oktubafest pics (dish with tuba wine and tuba concoction)

Tuba (coconut wine)


If Mountain Province has “tapoy” similar to the rice wine of Japan called sake; Southern Tagalog Region has “Lambanog”, a wine produced from coconuts; then Visayan people has “tuba” a wine that comes from coconut with milder alcohol content and when it is fermented, it is comparable to other wines sold in the market or as other people call it “red wine or jungle wine”, but technically, this is coconut wine.


Because of its popularity among Visayan people there are songs that were written about tuba among some are “Dandansoy” a Cebuano song and “Bahal na Tuba” a Winaray song.


From the early times, tuba has been part of Visayan people’s merriment. It is served in every occasion when families, friends and visitor’s gather’s for socializing. In 1521, it was believed that when Ferdinand Magellan, the first colonizer of the Philippines, arrived with his troops in the island of Cebu he was offered a bamboo tube containing a drink. The drink was said to be the sap taken from coconut flowers before they bloom. The sap is mixed with the bark of Rhizophora locally known as “tungog” or “barok”. After some time, it ferments and becomes a mild alcoholic drink having a bittersweet taste.


This was also served during the Sikatuna-Legazpi blood compact in the island of Bohol. Miguel Lopez de Legazpi made friends with the Boholanos by performing a blood compact with one of Bohol’s famous leaders, Raja Sikatuna.


In the region where one of its main agricultural source is coconut farming, tuba industry is very popular in every place. In Leyte among the municipalities that they produce the best tuba are the town of Barugo and Palo, which is an adjacent town to Tacloban City.



Tuba is prepared from the juice that is collected from the end of coconut tree flower done by a “manang-gite”. Some believe that the taste or the sweetness or sourness of tuba would depend on the age of the coconut tree and other believe on the ability of the “manang-gite”.


Tuba is made through a process of extracting the sap of an unopened coconut bud. It has a stinging sweet and bittersweet taste. The tip of the bud is tapped and the pale juice allowed to trickle into bamboo containers. A sturdy tree yields about a gallon of liquid daily.


From coconut water, comes a syrup concentrate for tuba. Tuba is a sweet, fresh or mildly fermented sap taken from tapping the young expanded flowers of the coconut.
Foliage is tied at the bamboo tube to prevent other particles to adulterate it from other substance like rainwater.


The tuba gatherer must ascend the tree every 12 hours to remove extra slice from the stem. If he will not do it regularly, the wound will be cured, and liquid sap will stop flowing.


To ferment, the sweetish liquid is stored for one to three days in earthen jars or bottles in modern times. The rust tint of tuba is acquired through the addition of tanbark locally called “tangal or tungog” or more popularly known in the region as “barok” which comes from a mangrove tree.


Without tanbark, tuba turns sour a few hours after the sap is exuded from the spathe. It has a lower alcohol content of 2%-4%. It turns into vinegar when allowed to ferment further.


On the other hand, tuba with added tanbark has alcohol content of 10%-13%, and has a longer storage life and improves with age. More mature better quality tuba is known as bahalina.


A coconut tree normally produces a gallon of tuba per day. But that also depends on the tree and other environmental factors, which may increase or decrease the production.


Tuba is at its finest during the first day, up to the third day when it was initially gathered. Usually after the fifth day, bacteria steps in and the tuba turns into vinegar.


There are different classes of tuba based on the age of fermentation: dawat (new wine), bahal (a day or to a few weeks old), bahalina (a month to a year old), tinuig (more than a year old).


For some especially for the younger generation drinking tuba is just a past time or an ordinary form of merriment for the old one but there are rules of etiquette that one should follow in drinking tuba wine.


First is the Agda, which exhorts some person or diwata (deity) to take the first drink. Next is the Gasa which means to propose a toast to somebody's health, usually of the opposite sex. Lastly is the Salabat or Tirim which means to toast in which the cup itself was offered, even carried from one house to another for this purpose.
Aside from the etiquette there are also significant terms that a tuba-drinker should know like the Naga Itib which means to drink together (usually two persons) from the same jar, just like two babies feeding at the same breast. Itib means milk brothers. Abong is the honor the datu (ruler) might pay one of his timawa vassals by presenting his own cup after he had taken a few sips himself.


But what is most important among tuba drinkers is the presence of sumsuman (pulutan) this could vary from kinilaw, inihaw na isda or what the drinkers prefer to have during their drinking session.


Another feature of tuba drinking is by means of concoction or locally known of “kutil or kinutil” preparation for such depends on how the drinker will do it.
“Kinutil” is a mixture of tuba wine with a native egg, sugar, and chocolate drink, other sprepare kinutil by combining tuba, native egg, sugar and orange juice or Royal or Mirinda.


This kind of concoction as some people say is nutritious and healthy and effective for those who have low blood pressure or for those who are suffering sleepless nights.


Another health benefit of tuba as what they say is that it can help prevent respiratory ailments. The vinegar from tuba can lower fever and is used as disinfectant for dog bites and wounds. The elderly and other people use tuba as food supplement and during World War II tuba was used as one of the main food source.
Because of the various health benefits of tuba it became popular among those who are living in rural areas because it is where big coconut plantations are found. Tuba is cheaper than other artificial medicines used to cure the ailments or other health problems.



A good thing about tuba, it is produced in a natural process, and thus it’s chemical free. The tuba is the natural juice from the coconut, so it has nutrients and vitamins that are also found in the coconut tree itself which includes the barok which is also a natural product.



Moreover, because of “tuba’s” popularity in the region and with the success of the Oktubafest last year the An Waray Party List through An Waray Representatives Florencio Gabriel “Bem” Noel and Neil Montejo launched Oktubafest 2 that aims to help boost the coconut industry in the region most especially the tuba industry where more than a million people are depending on the said industry.



Set to be held on October 17-18 2009 the event will try to attempt to break the existing Guinness Book of World Record of having the biggest number of participant for a wine tasting event.



The current Guinness Book of World Record holder is Spain which was held in 2006 at Plaza de Toros, Aranda de Duero.


“This is going to be a big production,” Congressman Noel said.

“We are expecting to gather 7,000 participants for this event. Where half of them will come from Palo, Leyte and the rest will come from the six provinces of the region” he added.


Another highlight of the said event is competitions which will involve the use of tuba. Among the categories are Best Bahal; Best Bahalina; Best Tuba Infused Dish and Best Tuba Concoction.


Based on the mechanics for Best Bahal and Best Bahalina, one entry per municipality shall be accepted for each category. Each contestant shall submit a total of three (3) gallons of bahal and bahalina respectively on the morning of the event and all entries shall be displayed at an assigned area at the venue for the whole duration of the event. Each contestant may opt to provide additional quantity of bahal and bahalina for tasting by our visitors.



For Best Tuba Infused-Dish only one entry per municipality shall be accepted for each category. The entries for this competition must use tuba as a main ingredient and each contestant shall provide their own ingredients as well as their own cooking utensils and equipment.


While for the Best Tuba Concoction one entry per municipality shall be accepted for each category; each contestant shall provide their own ingredients as well as their own utensils and equipment; and tuba concoction shall be prepared at a designated area at the event venue.

Octubafest (Palo, Leyte)