INTRODUCTION

Ibanag (pronounced as i-ba-nag) also known as “Ybanag”, “Ibanak” or “Ybanak” was derived

from the word “bannag” and from the prefix “Y-”. The Prefix “Y-“means “people of or native

of” and the word “bannag” or “bannak” means river. Thus, the word Ibanag is defined as “People

of the River.”

Ibanags are ethno linguistic minority who inhabit the provinces of Cagayan, Isabela and

Nueva Vizcaya. The ethno linguistic people originated or came from the mouth of the largest and

longest river in the Philippines- Cagayan River. Eventually these people were dispersed within

the past 200 years and influenced other group of people such as Itawis, Gaddang, Yogad and

Isinay.

These groups of people are numbering more than half a million people and considered as one

of the largest Ethno linguistic group in the Philippines. Ibanags speak language the same as their

name. There are more or less 500,000 speakers of Ibanag language in North- East most provinces

of the Philippines mainly Isabela and Cagayan.

These ethno linguistic people are also known for their very rich culture and traditions. They

do not forget how to value family, hospitality, bayanihan, respect, self-discipline and love. Even

in their food preparation, delicacies, table manner and food preservation are very much alive.

They are also food lovers and loves to serve their visitors with foods.

One of the best examples to portray an Ibanag in their love and value of food is through their

KASABIHAN which is “Kamu nga massayang anna paginnaggan y gracia ta massinnti saw ya.”

Including in their beliefs, food is always present, like the so called “Atang” or “Wari” (food that

is usually placed in a platter) for the deceased family member in every occasion. Turning your
plate after eating when you are going somewhere is also an Ibanag norm. If you did this, then you

are free from accidents or bad happenings that might happen to you.

ADDITIONAL PA! I KENNAT THINK NA!

Through this analysis OR KUNG ANO MANG TAWAG DITO, a more vivid picture of an

Ibanag food preparation and preservation can be seen, understand and embraced by the people.
 RESULTS AND DISCUSION

IBANAG’S FOOD

A. Pampaganas Ta Accacan (Appetizers)

One of the Ibanag culture is that you must never let the food wait and never say no to
it, because food is a blessing from God, that is why appetizers is very important. Pampaganas
means to stimulate one’s gustatory gland to eat. The Ibanag appetizers are simple and
economical which came from indigenous plants available in their surroundings. The following
are the most common and served appetizers:
1. Spinach leaves salad (balangag) is a spinach leaves mixed with fish paste
(bagoong) and chopped ginger with sliced tomatoes, is a favorite appetizer
among the Ibanag.
2.

B. Maca-Macan (Main Dishes)

There main dishes can be classified according to its sources which are:

B1. Ayam (Animals)

For Ibanag, the main focal point of a dish is the meat. It gives them strength to
the body (mappasican ta bagga-baggi), lengthen lifespan (mappaapiddu ta pattolay), and
refines way of living (mappalladda tu pattolay). These animals are baka (cow), nuang
(carabao), kanzing (goat), karneru (sheep), kitu (dog), utta (deer), bavi (pig), pabu (turkey),
manu (chicken), ayong (monkey), patu (duck), and gansu (goose).

B2. Mana-Manango (Fish/Water Animals)

Ibanag people resides mostly at places near river or water that is why one of their
staple food is water animals. The following are the water animals found in the river or
water:
 Ludong (mullet), kurilaw (Manila Sea Channel Catfish),
agua/pasga/purung/vugasin, sapsap (toothed ponyfish), mori (goby), tabbalay (spangled
emperor), ifun (goby), caggu (clam), kiwo (eel), larangan (glassy pershlet), akaya (crab),
lasi/aramang ( tiny shrimp), cusifan/padaw (lobster), patta (catfish), dalag (mudfish),
basikul (whelks), liddak (periwinkle), ala (freshwater clam), agurung (periwinkle),
vunganga (whelks), berabig/birabid (whelks), kabibi (clam) and gurami (fresh water
fish).

B3. Gula-Gulay (Vegetables)

To Ibanag almost every plant around them is considered as vegetable food. They are
very experimental, creative and ingenious when it comes to plants. Every part of plants like
roots, stem, leaves, flowers and fruits can be eaten or have a significant use to the Ibanags.
The mayan or underground crops used as vegetables are camosi (sweet potato),
rabanus (radish) and gabi. The stems, leaves and flowers of plants that are considered
edible are futu na dupo (banana blossom), alibabag (alucon, Llk.), anta (string beans),
apape (balsam pear), balangac (swamp cabbage), Calabasa (squash), catuday (sesban),
cubay (Malabar nightshade), don na saluyu (jute)

B4. Insekto (Insects)

The Ibanag people will never go hungry because as a free-thinking tribe, they has
recognized immediately the gastronomic wonders of insects. With more than 1,900 edible
insects’ species in the world, Ibanags made some of them part of their daily diet, seasonal
diet. The Ibanags have consumed tons upon tons of larvae of red ants (ansi). With salt,
vinegar, ginger and onions, the ‘illuk na ansi (ants larvae)’ is steamed for a real exotic
lunch or dinner which can put Vietnamese, Cambodians or high-brow specialty restaurants
in Asia, to shame.

As soon as corn plant reaches its flowering stage, residents from nearly all
barangays of Tuguegarao, except the city proper, would stage an untold invasion of all
cornfields available to gather grasshoppers (caelifera) locally known as ganta. Early
evenings to the detriment of the Talaan Bobbog (spotted spiders) and the brown corn
 spiders which, at that time of the day, are busy perfecting the designs of their webhouses.
The Ibanags usually handpicked it in the evening but uses a ‘takiong’ to catch them early
afternoon. Among the true-blue Ibanags, they carry with them fashioned bamboos to place
their catch. Because its early evening, the alampara (gas lamps in gin bottles) is a must to
light your harvest. The thorny forelegs and wings are removed and are cooked, deep fried
with lots of garlic, a little salt to taste and local vinegar.

Asimmuwwa (Beetles) according to the National Geographic are efficient in

turning cellulose into digestible fat. It has more protein that most other insects. To complete
the troika for the Ybanags’ most sought-after insects, let’s not forget the abaling (ground
grubs) suspected as the larvae of the beetle. These days, abaling is expensive more than the
beetle itself because of the difficulty in finding them. I know of a family who are forced to
walk more than an hour just to find the abaling. A hoe and a crowbar are used to unearth
the insects. As to which is more delicious and palatable, the assimmawa or the abalin,
would be an endless debate among the Ybanags over bottles of Gin or beer. At times, it
depends on the spices used to cook it.

C. Desert
The most popular desert of the Ibanags are the deko ( _____). These are:

1. “Binalay” - a rice flour delicacy wrapped into a fresh banana leave partnered with coconut
syrup called “laro and issi” this is usually being prepared by the Ibanags during the Holy
Week. This is their way in commemorating the sacrifices of our savior Jesus Christ. The
ingredients used in making the “binalay” has its meaning.The “Laro and Issi” or sweet
sauce which is made up of coconut milk, sugar or “panotcha” and oil,represents the blood
of Christ. While the rice cake or “deco” symbolizes the body of Christ.
2. Inatata- Whole glutinous rice that’s a bit sweet and wrapped in small cylinders made of
banana leaves are cooked by steaming. They’re tied in batches; ten per batch and it
resembles a magazine of bullets when tied.
3. Pinataro- A mixture of white sticky rice dumplings and coconut strips are what make up
this warm dish. The sticky rice dumplings are served in thick coconut latik cream.
IBANAG’S PRESERVATION OF FOOD

“Mappindang” was one of their way to preserve their food, this is a combination of drying
and salting. In mappindang, they will put first the salt together with the pepper before putting it to
“bilao” and they will dry it using only the sun unlike the other tribe that uses also a smoke but in
ibanag, they will just dry it using the heat of the sun. Pig, carabao and fish are the main dish they
preserve with what they call “mappindang”.

“Sarmuela”, this preservation of food was done through the use of jar or “maddweng” or
the “angang”, the food that can be “sarmuela” was the meat of baboy or the “santol” however
before putting these into a jar, they will put salt and pepper then they will put it orderly inside of
the big jar in order to por the last ingredients which is vinegar to preserve these foods.