The rare artisanal salts of the Philippines and why they matter today

This salt from Botolan, Zambales, on the west coast of Luzon, is named after the shape of its container, the buy-o: a completely biodegradable cylindrical sack made from woven nipa leaf. The process of making this salt, unique to the northern coast, is both taxing and long. First, earth or sand is pushed into a large pile and covered in seawater. This mound is left to dry for a whole day before being placed in a wooden funnel to be again drenched in seawater. A large cooking pot, placed under the funnel, catches this filtered liquid, which is then boiled until it produces a fine and delicate sea salt. Carrying a subtle, savoury taste, Asin sa buy-o is best for everyday cooking and slowly building flavour, for starting broths or seasoning fish and vegetables.

Tatler Tip: You may purchase Asin sa buy-o from Ritual, located at Karrivin Studios

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Treated by chefs like Fleur de Sel, this salt is very fine and moist. Unlike iodised salt, it delivers a muted saltiness that is great for seasoning raw fish: with its ultra-fine texture, it melts instantly, hugging itself into the meat. The tedious artisanal production of this salt is a yearlong endeavour where, during the rainy season, farmers raise prawns in the same ponds which, in the dry season, they use as salt beds. Because of this, Sugpo asin, hence its name, features prawn shell remains (sugpo means prawn in Tagalog), and it is this which gives it its light pink shade and intense umami. Seawater is then added to the ponds, drying in the heat to reveal the salt crystals. Sadly, Sugpo asin is at an alarming risk of extinction, with its harvesting technique being both risky and costly, and with warmer weather killing the prawns. 

Tatler Tip: You can purchase through heritage suppliers like Xroads Philippine Sea Salts

Originating in Las Piñas, Parañaque and parts of Cavite, this unique salt-making technique dates back to the 18th century and features an irasan: a traditional clay-tiled bed upon which salt is produced through solar evaporation. As detailed by FEATR in their documentary The Rarest Salts in the World, farmers in Kawit, Cavite, begin by layering mud onto the salt bed and letting it dry, before dusting it off and adding water. Seawater is then transferred from one bed to another: first to the ‘primera’, then to the ‘segunda’ when it reaches a salinity level of five, before resting here for two to four weeks. It then moves through the ‘tercera’ onto the ‘ultimo’ basin, reaching a salinity level of eight to 10. It now dries in another basin and, once hardened, is ready for harvesting. The initial yield is a grey salt used for salted eggs, preserving meat and making Filipino shrimp paste, while the following harvest produces a whiter, more robust salt ready to eat. This preindustrial process is sadly dying due to torrential rain, a product of climate change, sinking the salt beds. 

Tatler Tip: You may purchase a variation of this salt, which uses the Irasan method, at Ritual in Karrivin Plaza  

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Also known as duldul or dokdok, this salt is harvested from December to May and arrives as a solid, cooked block which can be shaved, grated or even dipped onto dishes. Bearing a deep, smoky flavour profile, Tultul is one of the most singular salts that the Philippines has to offer, and makes a perfect finishing salt. In a process that is generations old, local asideros collect sea-soaked driftwood from the shoreline and burn it over a fire while sprinkling it with seawater. This mixture, now salty ashes, is transferred to a sand-filled filter upon which more seawater is poured, producing a concentrated brine. This liquid is then blended with coconut milk and cooked again, with farmers constantly topping up the liquid as it evaporates. After a few hours, the blocks of salt are formed and sliced into bars called bareta.

Tatler Tip: You may get your hands on Asin tultul at Ritual, Karrivin Plaza

Meaning ‘whole’ or ‘unbroken salt’ in Visayan, this rare item is gaining worldwide recognition after decades of teetering on extinction. Inscribed in 2025 on the Unesco list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, it is one of the few pre-colonial indigenous Filipino crafts that is still alive today, with Boholano families practising this, practically unchanged, technique for generations. An arduous process, they begin by collecting over 1,000 coconut husks, soaking them in saltwater pools for three to four months. The husks are then sundried, chopped and burnt in a controlled fire for up to four days, before being transferred to large filters where seawater is poured over them to create a concentrated brine. This liquid is poured constantly for eight hours into clay pots which rest upon a special furnace as the asinderos keep careful watch (the pots will split if not constantly filled). As the brine evaporates, sea salt fills the pots, which, once cooled, are cracked to reveal the Asin tibuok—a faintly fruity, subtly sweet, smoky sphere of sea salt weighing around one kilogram. 

Tatler Tip: Asin Tibuok can be found in Ritual or Xroads Philippine Sea Salts. 

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Dry, crunchy and vaguely earthy: Budbud is ideal for finishing dishes as it maintains its form and lends a great texture. Native to Iloilo and Antique (in Western Visayas), and dating back to the early 1800s, this salt-making process uses natural materials, like sand, clay and bamboo, and demands extreme diligence. Appropriately, with ‘budbud’ stemming from the Kinaray-a term for ‘to sprinkle’, farmers begin by sprinkling seawater over beds of either sand or clay, which they then leave to sun-dry. The salt crusts which form are now gathered and filtered with more seawater to produce a brine, before being placed within open bamboo poles laid upon wood fires. As the liquid evaporates, ivory, jagged salt crystals form, which are scraped from the bamboo beds. The salt is left in a depository overnight and then dried with nets before being roasted for purification. This taxing harvesting technique has been in decline since the 1980s, with unpredictable weather conditions and low yields causing most farmers to stop their production completely. 

Tatler Tip: You may buy this salt at Karrivin’s Ritual shop

Often used for finishing dishes, this ultra-white, extra-fine salt is subtly sweet and handmade in the province of Ilocos Norte, at the northwestern tip of Luzon. Made without the use of modern tools, the process begins as early as February, when sand is showered with seawater and allowed to dry. This is repeated around three times until the sand cakes, at which point it is transferred to a large basket or jar. More seawater is added, filtering through the sand into a small container. The concentrated liquid is then cooked and reduced for hours, sometimes overnight, until the salt forms. Once cool, the salt crystals are dried in a bamboo basket as a final step.

This artisanal tradition, however, is in danger of dying, with very few communities still practising it. You can support local farmers like Rachel Fariñas by ordering this salt directly by contacting +639 602 412 191.

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Made, by some, as a byproduct of harvesting the same sand salt above, tedted is a rare salt which gains its name from an Ilocano term for a ‘drop of liquid’. Appropriately, it is made by allowing the excess water from the salt-making process to drip repeatedly for around three months. Over this time, the water dries in the sun to create a massive salt stalactite structure, which is ready to be harvested when it reaches between two to three kilograms, or the size of a human leg. Some asinderos then grill this tedted mound to enhance its flavour and add vinegar to soften it, making it even more appetising. Tedted offers a strong, clean, sharply salty taste with some earthy undertones. Uniquely, it retains natural trace minerals, meaning it is richer and more complex than industrial salt. Due to its structure, it is also quite hard, meaning it is not as easily sprinkleable as other salts. Tedted is traditionally consumed with rice when produce is running low, and is used in cooking and as a salt lick for livestock. 

You may also purchase tedted from Pasuquin-based salt farmer, Rachel Fariñas. 

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