people here are very much like how America was in our early years as a county.
To be fair its literally the corruption in the government there that are holding the people back. Plenty of Filipinos back then had to move to other countries just so their innovations get funded. If there wasn’t a brain drain and reasons to move abroad I can only imagine how much better the country might be.
their brine scoopers are made out of Nautilus seashells 🤩🤩🐚🐚🐚
My heart goes to all hardworking filipinos ❤
As a chef, salt is one of the most key flavorings to every food
And would you prefer the one for 30 cents, or this one, which takes days to make, for 250 dollars (per kilogram, real price by google)? Cuz I invented similar technique for sugar - the price is also 83300% of the normal one, and the taste is also totally same, but at least you know I spent huge unnecessary time on it... It is also necessary for most of sweet meals. (Note: Sadly, I am not from Philippines and I use normal steel ladle to pour in the water. Also heat resistant and doesn't contain synthetic chemicals, just not as cool.)
the ancient romans had a better way of producing salt for their foods so I wonder how the mystery of it got lost over time these idiots are breaking their backs doing something that should be so simplistic now days
A true chef would know that salt isn't a flavouring and doesn't add flavour to food. A true chef would know that salt is a flavour enhancer as it enhances the flavour of whatever ingredients are already there.
Organic salt, with lots of trace minerals, and the coconut ash filter also gives it some extra minerals and taste too. Nice!
I agree with trace minerals.
I remember when I was a kid, Circa 1990, there’s one small family from Albuquerque that brought asin tibook, kon (klay plots), kalan, and ginamus (fermented anchoves) to our village located in Sierra Bullones, a mountainous town in Bohol. They trade these products with humay (unprocess rice grains), and native chickens then brought it back to their town. There’s not much money back then in our village because we grew our goods and seldom buy from the market, so we pay them with our harvested crops.
Been wanting to try it for over two years, and I was amazed to find it on sale in Cebu airport.
It seems that the word of mouth and coverage in the last years is helping to revitalize this market, and this is great!
Time to amend the Asin Law to help these hardworking fellowmen.
Bohol island is my Father's province and this is the first time I learned about the law in regards to producing sea salt. 😢 Sad to know that this hindrance the business of salt maker even in the small towns nearby Metro.
Thanks for featuring this! 😁
Do you know why a law like that would even be enacted?
@@9Godslayer it was said, and even shown in the film.
A population that eats iodized salz will develop no strumata.
That law is to protect the people by enforcing sale of only salt that has this health benefit.
Condensed seawater salt does not have that.
@@9GodslayerRepublic Act 8172, known as an “Act for Salt Iodization Nationwide” (ASIN), requires the addition of iodine to salt intended for animal and human consumption to eliminate micronutrient malnutrition, particularly iodine deficiency disorders, which remain as a public health concern in the country
@@FischerNilsA All these salt farmers need is the iodine component but sadly the country’s government is corrupt and not far sighted enough to financially support them for the machinery to make that possible. If they supported them, traditional ways are preserved, people don’t have to leave that career and over flood Manila (apperantly the capital is where they put most of the available jobs), basically that helps sustains the already available traditional source of income/jobs in Bohol and lastly, it can help boost tourism if the salt actually becomes a huge competitor outside the country.
Those seashell spoons are something else!
Thanks to Business Insider's host Ruqayyah Moynihan for making the effort to pronounce Filipino words correctly. Not everything is perfect but I really appreciate how much they are trying.
I knew this would become an episode here after Featr! But I don't get why there is so much antagonism for traditional saltmaking from soitheast countries here in the comment section when no one makes a fuss about bad working conditions for mining himalayan salt or celebrating different saltmaking traditions from either Japan or Korea where the salts are considered premium and not overpriced.
Wdym... japan and korean traditions get question on a daily basis
strong ascertainment bias here, Everyone gets criticized.
Right now, the Philippines should actively marketing this. perhaps the asin tibuok should be rebranded as a flavour enhancer instead of salt which enables it to be sold in Philippines? I have never tried this but this looks like a gourmet ingredient. What are they doing man?
Amazing! I’m from PH but never knew about this! There’s still so much to discover about my country’s culture.
I can't be the only one who didn't think PH was referring to their country of origin.
He not from the country
Erwin's channel Featr also have the same video and the Salt Series that features these traditionally made salt.
Maraming Salamat sa pagtataguyod at pagpapatuloy. Sana hindi po kayo mapagod na ituloy ang kultura ng paggawa ng Asin Tibuok. At higit sa lahat, naway makuha ninyo ang suporta na nararapat sa inyo. Thank you for preserving our culture and identity.
I think Featr, by Erwan Heussaff, was the first to feature them and in his channel they also introduced more and different artisan salt makers from the Philippines.
Yes, Featr does a really good job in making docus about the Philippines, it’s people, and their craft.. better than the govt tourism dept..
Byahe ni Drew did.
yes
Does Erwan featured this 5 months ago? While business Insider year ago or i watched the wrong video from erwan
With such integrity of the product, you'd think top chefs around the world would be lining-up and paying top dollar to have this in their kitchens.
why? Its salt.
The complex artisenal production process doesnt change its taste all that much, only its price.
Most customers/eaters will never taste a difference.
At least that much has been true for any "special salt" i´ve ever tasted, and those where quite a few.
In the end ist just natrium chloride.
@@FischerNilsAprobably those high end restaurants will use this for uniqueness. I heard the taste of this salt is really different. It’s like concentrated with a smoky flavor.
What is that even supposed to mean? Chefs care about flavor.
@@bitchcraftwitch351
I´ll not denie that in direct comparison - fleur de sel or korean black salt vs supermarket salt - there can be differences in taste.
I did those tests - but that is having the stuff before you and figertip-tasting it on its own. One after the other, comparing directly. Yes, there are differences.
The moment you salt the food with it?
I doubt many consumers can still tell a difference.
I´d argue the chefs boasting such stuff are in the same situations as wine-experts who cannot differentiate in blind testing between discounter-tetrapak wine and 15 yo 100$-bottles.
They have a personal marketing-interest to hype it.
@@FischerNilsA well that’s fine dining for you especially when it involves culture and history. With this kind of salt in a traditional Filipino restaurant it can be a cultural asset and even more so because right now the government is trying to protect the salt’s heritage because it’s endangered of vanishing.
This should be considered a luxury item and should cost at least 10k, artisanal salt in other countries cost way more, Philippines should make it one as well.
The Asin tibook is actually expensive for normal Filipinos. They are 20-30 USD per piece and normal Filipino can't afford such luxury.
It's just snake oil.
@@khanch.6807what are you trying to imply?
@@khanch.6807 Mostly, but it looks cool, there is a story behind it, and it may taste a bit different with the coconut added. Why do people like pink salt? $20 for some hand shaped salt doesn't seem terrible. How much salt are you going through that this wont last a long time.
@@dh4917 All that burnt stuff and impurities in salt is mildly carcinogenic too. The best price I can give for these is 5$ for the pointless effort and energy waste.
I'd love to support them! Their salt product looks amazing and it's the result of hard work and craftsmanship.
Can't count on Business Insider to actually promote the businesses they exploit for ad revenue.
@@CreateHarmony It doesn't take a sophisticated pallet to work out that it's literally not JUST salt. If you knew anything about, well, anything, or simply paid attention to the video, you'd know that. Genuinely can't work out if you're being funny, or just a woefully unsophisticated contrarian.
@@GM-qq1wi he's a tasteless uncultured swine. leave him be.
@@GM-qq1wiYou can't expect many people to have ever tried this salt so most people have no idea what it tastes like. The video shows the salt being made before really giving any explanation to what the point of it all is. It really did just seem like it was no different from regular salt.
@@elio7610 What point are you even trying to make. Many people have never tried Oishii strawberries, that doesn't negate the fact that they are not the same as grocery store strawberries. Just because you can't fathom the difference, doesn't mean there isn't one. A lack of technical difference still wouldn't matter.
Iodine exemption and making a new pit in order to produce salt pots 1/4 the size of the "dinosaur eggs" would open up a huge market worldwide. The smaller pots would would cut down on production time while increasing the price per ounce of salt over the larger pots. Here in the states one of the dinosaur eggs costs between $100 to $180. A pot 1/4 the size would sell in greater numbers at 1/3 the price. Despite being a luxury item most do not buy the dinosaur eggs because they don't use enough salt to justify the price. Instead consumers buy smaller quantities of pink and other premium sea salt at an even higher premium prices per ounce. Therefore making smaller pots for international distribution would exponentially increase sales and profits. Business owners are then afforded the opportunity to improve and expand the business..... and finally hand over control of the business to the next generation so they can retire as successful and wealthy individuals.
Solely producing the large pots is limiting sales primarily to the food industry. The key is targeting household consumers with smaller pots. They must act quickly before counterfeit and copycat producers take over the household consumer market and cash in on massive profitable smaller pots filled with cheap mass produced salt.
great insight mate solid points
amazing analysis
yEP!
Nice points
nice
These people are literally 'the salt of the Earth'. Respect for these people who pride themselves on their ancestry and are keeping it alive.
I have tried this kind of salt. It's so unique. And it is less expensive than your regular table salt, or rather it's quite cheap. The more you use the salt the more you get that sweet after tase.
I search in internet and they sell one egg of salt for 139 dollar.Thats not cheeper.😂
@@tauruskd6688Filipino here. It's 8-10 USD. Still expensive compared to a normal salt.
@@tauruskd6688 those are probably imported ones. The last time I had the chance to try this unique salt was before covid when the whole family visited the Philippines for a month vacation. It was still pretty cheap back then that a single egg only cost us like 3 or 4$. It Was worth it tho. we had the salt for like 2 years. haha
This is a legacy worth keeping. Proud boholano!
The ladle is a nautilus shell attached to a stick, how creative
they filter the sea water through ashes, and the carbon so it actually cleans it of micro plastic and heavy metals.
We all should support local artisans around the world.
Easier said than done
pacman hometown philipines great people and alot of talents thanks for the time to show us the amazing craft
It seems like there is so many ways for this process to be improved
Why not let the sea water evaporate like everyone else does?
some businesses do not need to be "still standing" this is the first one in this series that I really thought should disappear
@@thewronganswer1187 Why? That salt looks amazing!
Probably the "lack of money" is a huge factor in it.
@@lYl93 Because that's not how "everyone else" does it. That's done for sea salt. Table salt is typically mined. There are many different types of salt, based on the source and manufacturing process, which contributes to unique flavors.
This channel is such a gem
I'm from Philippines and I speak the same dialect with these people (but from different region). It's sad that I don't know about this and this isn't given enough attention. It's a beautiful symbol of tradition.
Cebuano is a language, it's totally different from Tagalog. A tagalog speaker won't understand cebuano
@@gsastudio-archl Oh really?? I used to call it language back then but someone told me I should call it dialect because it's not a national language.
@@kungbibitawngmahinahonakob5481 they're simply wrong. A dialect is a regional version of the same language like Bohol Cebuano, Negros Cebuano, Davao Cebuano, Mindanao Cebuano, Urban Cebuano, Formal Cebuano, etc. They may have different accent or slightly different words but they will understand each other. Tagalog is totally a different language like other languages such as Waray, Hiligaynon, Chavacano, Ilocano, etc.
@@gsastudio-archl pinaglalaban mo? Sa asin ka magfocus!
@@gsastudio-archlThey are speaking Bicol Cebuano, so technically they are correct that they are speaking in a dialect (a dialect of Cebuano).
Her voice makes my soul calm down. I love it!
They use a shell based ladle to avoid synthetic substances but they're also using single-use 12oz water bottle for filtration 😅
Edit: Heat doesnt matter. Plastic bottles should not be reused for food cold or hot. They shed microplastic and isnt hygiene after single use.
I agree with your idea but if they used it for filtration then THAT bottle isn't "single-use" anymore!
@@Steven-cn9jg I've worked as a Stainless (Acid-Resistant) welder, building medicine machines. The price for changing all the plastic parts used in the video, into sustainable Acid Resistant (highest level of Stainless) is absolutely something they can afford if they sell each "Egg" for $100-$180.
its different because it is being heated
@@ku8721 micro plastics and pthalates are kosher as long as not from single use plastic
Sorry my point is that plastic bottle like that arent designed to be used over and over again... especially with salty water.. It can inhibit germs and add microplastics to their salt..
The Philippines' asin tibuok is now available via the local online shopping apps Shopee and Lazada. I intend to buy one each year from now on. Hopefully it becomes as in demand in our local market as adlai grains and barako coffee (liberica species) have become.
This is very cool and epic, preserving a old craft is hard it looks like nowadays.
Tears at the end - amazing stuff.
Please keep making this type of content.
I've lived in the Philippines for just over 22 years now (US citizen) and we buy sea-salt in little plastic baggies that is sold and made locally all over the Philippines. I guarantee you two things regarding this: #1 Not one person in this country gives two sh*ts about that law (if it's even real), and #2 Most trades involving farming or native production (like this salt) are disappearing in the Philippines because 99.9% of the millenial Filipinos have zero interest in work outside of air conditioned buildings. So many amazing crafts and skills have virtually disappeared in the 20 years I have been here.
Can't blame them, air conditioning is awesome.
I have mixed feelings about these kind of things, on one hand its very cool that they preserved the tradition, on the other there are SOOOO many DIY things (like the metal rods) they could've done to facilitate the production. Also, iodizing salt is not a simple and cheap process, its kind of dumb their government wont help them get setup to do it.
Exactly. I think this should be considered national heritage and get funded/boosted by the government in some major ways.
This is why engineers should stick to their lanes.
Ignorance is bliss, I guess
The government is smart in maximizing their own profit.
The government? Want to help citizens make money by making it easier for them to make their product?
Not gonna happen
that is proudly made in the Philippines💝💝💝.
It’s interesting that Japan is one of those countries where adding iodine in salt is Not practiced. In fact iodine is an illegal food additive and not allowed to be used in any food. People in Japan naturally get enough iodine from everyday foods like seaweeds.
Unlike in a third world country that food is scarce not very nutritious so would be needing some iodine even in just salts.
I use Amabito No Moshio daily. I love how it gets its iodine from seaweed.
I guess adding iodine when being an island eating lots of things from the sea would make it more likely to end up with excess iodine than deficiency.
that means my salt is illegal
you have no idea what you are talking about, iodine or salt have never been illegal in japan
Nestor and veronicas salt is amazing. I support and have purchased. The flavor is incredible. Great from tomato dishes to organic wild red meat to seafood to rare mushrooms where the salt really shines and will leave you culinary chefs speechless. I am looking foreward to rare aging cheese rubs with this salt.
Traditional Salt Tultul in Guimaras Province Philippines also have a unique flavor because of coconut milk added during the cooking of the salt.
Traditional Korean bamboo salt was a billion industry.
Featr should feature them. They have the Salt Series after all.😊
@@scorpioninpinkthey just posted a video last night about it
Wow finally! I've suggested this a while ago (on another rare salt video). Glad they got to make a video about this amazing craft.
i'll send u a video of me making a shit... it's just as long and useless as this is
I am proud that I am one of a few people watching this that understand his dialect. Proud bisaya here.
I imagine the pot making and hanging process could be signficantly sped up and made less labor intensive by using a metal grid rack (instead of single bars and balancing rocks) layed over inflatable forms. Inflate, form clay over, let dry, deflate, pull forms out from under, flip the rack and hang.
You dont think they know that??? At the end of the day its just salt, it doesn't bring much money when you have even cheaper alternative than what you make..
I used to volunteer to visit my great aunt's and uncle's farm in the summer. He only had daughters. I'd fuss about getting up early in the summer but kept returning. I miss those days. It was family and community involved. Good food too! It really made me appreciate hard work. While that part of my life has ended, I enjoy my small garden and digging in the dirt thanks to them and my grandmother.
I appreciate the need to maintain heritage, but refusing to improve the process is the main reason why so many traditions die out.
I almost agrees with you, except that a lot of old traditions went thru hundreds even thousands of years to perfect the process to reach desired quality. The modernization of low cost and compromised quality products are the ultimate killer.
This begs the question of how much you can modernize a tradition without it losing the value the tradition adds.
I felt bad they had to balance the salt eggs with the iron rods and stones, it sounds so tedious. But would adding a fixture to hold all the pots lessen the value of the tradition?
@@jacksonc8243 Literally. That particular bit is so easy to address it's ludicrous they aren't improving on that one
If all you cared about was profit and making a product, then yes, tradition is in the way of making things more efficient and faster and cheaper and more profitable...
But is that all you care about?
Chasing purely profits and efficiencies can be detrimental as well as we can see from the state of USA farming today...
The whole process is so unnecessarily laborious it's hilarious.
This kind of thing is the reason it's so annoying when people say "these countries rely on tourism" they didn't used to. The tourists came, changed the laws, and forced the population to join the servile class rather than making things for themselves.
Your population votes for a lot of tourists to be elected into your government?
Guga next week: "Now we gonna dry age the steak for one month in Dinosaur egg salt. Enough talking now LET'S DOOWEET!"
Traditional crafts are like endangered species, once lost cannot be recovered. Even though there is small demand for this crafts but it shows how mankind progressed through different cultures. Also today’s machinery can’t match the craft perfected over generations. Any government should protect its cultural heritage.
wow im a filipino but never knew and saw it before. thanks for sharing this
AMAZING ... ❤ the process is complicated, the result salt is interesting
I hope some international and celebrity chefs try this salt and feature them in their menu.
Why?
I know it is in a 5K a plate luxury restaurant in NY
Wow! This is Absolutely Amazing!!! Thank You for making this Rare Traditional Salt!!! God Bless You All !!!🩵🙏🏽🙂
To get around the law about selling salt without Iodine, a clever marketing slogan might get around this. Something like:
“Condensed Sea Water Seasoning” (or something similar)
i never know this exist in my country until I watched it in your channel thankyou for this im gonna buy this asin tibuok when I will go to bohol soon😍
I swear you guys come out with a new “rarest salt in the world” every 2 months
promise boholano ko pero wala gyud ko kabalo ani nga diri sa amoa ra diay ni ge himo . tig palit mo sa merkado ug naay tabo. sauna pani sa gamay pako. thank you for spreading to the world. ❤❤❤
These asin tibuok were used to be bartered with newly harvested rice from the fields up to the early 90's. I really missed this salt.
When I was small, I'd saw how salt is made in our place, Nabas, Aklan, during Amihan period when the sea waves/humbak/balod in Cebuano are too big and fishermen are unable to go fishing that Salt water from sea water is boiled in a big pot or kawa until it become crystalline and some have become hard rock salt which we called dul-dul. While in Pulang Lupa, Las Pinas I saw near Sarao motor plant, there is Asin making field line with clay tiles producing salt but as of today, it disappeared because it had become a subdivision. Its good to know that traditional method of making salt is was activated in Bohol. Kudos to these people!
It's weird the potter does not make the little pots with square rims, so they all fit together and hang on the iron rods. They would not need to be so careful with all those little rocks, and the setup would be so much faster.
True but since the pots appear to be one time use they have to make a lot of them and round is faster to make than square
@@sadurkee5only a few minutes faster. Many simple things could make the entire process faster and safer, but the traditional aspect usually keeps people from being practical and innovative
Fantastic artisanal salt --what hard workers you are, creating this beautiful, ancient and essential salt product in the Philippines.
Where can this artisanal salt product be purchased?
I’ve tried that leche flan ice cream and salt at Toyo. Wooow what an experience! A must try if you’re in Manila.
Well thx to this exposure, I'm buying a dino egg .
Ive been watching business insider for years and I'd never imagine they would feature my home island Bohol ❤ thanks for this
Tradition, legacy, how refreshing to see the spirit of the original survive so many industrial revolutions. New not always better. Sometimes the old way better for ways that can only be appreciated through greater understanding. This is what makes genuine love so special, precious, rare & priceless!
Why not make a cross lattice of iron they can slip the pots into? It would save them so much work.
I was thinking the same thing, maybe because the profit margins are razor thin.
The salt water would destroy it.
Because this is about tradition not making it easier. A machine could pump out those clay pots but the 100s. Honestly large chunks of this could be modernized... but they don't WANT to make it that way.
@@ku8721
Then why did they change to using iron rebar from stacking stones like he used to do when he was younger? Your logic isn't fully tracking with what they're (the other commenter) suggesting.
He (the man doing all this work) even specified that using the iron made it EASIER. Stop speaking on behalf of people you don't know.
@@ElysetheEevee Probably because the benefit outweighed the (I guess you could call it) shame, of breaking tradition. Didn't you see where he ALSO mentioned that one rock falling in would ruin the whole batch? Yeah I'd use less rocks too. I also seriously doubt the traditional way used a plastic water bottle for filtration! BUT if you think this couldn't be modernized to make their jobs way Way WAY easier then you don't understand manufacturing engineering. Back to my previous comment why not use a machine to make the clay pots? It would cost between 8-12k depending on factors but that would pay for itself in 2 years!!! So why do they pay someone to make the pots by hand? A much much slower and more costly process. And that is the tip of the iceburg here. You could automate the cutting, use an oven for the buring of the husks to ash, even the final baking could be much more expeditious than doing it this way.
ALSO THEY MENTION SEVERAL TIMES THIS IS ABOUT TRADITION!!!! I've met similar Amish people so I actually do understand what these people are saying even though I'm an engineer by trade
Thank you for including Filipino subtitle!
I'm from Catigbian, Bohol which is more inland.
My family (especially the elders who remember their time) would reminisce about how coastal salt traders would trade their asin tibuok with the people more inland. This was before proper roads and transportation so traveling (even on a small island like Bohol) would take days. This was important because rice farmers would make their carabao (water buffalo) lick the salt which would allow them to store more water, thus increasing productivity when it came to the process of planting rice!
Interesting. I'll be visiting Catigbian this Jan'24. I live in Manila all my life but I remember being there when I was 7 when my grandparents are still alive. It's a very rural area and frankly, no offense, it's very poor compare to other rural places. whenever I remember the place and my grandparents it makes very sad bcoz I really wish my grandparents got to experience some comfort
Came here to see how it was made after Emmymade received and reviewed one of these "eggs." Very cool and fascinating! I hope this tradition lives on for many more years.
i was born in Bohol and raised there as a kid, crazy i didnt even know bout this stuff, also its mad cool that i can understand the people on these videos for once lol
As someone who now lives in Philippines (Bohol to be exact) I hope this tradition and lost culture will remain. I always feel PH has lots of lost culture and they need to go back to their roots like other South East Asian countries. I definitely want to order this salt and try it out.