6 decadent Filipino ingredients you should know: Asin tibuok, taba ng talangka, and more

Rich, creamy, and reminiscent of the sea, taba ng talangka (aligue) is a flavourful ingredient that can easily elevate everyday dishes like rice, pasta, and stews and is one that is famously loved by the internationally-celebrated chef Margarita Forés. Although its name literally translates to crab fat (specifically, of the talangka or Philippine river crab), the prized delicacy is actually the crab’s digestive glands.

Since river crabs are so small, you can only extract so much of the vibrant, yellow-orange “fat” from each talangka. Thus, procuring true taba ng talangka can be a meticulous and time-intensive process, as each crab needs to be shelled and picked. 

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Known as inaasin in Ilocano and, more commonly, etag in Igorot, this salt-cured, dried and/or smoked pork product is native to the Cordillera region and has more recently been integrated into fine dining kitchens throughout the metro like at Tatung’s Private Dining. Devised as a clever way to preserve meat, the pork is cured and aged, resulting in a salty, umami delight that packs a lot of flavour.

Endemic to Mindanao, the tabon-tabon is a brown tropical fruit with a thick, hard exterior and a semi-soft pulp that rapidly hardens once picked. Much like the shrub’s sap, the pulp is distinctively bitter and astringent and is often considered a (not so) secret weapon in Mindanao food cultures when preparing kinilaw, as it helps to temper the fishiness and acidity of the dish.

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Often dubbed “Cordillera truffles,” the bu-ow or bu-o is a local fungus found in the mountains of Benguet. While there continues to be disagreement as to whether or not they are edible, some assert that the naturally-growing mushrooms truly are reminiscent of the luxurious truffles in both aroma and flavour.

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The famed export of the Bicol region, pili nuts are not actually nuts at all—rather, they are the seeds of the pili fruit. Each fruit contains only one seed, which is hidden within a hard brown exterior that is tough to crack. Beyond their slightly sweet, buttery flavour and associated health benefits like supporting bone and heart health, the laborious process of harvesting pili nuts also makes them somewhat pricey. Once roasted, the pili nuts are often eaten on their own, as a caramel-coated brittle, or mixed into desserts like cakes or chocolates.

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