Cuisine & Agricultural Practices
Ivatan cuisine is simple, hearty, and reflective of the local environment. Traditional dishes include:
- Vunes: Dried young gabi stalks cooked with meat or fish.
- Lataven: Raw fish mixed with ginger, onions, calamansi juice, and blanched with boiling fish broth.
- Lunyis: Salted pork fried in its own lard.
- Uvod: A dish made from banana pith, fish, and local herbs.
- Vunung: Another banana pith-based dish similar to Uvod.
- Palek: Native wine made of sugarcane.
Agriculture and fishing remain primary livelihoods, with crops like garlic, sweet potatoes, and sugarcane (used to make palek, a native wine) being common.
Living in a region frequently battered by typhoons, the Ivatans have developed sustainable agricultural practices:
- Crop Selection: Cultivating root crops like yam, sweet potato, and taro, which are resilient to harsh weather conditions.
- Weather Prediction: Observing animal behavior and natural signs to anticipate weather changes, ensuring timely planting and harvesting.
