_-_cropped.png) | |
| Type | Palm wine |
|---|---|
| Origin | The Philippines |
| Alcohol by volume | 2%-4%[1] |
Tubâ (Tagalog pronunciation:[tʊˈbaʔ]) is a traditionalFilipinopalm wine made from the naturally fermentedsap of various species ofpalm trees.[1] During theSpanish colonial period, tubâ was introduced toGuam, theMarianas, andMexico via theManila galleons. It remains popular inMexico, especially in the states ofColima,Jalisco,Michoacán,Nayarit, andGuerrero. Tubâ was also introduced to theTorres Strait Islands ofAustralia in the mid-19th century by Filipino immigrant workers in thepearling industry.[2][3][4]
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Tubâ has existed in thePhilippines sincepre-colonial times. It was widely consumed for recreation as well as having ritual significance inanimist religious ceremonies performed bybabaylan and othershamans. Heavy consumption of tubâ and other alcoholic beverages in the Philippines was reported by early Spanish colonizers.Social drinking (inuman ortagayán inTagalog andVisayan languages) was and is an important aspect of Filipino cultural interfacing.[5][6][7]
A peculiar yet nationwide drinking custom is sharing a single drinking vessel. Duringtagayán, one person (usually the owner of the beverage) becomes thetanggero who fills a cup with a serving of alcohol (atagay). One of the group then drinks from the cup and passes it back to thetanggero for a refill. Thetanggero fills the cup again and passes it to a different person, and so on until all have had a drink. A second method is to drink from the same container at the same time usingdrinking straws made from hollow reeds or bamboo.Tagayán is usually accompanied by a shared serving of food known aspulutan. The ritual and terminology oftagayán was recorded in theBocabulario Tagalog (1630) byFray Miguel Ruiz, and these social drinking practises remain largely unchanged today.Tagayán is also related to the ancient Filipino practice ofsandugo (blood compact), as both reinforce camaraderie and social bonds among participants by drinking from the same vessel.[6][7][8]
Tubâ was first recorded in European records byAntonio Pigafetta of theMagellan expedition (c. 1521), who called ituraca and mistakenly assumed that it wasdistilled.[9]
"Cocoanuts are the fruit of the palmtree. Just as we have bread, wine, oil, and milk, so those people get everything from that tree. They get wine in the following manner. They bore a hole into the heart of the said palm at the top calledpalmito, from which distils a liquor which resembles a whitemust. That liquor is sweet but somewhat tart, and is gathered in canes of bamboo as thick as the leg and thicker. They fasten the bamboo to the tree at evening for the morning, and in the morning for the evening."
— Antonio Pigafetta, Il primo viaggio intorno al globo di Antonio Pigafetta e le sue regole sull'arte del navigare (1524-1525),[9]
Tubâ could be further distilled using a distinctive type of still into a palmliquor known aslambanóg (palm spirit) andlaksoy (nipa). During theSpanish colonial period of the Philippines, lambanog and laksoy were inaccurately calledvino de coco ("coconut wine") andvino de nipa ("nipa wine"), respectively, despite them being distilled liquor. From around 1569, lambanog (asvino de coco) was introduced via theManila galleons toNueva Galicia (nowColima,Jalisco, andNayarit) in modern Mexico byFilipino immigrants who established coconut plantations. It quickly became popular in the region, competing with the sales of imported spirits from Spain. This led colonial authorities and theRoyal Audience in Spain to ban the production ofvino de coco and decree the destruction of coconut plantations. By the mid-1700s,vino de coco production in Mexico had ceased (though non-alcoholic variants of tubâ persisted). The prohibition ofvino de coco and the introduced distillation technologies from the Philippines led to the development ofmezcal andtequila by the indigenous peoples of Mexico.[10][5][11]
Bahal is a type of tubâ that is distinctively orange to brown in color because it has added extracts (barok) from the dried bark (marka tungog ortangal) of certainmangrove species (Ceriops tagal,Rhizophora mucronata, orVateria indica). It is fermented for around a day to a few weeks. It is an intermediate stage in the production ofbahalina wines. It originates from theVisayan regions ofVisayas andMindanao.
Kinutil is tubâ mixed with rawegg yolks,tabliya chocolate, milk, and other ingredients. It is widespread in theVisayan regions ofVisayas andMindanao and is also known askinutir,kutir, ordubado, among other names.[12][13][14]
Tuhak is a type of tubâ made from the sap of kaong palm (Arenga pinnata), locally known askaong orcabonegro. It originates from theCaraga region ofMindanao. It is collected and fermented in the same way as tubâ. However, extracts from the bark of a tree known aslamud may sometimes be added to aid in fermentation and to prevent the souring of the sap. It is also known ashidikup orhidiup inAgusan del Norte andsan inAgusan del Sur.[1][8]
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Tunggang is a type of tubâ made by theManobo,Mandaya, andMamanwa people fromfishtail palm (Caryota spp.) sap. It is not as popular as other varieties of tubâ because it has a relatively more unpleasant smell and taste.[8]
Tubâ production and coconut sap harvesting were introduced toGuam and theMariana Islands (then part of theSpanish East Indies) by Filipino settlers. Their initial introduction is usually attributed to the Filipino assistants of the Spanish missionaryDiego Luis de San Vitores in 1668. Tubâ quickly became a fixture of the culture in the islands, which previously had no native alcoholic drink. TheChamorro people developed two derivatives from tubâ:aguajente (alsoaguayente oragi, from Spanishaguardiente), a distilled liquor similar to Filipinolambanóg; andalmibad, a sweet syrup made from boiled coconut sap used in making candies and rice cakes (potu). Tubâ itself was either consumed fresh (non-alcoholic) or fermented; with the former popular to women and children, and the latter popular to men.[15][16][17]
Soon after theacquisition of Guam by theUnited States from Spain in 1899,aguajente was banned by the American government. Anyone caught making it would get a prison sentence and a fine. The ban remained in place for the next 40 years, restricting tubâ only to the non-alcoholic and mildly alcoholic versions. In 1939, shortly before the outbreak ofWorld War II, taxes were also levied on tubâ-producing coconut palms, further crippling the industry. Today, tubâ is rare in the islands and its production is in decline.[17]
Tubâ, along withcoconuts (which are not native to the Americas), was introduced toMexico in the 16th to 17th centuries via theManila Galleons toAcapulco. It remains popular in Western Mexico where it is known astuba, particularly in the states ofColima,Jalisco,Michoacán, andGuerrero.[2][3][4] Mexicantuba is made in the same way as Filipino tubâ. The traditional sap collectors are known astuberos (which also means "plumber" in both Mexico and the Philippines). They were also distilled intovino de coco (lambanog), which became so popular that in 1619, Captain Sebastian de Piñeda wrote to KingPhilip III of Spain complaining of the Filipino "Indio" settlers inNueva España who were causing significant loss of profits toIberian alcohol exporters due totuba.[5][18][10] The distinctive Filipino-typestills used bytuba farmers were adopted by theindigenous peoples of Mexico for the distillation of other alcoholic drinks. The most notable of which ismezcal andsotol, the fermented juice of both drinks prior to distillation is still calledtuba.[19]
"There are in New Spain so many of those Indians who come from the Philippine Islands who have engaged in making palm wine along the other sea coast, that of the South Sea, and which they make with stills, as in the Philippines, that it will in time become a part reason for the natives of New Spain, who now use the wine that comes from Castile, to drink none except what the Filipinos make. For since the natives of New Spain are a racially inclined to drink and intoxication, and the wine made by the Filipinos is distilled and as strong as brandy, they crave it rather than the wine from Spain. ...so great is the traffic in this [palm wine] at present on the coast at Navidad, among the Apusabalcos, and throughout Colima, that they load beasts of burden with this wine in the same way as in Spain. By postponing the speedy remedy that this demands, the same thing might also happen to the vineyards of Piru. It can be averted, provided all the Indian natives of the said Philippine Islands are shipped and returned to them, that the palm groves and vessels with which that wine is made be burnt, the palm-trees felled, and severe penalties imposed on whomever remains or returns to make that wine."
— Sebastian de Piñeda (1619),[19]
Mexicantuba is also commonly sold astuba fresca, a non-alcoholic version made from fresh coconut sap.Tuba fresca is traditionally sold by street vendors in largebottle gourds mixed withcoconut milk, ice, and sugar. It is usually topped with walnuts and diced fruit.[20][21]
In the mid-19th century, Filipino immigrant workers settled in theTorres Strait Islands inAustralia to work in thepearling industry as divers and overseers. They settled in sizable communities inHorn Island,Thursday Island, andHammond Island, numbering at around 500 by 1884. Despite Australiananti-miscegenation laws and the generalracism of the Australian government at the time, many Filipinos intermarried with the nativeTorres Strait Islanders. They also transmitted various Filipino traditions and material culture to the natives, including stories, songs, recipes, various crop plants, and new technologies.[22][23][24]
One of these technologies was the method of producing tubâ. The Islanders, who previously had no tradition of alcohol production or consumption, quickly adopted the tubâ and all its various uses. They consumed coconut sap fresh as a non-alcoholic beverage or as a dip for mangoes; they fermented it into tubâ proper which they also calledtuba; they used it as yeast to make bread rise; and they distilled it into liquor which they referred to as "steamedtuba." Even though Australian government prohibitions existed from 1837 to the 1960sbanning the sale and consumption of alcohol to Indigenous Australians, it failed to stop the popularity oftuba.[22][23]
After the introduction of even more restrictive race-based laws in 1901 and the collapse of the pearl and shell market, most Filipinos started leaving Australia and returning to the Philippines. By 1912, almost all of the Filipino population was gone, along with the pearling industry, leaving only the families who intermarried with the locals and their descendants. The tradition oftuba production, however, remained. DuringWorld War II,tuba was sold by the Islanders to American servicemen stationed in the Strait who were also familiar withtuba.Tuba is still an important part of Torres Strait Islander culture today.[22][23][24]
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