1
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
- Sinigang—it's sour,
it's so comforting,

2
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and apparently, 
it's one of the best soups

3
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
in the world 
according to TasteAtlas.

4
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
So what makes it so special
and why do Filipinos

5
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
have so many different ways 
of making it?

6
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
That's where the main asim kilig 
kind of thing comes out.

7
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
We're here to interrogate, 
investigate, and most importantly

8
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
taste our way through 
the mysteries of Filipino food.

9
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
This is Patikim.

10
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
So what makes sinigang distinct?

11
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Well, the secret lies 
in our very Filipino way

12
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
of adding sourness 
to everything.

13
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And depending on where you live, 
those ingredients

14
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
can vary greatly.

15
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Sinigang is a verb, 
and versions will vary

16
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
throughout the archipelago.

17
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
We often associate sour 
with acid—

18
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
sampaloc, batwan, 
calamansi, etc—

19
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and most souring agents 
have citric acid.

20
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
But I'm wondering 
if the level of acidity

21
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
in our sinigang is what affects 
its sourness.

22
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
What do you think, 
Professor Ara?

23
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
- Thanks, Erwan.

24
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
So the total titratable acidity 
is one of the basic

25
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and simple tests for us 
to determine the amount of acid.

26
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
So when we say amount, 
that's the concentration

27
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
of acid present in our sample.

28
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
So when it comes to food, 
there are different types

29
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
of acids present.

30
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And normally, we report 
the total titratable acidity

31
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
on the type of acid.

32
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
So right now we will test 
four samples,

33
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
three of which are fruits.

34
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
We have the calamansi, 
the biasong, the batwan,

35
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and then this will be compared 
to our instant sinigang mix.

36
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
There are different types 
of acid in food.

37
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Each fruit will have 
a distinct type of acid.

38
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
They may not be the same 
for all of the samples

39
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
that we have tested.

40
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
So that is one factor in terms 
of the total titratable acidity

41
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and in terms 
of the perceived sourness.

42
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
So of course, 
the acids present in the food

43
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
will greatly contribute 
to the sour taste

44
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
of a particular dish.

45
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
But it is not normally 
the amount of acid present

46
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
in the food which dictates 
the sourness.

47
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
It also is dictated by the type 
of acid present.

48
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
So during titration,
the setup is very simple.

49
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
***So meron lang tayong burette and then yung reagent, isang base lang and then indicator for the color change, and then yun na yun. So very straightforward naman yung titration procedure. Ayan, nagpipink na siya. So pag nakikita na natin yung pink, ibig sabihin medyo malapit na tayo dun sa endpoint. So malapit ng maneutralize ng base natin yung acid na nasa sample. Yung reporting nito is in terms of the type of the acid. So for example for calamansi, the dominant acid here is citric acid, so irereport natin siya in terms of citric acid. For sinigang, iba iba rin depende sa type ng souring agent. So for tamarind, it's tartaric acid, for calamansi, it's citric acid, for batwan I also think it's citric acid, for kamias, it's oxalic acid. So those different types of acid also have a different perceived sourness. So it doesn't mean also that the amount of acid, the higher the amount of acid present in the sample the higher also the perceived sourness. So it depends on the type of the acid. Among those acid sa food na related to sinigang, yung high level ng degree of perceivable sourness is the tartaric acid. So kaya tamarind yung common na souring agents for sinigang. Ayan. So meron ng kita agad na pink color. So pag mabilis pa mawala yung kulay, ibig sabihin malayo pa sa endpoint. Pag medyo matagal na magdisappear yung pink color, ibig sabihin malapit na sa endpoint or yung total volume ng base na needed to neutralize the acid. Ayan. So that's the endpoint, pink color. So for the instant mix, yung volume na nagamit niya is around 22.5mL so mas konti siya compared sa calamansi kanina. So yung calamansi is, if I'm not mistaken, 55mL. So 55mL yung volume ng base. So for instant mix, 21.5mL, so ibig sabihin mas mataas yung titrated acidity ng calamansi natin na sample. Ibig lang sabihin mas mataas yung volume or concentration ng acid present sa calamansi compared sa instant mix, but it does not necessarily mean na in terms of perceived sourness mas maasim na si calamansi. So when it comes to taste, we have no instrument that can really measure the degree or intensity of a particular taste. So sabi nga the best instrument parin when it comes to detecting taste is our human tongue. So let's try this biasong na walang added water. Tagal di nagpipink. Very acidic. Ang taas ng... oo. So pag mabilis siya matapos, konti lang yung acid. Pag matagal or mas marami yung volume, mas mataas yung acid. So medyo complex kasi yung flavor profile ng sinigang, so parang balance siya ng sweetness, sourness, and saltiness. So ito naka 50mL na tayo pero di parin siya nagneuneutralize so we need more base. So ito diluted na to nagadd na ako ng water pero ang taas parin ng volume needed to neutralize the acid. Ayan. Faint pink, ayan. So 96.3mL yung volume na nagamit for biasong na diluted na, so added water. So very high din yung total titratable acidity present dito. Try natin yung batwan. 10mL. Try natin na as is walang water. So batwan known to na souring agent sa Visayas area naman. Ay konti lang pink agad. For batwan, small lang yung volume around 3mL para mareach niya yung endpoint. More or less calamansi and biasong magkalapit lang, yes. Kasi ito dinilute natin ng water. So yun yung results for these test.

50
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
So after conducting 
the total titratable acidity test,

51
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
we found that the batwan 
has lower total titratable acidity

52
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
as compared to the calamansi 
and the biasong.

53
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
As for the instant mix, 
it has a lower

54
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
total titratable acidity also 
as compared to the biasong

55
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and the calamansi.

56
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
So Erwan, based on this test, 
we can conclude

57
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
that we really cannot say 
that a dish will be sour,

58
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
perceived as sour, 
if it has higher

59
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
total titratable acidity,

60
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
it still depends on the type 
of acid present on the dish

61
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and of course, 
the other flavors in the dish.

62
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
So what we can do is 
we can have a sensory evaluation

63
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
of different sinigang dish 
made or prepared

64
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
with different souring agents 
and let the people taste,

65
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
let them decide whether 
or not the perceived sourness

66
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
is acceptable or right for them.

67
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
- We need to get 
to the bottom of this.

68
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
So we gathered a group 
of unsuspecting individuals

69
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
to put their taste buds 
to the test.

70
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Do they perceive sourness
in the same way?

71
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
- Hey, guys!

72
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
- My name is Seth 
and I'm from Manila.

73
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
- Hi! I'm Ina 
and I'm from Bacolod.

74
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
- Hi! I'm Trish 
and I'm from Manila.

75
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
- I'm Martin 
and I'm from QC—

76
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Quezon City.

77
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
- Hi! I'm Nika.

78
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I'm from Misamis Occidental 
in Mindanao.

79
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
- Yo, what's that?

80
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
(laughs)

81
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
***Calamansi yata to eh. Nagulat ako parang sawsawan eh. Lasang sawsawan kasi.

82
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
- I like this one.

83
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
It kind of tastes 
like sinigang mix.

84
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
- Okay.

85
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
(chuckles)

86
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Wow!

87
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
***Gumuguhit eh.

88
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
- I'm scared.

89
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
***Ito ata yung pinakamaasim.
Masakit siya sa ngalangala.

90
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
- Christ.

91
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
(chuckles)

92
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
***Parang nagcacramps yung dito ko, wait lang.

93
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
- The whole thing?

94
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I can't bite it.

95
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
It's not coming...

96
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
***Magpa-pasta ka muna, ate.
- Hilaw pa to.

97
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
- Disclaimer, I have 
the lowest tolerance to sourness.

98
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
- I inhaled it!

99
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
(coughs)

100
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I was like, 
"Oh, Sour Patch Kids,"

101
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
then it just kept going
more sour and sour and sour.

102
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
My mouth is still watering.

103
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
- Okay, okay, okay, I get it.

104
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Sinigang isn't just a soup,
it's a cooking technique,

105
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
it's a way of life, some may say.

106
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
It really is a choose 
your own sourness adventure.

107
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
But why are we Filipinos 
so obsessed with its tangy

108
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
kick and flavor?

109
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
We're sitting down 
with Micky Fenix.

110
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I'm sure she'll have the answers.

111
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
- I'm Michaela Fenix.

112
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Sometimes I write 
under Micky Fenix.

113
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I started writing about food 
in the 1980s.

114
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
It was just a hobby of some sort.

115
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
After that, people kept 
on writing me about their food

116
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
because they wanted 
to showcase their food.

117
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
It's always been supposed thing 
about Filipino food

118
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
that we like sour.

119
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
But it's not only us, apparently.

120
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
It's also our Southeast 
Asian neighbors, ASEAN,

121
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and then around the world.

122
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Bryan Koh wrote something 
about that in one book

123
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
that we did, and he said 
sourness apparently

124
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
releases serotonin
and it's something

125
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
that makes us feel good.

126
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I would like to add to that 
that sourness

127
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
actually wets the appetite.

128
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And the Filipino... it's so crazy.

129
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
You go to any carinderia, 
you eat there,

130
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
the Filipino diner will always ask 
for soup,

131
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and usually the soup is sinigang.

132
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
So I think that sort 
of establishes it as something

133
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
that we need to have in our meals—
something sour.

134
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Also, because we have pickles— 
atchara.

135
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
We need something 
to balance, let's say,

136
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
richness with sour 
so that you temper

137
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
the richness of a food.

138
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
So the sourness always has 
to be there somehow,

139
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
you know.

140
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And of course, 
our penchant for soup.

141
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And I think many Filipinos 
are like that also in a sense.

142
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Like me.

143
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I mean, when I look 
at the food and see—

144
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
what would enhance the food,

145
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
what would make it taste better.

146
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
We all have the same preference 
for sourness also

147
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
in our ASEAN neighbors.

148
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I was so surprised.

149
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
One time I was researching,
and then I saw Malaysia

150
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
had singgang
and then they use kamias.

151
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
So I said to myself, 
"Doesn't that sound sinigang?"

152
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
It's very near us.

153
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
But they also have other things 
apart from that.

154
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I mean, it depends on where 
in Malaysia you are.

155
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
They have all this sort 
of sour food.

156
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And I said to myself, 
when we were doing the book

157
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Table for 10," 
which is shared ASEAN food,

158
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
we thought, "My gosh, 
we're practically the same."

159
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
We just...

160
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Even if...

161
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
We did call the food the same,
"sinigang," "singgang."

162
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
You know?

163
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
What's nice about sinigang
is you can put in anything

164
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and make it sinigang
and make it sour.

165
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
So I remember when I was in Cebu, 
they would always chide me

166
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and say, because I am from Luzon,

167
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Your sinigang is so sour."

168
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
They would always say that.

169
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And then, I would return,
"Yours lack sourness."

170
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The difference is there
but it's the same in terms

171
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
of sour soup.

172
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I think the MSG scare 
is just too much.

173
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
You have soy sauce, 
which is MSG,

174
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and we use it all the time.

175
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And for me, the mere fact 
that food companies

176
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
are doing convenience food helps 
in promoting our food

177
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
in the world, you know,

178
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
so at least people will get 
to know us through that even if...

179
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Because if we teach them 
from scratch thing,

180
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
it's not going to be appealing 
to them.

181
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
First of all, where will they get 
the sampaloc, right?

182
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Where will they get the kamias?

183
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
It's convenience. Yeah.

184
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
It's our culture, our penchant 
for liking sour things.

185
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
- The best thing 
about understanding a dish

186
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and getting to know it intimately, 
knowing its history,

187
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
trying to understand 
its context, its milieu,

188
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
is that it gives you the tools 
to kind of appropriate it

189
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
subjectively in terms 
of what you think

190
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
is the best version of the dish.

191
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Sinigang is something 
that we all grew up eating,

192
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
we all have 
that shared memory of it.

193
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
But as we've seen, 
flavor is very personal.

194
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
So if you're someone 
that likes to cook at home,

195
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
especially when it comes 
to Filipino food,

196
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
especially one of these dishes 
that's more of a category,

197
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
less of a dish, 
more of a technique

198
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and a cooking style 
and less of a prescription,

199
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
then it should give you 
the liberty to eventually

200
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
make your own recipe regionalistic.

201
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
We can actually get 
different ingredients

202
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
from different parts 
of the Philippines

203
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and come up 
with something different.

204
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And I feel the combination 
of batwan and sampaloc

205
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
is absolutely beautiful 
when it comes to this soup.

206
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Right, Jed? Awesome. Let's get cooking. So that goes into our pot here and right away with our tomatoes and my onion. So these will just be quartered. All that goes into our pot.