BUDBUD COARSE SEA SALT (MIAG-AO, ILOILO)

Budbud is a traditional, labor-intensive salt-making method still practiced in parts of Antique and Iloilo. The process uses natural materials such as sand, clay, bamboo, fire. It requires precision, patience, and generations of inherited knowledge.

Seawater is first sprinkled over beds of sand or fine clay and left to dry under the sun. The word budbud comes from the Kinaray-a term meaning “to sprinkle,” referring to this initial step. Once the salt crusts form on the sand, they are gathered and then leached with more seawater to create a concentrated brine.

The filtered brine is then carefully evaporated inside split bamboo poles placed over wood fires. Over time, coarse, slightly off-white salt crystals form, carrying a faint earthiness from the materials used. This salt is CRUNCHY and dry, certainly less moist and unctuous than most Philippine salts. It is a great finishing salt as it holds its shape and gives texture to dishes.

Because the method relies entirely on natural elements and human attention, yields are low and labor is high.