"Maasim, pero habang tumatagal ay may iniiwang tamis."
Ganito ilarawan ng mga taga-Paombong, Bulacan ang lasa ng Sukang Paombong o mas kilala bilang Sukang Sasa na bukod tangi kung ikukumpara sa ibang suka.
Pero paano nga ba ginagawa ito? Ano ang halaga nito sa kabuhayan at kultura ng mga residente ng Paombong? Alamin sa #DigiDokyu.
Ganito ilarawan ng mga taga-Paombong, Bulacan ang lasa ng Sukang Paombong o mas kilala bilang Sukang Sasa na bukod tangi kung ikukumpara sa ibang suka.
Pero paano nga ba ginagawa ito? Ano ang halaga nito sa kabuhayan at kultura ng mga residente ng Paombong? Alamin sa #DigiDokyu.
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NewsTranscript
00:00It's sour, but as time goes by, there's a hint of sweetness.
00:28This is how they describe the taste of the original Sukang Paumbong or Sukang Sasa from Paumbong, Bulacan.
00:35Aside from the fact that it's sour compared to other vinegars, it's chosen as an ingredient in various dishes.
00:44To get the right sourness, it takes almost 3 weeks of soaking in fruits or tapayan to reach the right consistency,
00:53for the taste to be fine, and for the vinegar to be tasty.
00:58This is the 3 weeks that has been fermented. It already has a layer on top.
01:04We'll remove it to clean it.
01:23Back in the 1970s, every street in Paumbong has a vineyard that sells vinegar.
01:40But as time goes by, the number of genuine Sasa farmers who continue to do this has decreased.
01:47There are a few Sasa farmers who have sold their farms and found a new source of income.
01:57But despite the trials they've gone through, there are some who still believe that their vinegar can make up for it.
02:08Like Kuya Percival. He's been farming for more than 20 years.
02:137 days a week, and 2 times a day, he goes to the vineyard to harvest Sasa trees and collect his harvest.
02:27This is the vinegar that is extracted from the Sasa fruit.
02:31It's harvested every week after the harvest.
02:36Kuya Percy, how far do you have to walk every day to get to the Sasa vineyard?
02:44More than 2 kilometers to get there.
02:49How long does it take to get there?
02:52More than half an hour.
02:54Half an hour?
02:56Do you choose the Sasa tree that you're going to harvest?
03:00Yes, just like this Sasa fruit, which is ready to be harvested.
03:07We clean it, and then we have a process that we call sikad.
03:12What we do in the office is to chop the stem.
03:17The process takes up to a month because the process is every 3 days.
03:24So you have to chop it?
03:26Yes.
03:28Why do we have to do that?
03:31So that the stem will grow.
03:35Because if not, the stem will not grow.
03:40During the cold season, the Sasa tree produces more stems because the water in the vineyard is shallow.
03:57How many stems do you collect in a day?
04:01It reaches up to 80 liters.
04:05It's four containers, but it can hold up to 20 gallons.
04:0920 gallons in a day, and you're the only one who does that?
04:12How many hours do you take to collect all those stems?
04:18I also take 3 to 4 hours.
04:27This is how I chop the stem.
04:31Some people chop it with a hammer, but I just hit it like this.
04:42Then we will cut it.
04:45It's a bit hard.
04:57There, it fell.
05:04It's not easy.
05:06You really need strength to chop it.
05:12And to find out where the stem came from.
05:21I'm out of breath.
05:23I'm out of breath.
05:31We found a good time to come here.
05:37Every high tide, the water in their vineyard reaches up to Bewang.
05:42That's why Percival still needs to use cows to feed his herd.
05:46It's hard for the water to come down.
05:50We don't have anything to feed our herd.
05:53Our vines are drowning.
05:55We can't get anything.
05:57It just falls.
05:59Percival admitted that he is able as a farmer,
06:03where he studied and did not grow up.
06:07And if you have a chance to farm in that place in Pocombong,
06:11this is the 83-year-old vineyard where Percival grew up.
06:16This is where Tatay Simeon grew up.
06:18Tatay Simeon's family temporarily entrusted Percival with the 2-hectare vineyard.
06:25Aside from his old age, Tatay Simeon also has a problem with hearing and sight.
06:31Back then, it was expensive.
06:33I was able to earn P2,000 to P5,000.
06:37Is that okay now?
06:39First, I planted the fruit.
06:42Then, the vineyard.
06:44It just so happened that Tatay Simeon couldn't do it anymore because of his old age.
06:50And he continued the cultivation of his vineyard.
06:55If Brother Percival learned anything from Tatay Simeon,
06:59it is his steadfastness and dedication to the work they do for a living.
07:04Just three.
07:06That's the main thing.
07:08Did you finish all of that because of your hard work?
07:10Yes, I have a lot of work to do.
07:17Tatay Simeon used to plant rice in his land.
07:21But as time went by, the water level in their land kept rising.
07:26That's why they planted more rice.
07:29But now, noticeably, a large part of their land has been turned into a fishpond,
07:36an alternative source of income.
07:38I planted rice from October to February.
07:44But when the water level rose, I couldn't plant rice anymore.
07:48So, I turned it into a fishpond.
07:51Despite the trials and tribulations of their business,
07:55Tatay Simeon believes that it will continue to thrive because of the unique taste of their vinegar.
08:00I have a customer who asked me for a can of vinegar.
08:04The vinegar is sour.
08:06It's better than Acetone.
08:08It's really delicious.
08:10If you're used to the taste of vinegar, you'll know what it tastes like.
08:23Now, we're here at what we call tapayan.
08:26What are we going to do with the rice we got?
08:29We put it here in the tapayan to be stocked and seasoned.
08:34Once it's seasoned, it can be marketed.
08:39How long does it take for the rice to be fermented?
08:472 to 3 weeks.
08:492 to 3 weeks.
08:51So, it's different, it's not the same.
08:53It can be fermented for 2 weeks, but we actually ferment it for 3 weeks to make it better.
08:59How do you know if it can be sold?
09:03As long as it's 2 weeks, we can taste it.
09:08But it's already sour if it's fermented for 15 to 21 days.
09:14But did you know that the fermentation of vinegar can take up to a year?
09:19At the moment, we have here a 1-year-old vinegar that has been stocked for a long time.
09:27We can taste it.
09:29A 1-year-old vinegar that has been stocked for a long time?
09:31What's the difference between just soaking it for a week or fermenting it?
09:38As for the color, we can see that if it's not reddish, the color will be darker.
09:44It will be cloudy, unlike the 2 to 3 weeks when it was still white.
09:58We will discuss about vinegar.
10:01For me, the use of vinegar is not only for sauces.
10:04I am Konstantin Vergonia.
10:07I am better known as Koby here in Bulacan.
10:10I am now teaching at TESDA.
10:14We teach vinegar based on how it was made, how many weeks it was fermented,
10:22and what is the vinegar that is delicious if it lasts longer.
10:27I teach it by inlining or adding the ingredients of vinegar to the recipe.
10:34Just like when we talk about vinegar, for him, sourness is not enough.
10:39The vinegar should be tasty, just like the Paombong vinegar that he usually teaches to his students.
10:46It should taste like vinegar.
10:49You know, it's suitable for cooking dishes.
10:53Its sourness is not too sour that it hurts your teeth.
10:59It's really delicious.
11:00That's how it tastes.
11:02And the Paombong vinegar is tasty.
11:06Actually, even its texture, compared to other vinegars, it's smooth.
11:13Koby works at Kawayan, Bulacan.
11:16But he will never forget the times when he was still studying at Paombong, Bulacan.
11:21When I was in high school, you can see street vendors everywhere.
11:27But their businesses are mixed with the taste of their sauce.
11:32That's why it's better to use Paombong vinegar.
11:36Because Bulacan people are really looking for it.
11:40The Paombong vinegar has no comparison.
11:42It's true, it has no comparison.
11:44Because whatever I use in other dishes, that's what others use.
11:50From his own Adobo recipe, using Paombong vinegar, we invited Chef to cook Adobo again.
11:57This time, he will use the same Paombong vinegar that we brought under a year of fermentation.
12:18We brought the dishes to a taste test challenge.
12:22Which of the two Adobos tasted better with Paombong vinegar?
12:27The first original Adobo recipe of Chef Koby,
12:31or the second Adobo using Paombong vinegar that was fermented for a year?
12:36I like the second one more.
12:39Because it blends the sourness inside the meat.
12:46The second one is more delicious.
12:48The second one, the taste of the vinegar really has a strong sour taste.
12:58And the taste is more delicious.
13:01Oh, that's great.
13:03It's more delicious if it's fermented for a longer time.
13:05You can really taste the vinegar.
13:19This is really the sourness that you should taste in a vinegar, right?
13:26The sourness is different.
13:28It's left in the mouth.
13:30But the good thing about this is that as time goes by, it's different.
13:35It's sweet when I feel it, especially when I chew it in my mouth.
13:40But the taste is not over yet.
13:42But the taste is not over yet.
13:44Because Kuya Percy asked me to try the vinegar that he's been fermenting for two years.
13:56There.
13:58The sourness is like a trick.
14:01The vinegar is really sour.
14:05The one before was a bit sweet.
14:08This one is painful.
14:09That's the difference.
14:14The town of Pombong is really known for our product, vinegar.
14:19And now, we are making it a priority to make it stronger because it really has a big impact on our tourism.
14:31Recognize our tradition and culture in vinegar so that we can continue the legacy of our ancestors,
14:40which we will continue to grow in different places.
14:43I think as long as the body can do it, I will continue to look for my body.
14:48It's like a love, it can't be lost.
14:51As long as our passion is there, we will continue.
14:55What I think is that it's also a way for the family to prosper.
15:00We patronize our product here, which is vinegar for Pombong.
15:04Because of course, if this is used by every Bulacan, not only Bulacan, but also Filipinos,
15:10the progress will be helped.
15:14When we use local products, we preserve the culture and the identity of the land.
15:22The town of Pombong is not recognized by the whole country, but because of their vinegar.
15:28And its flavor is obtained through the right process and perseverance.
15:32The cultivation and use of local vinegar, I hope it will not only be passed down, but will continue to thrive.
15:41I am JM Encinas of DigiDocu for GMA Integrated News.
15:52www.gma.org
16:22www.gma.org