Herbs and Spices of the Philippines

The Philippines is currently experiencing an exponential increase in the price of onions. A kilogram of onion, locally known as sibuyas, already surpassed the price of chicken and other meats. This pushed many Filipinos to economize their cooking by rationing or skipping its use. However, the less use or complete absence of onions somehow made the Filipino way of cooking incomplete.

A lot of people don't associate the Filipino cuisine, unlike those of its neighbors in Southeast Asia, with herbs and spices. But in reality, they are an integral part of our cuisine. We have diverse flavorings and aromatics, from north to south. The Ilocanos have lasona and the Maranaos have sakurab. On the other hand, Ivatans love using luyang dilaw on their dishes. Our archipelago also adopted several spices from other nations such as star anise (China) and atsuete (tropical Americas). The former is for asado, humba, and patatim while the latter is for pancit palabok, inasal, and kare-kare. We take our herbs and spices for granted, probably because there are still Filipinos who view our cuisine inferior.

Anyway, without further ado, Lokalpedia presents the Herbs and Spices of the Philippines. The list is a compilation of native and introduced species, wild and cultivated. There are still more out there like sangig, kasubha, sambong, etc. These wonderful ingredients, as well as those that are not listed, represent our rich food culture and biodiversity.

Alagaw

Kalingag

Kayumanis

Kalingag Leaves

Tabon-tabon

Dungon-late

Luyang Dilaw

Langkawas

Sakurab

Lasona

Atsuete

Tanglad

Native Garlic

Pandan

Siling Labuyo