I received a jar of Pasuquin Heritage Salt from a colleague as a Christmas gift, and I appreciated it so much. I like receiving gifts that promote local heritage and businesses, and the Smoked Pasuquin Heritage Salt is exactly that. I mean, we all know about Bohol’s Asin Tibuok, but not many of us know about different local artisanal salts around the country like Guimaras’ Tultul, Ilocos Norte’s Ted-ted, Pangasinan’s Sugpo Asin, and Zambales’ Buy-o.
About Smoked Pasuquin Heritage Salt
Anyway, going back to the Pasuquin Heritage Salt, I appreciated my colleague for familiarizing me with it. I didn’t know about it until I received it from them.
So what exactly is Pasuquin Heritage Salt? First off, for people who are not aware, Pasuquin is a municipality in Ilocos Norte, Philippines. Salt-making is a thriving industry in this town. Meanwhile, Pasuquin Heritage Salt is made by allowing seawater to evaporate in saltbeds.
This is a simplified way to explain it, but it is actually a painstaking process of fetching seawater, sprinkling it on sand, allowing it to evaporate, and once the salt has caked, it is then strained into an earthen jar or burnay by adding more seawater. The jar is then cooked in an oven using wood and/or sawdust until the water evaporates, and salt crystals remain. The salt is fine, and the process renders it with a smoky flavor. The Pasuquin Heritage Salt is also distinctive for its sweet taste, unlike other salt varieties around the country.
I was so curious about the flavor of the Pasuquin Heritage Salt that I immediately tried it on eggs, and it was indeed good. It had a mild salty flavor, and the scent was characteristically smoky. Pasuquin Heritage Salt is often used as a finishing salt because of its mild flavor, meaning it is sprinkled on top of meats, fish, and eggs, to name a few, after cooking.
If you are interested, you can order Pasuquin Heritage Salt from Smoke Bar and Restaurant.
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