The Strange Process Behind One of the World’s Most Unusual Salts

It doesn’t look like food. It doesn’t even seem edible. Yet in Guimaras, this is flavour itself. Feathery shavings that dissolve between fingers, sprinkled over grilled fish or roasted meat. Even atop warm rice, a pinch of this ancient salt transforms every bite. Tultul delivers a soft mineral saltiness, a whisper of roasted aroma, and the subtle essence of coconut—a culinary alchemy born from fire, ash, and sea.

Tultul, named from the local word “to dip”, has seasoned Guimaras’ tables for generations. Its profile is smoky, with the faintest trace of coconut lingering on the tongue.

Guimaras, a small island off the southern coast of the Philippines, is home to just over 180,000 people. Known globally for its mangoes, the island also hides another treasure: a rare, hand-formed sea salt. Tultul’s secret ingredient is unexpected—ash. Barangay Hoskyn is the only place where this centuries-old salt is made, passed down through generations.

Driftwood, washed ashore from every corner of the island, carries hidden seasoning from its time at sea. Layer by layer, it is burned into ash over a week-long process, producing the foundation of tultul. The salt’s salinity emerges not just from seawater, but from the mineral-rich ash of driftwood steeped in saltwater.

Creating a batch of tultul begins with a towering ash pile, built meticulously over seven days. Poking holes into the mound allows seawater to penetrate and infuse the ash with minerals. Rain is a constant threat; wet ash means lost flavor. Centuries-old knowledge guides the process, as each batch depends on the delicate balance between fire, ash, and water.

Once reduced to white, mineral-rich ash, it is ready to meet seawater again. The mixture passes through bamboo filters, producing a concentrated brine called tuma. Coconut flesh is added, connecting land and sea in a single drop. The brine simmers in metal molds over roaring fire, slowly crystallizing into the smoky, fragrant salt unique to Guimaras.

Each slab of tultul weighs nearly a kilogram, formed after ten days of labor. Historically, it sustained island families, flavoring plain rice or acting as a salt lick for livestock. Today, its rustic allure has inspired culinary innovation. On organic farms across Guimaras, tultul is being infused into chocolate, where its smoky saltiness and subtle coconut notes harmonize with rich cacao, producing flavors both ancient and modern.

Tultul represents the elements—sea, ash, driftwood, and fire—transformed through human craft into something extraordinary. Its simplicity hides a depth of history and taste that no other salt can match.

Guimaras is more than mangoes and beaches. It is the island where smoke, fire, and the ocean converge to create a seasoning unlike any other. For travelers and food enthusiasts, tasting tultul is not just a culinary experience—it’s a journey through centuries of artisanal mastery, where every grain tells the story of the island, its people, and the enduring marriage of tradition and flavor.

---

Follow Storyantra for more unique food journeys, hidden culinary gems, and global travel stories that blend tradition with taste.