Traditional Knowledge Journal: Wanted: Gaki from Balas-iyan
November 30, 2008 in columns, general, opinion
By JUDY CARIÑO
Women from Besao would nod their heads in agreement. But for the rest, gaki are small freshwater crabs, and Balas-iyan is the place where the right variety is found for a successful tengba. Of course, tengba is that fermented mixture of gaki, salt and pounded rice, which is said to help a mother produce enough milk to nurse her new-born baby.
When I gave birth to my first-born, my mother-in-law who hails from Besao brought me tengba. She explained the difficulty in getting the right crabs. Attempts to use available crabs in the Baguio market called kappi, resulted in a bitter batch, while crabs from the river in Besao resulted in a tasteless one. Thus, experience has taught the women of Besao that it is essential the crabs come from the river near Balas-iyan, at the tri-boundary of Mountain Province, Abra and Ilocos Sur. This river is apparently clean and not affected by pollution. Read the rest of this entry →
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