DOCUMENTATION OF THE SALTED MEAT, “INNASIN”, OF BONTOC, MOUNTAIN PROVINCE
KAREN B. CUE

Abstract

Bontoc, Mt. Province offers international tourism and a variety of indigenous cuisines that are delightful to the palate and a source of economic revenue for its residents; however there are only few studies on these cuisines. Furthermore, the identity of some of these cuisines are unclear due to the fusion of ingredients from the consumers choice of taste, confusion of name (etag vs innasin), and region they represent. This work aimed to identify and document one of the traditional popular cuisine/delicacy of Bontoc which is ‘innasin”, to assessed knowledge on the locally used ingredients and how it is prepared.

Results of the study revealed that the meat “innasin” vendors and local consumers are knowledgeable on the local ingredients and the customary preparation of the “innasin” due to their length of experience in preparing, selling and consuming the dish. However, despite of the traditional preparation of the “innasin, the study revealed that the use of traditional bottle gourd is only applicable for personal and family consumption since the container is very small to accommodate large quantity of meat for commercial market. The availability of this gourd in the market is limited reason why meat vendors preferred using plastic pail as an alternate container in preserving meat in a larger quantity.

The study recommends the patency of the delicacy to secure ownership and identity of the dish. The department of trade and industry should strengthen the opportunity of international marketability by improving its packaging and labeling to compete in the market. To sustain its potential market niche, there is a need to educate the market vendors on the proper hygiene preparation of the product as well as the importance of packaging to attract other consumers not limited only to local residents. Farmers are also encouraged to sustain the production of the bottle gourd “lutsen” to sustain the traditional preparation of the “innasin” with the help and support of the department of Agriculture. With the government’s drive to make the food industry one of the pillars of economic stability, there is a need for concerned individuals to support this program to help sustain the economic growth that can support financial steadiness of the province.