THE BEST SOUP IN THE WORLD (Sinigang)

- Sinigang—it's sour,
it's so comforting,

and apparently,
it's one of the best soups

in the world
according to TasteAtlas.

So what makes it so special
and why do Filipinos

have so many different ways
of making it?

That's where the main asim kilig
kind of thing comes out.

We're here to interrogate,
investigate, and most importantly

taste our way through
the mysteries of Filipino food.

This is Patikim.

So what makes sinigang distinct?

Well, the secret lies
in our very Filipino way

of adding sourness
to everything.

And depending on where you live,
those ingredients

can vary greatly.

Sinigang is a verb,
and versions will vary

throughout the archipelago.

We often associate sour
with acid—

sampaloc, batwan,
calamansi, etc.

And most souring agents have citric acid. But I'm wondering if the level of acidity in our sinigang is what affects its sourness. What do you think, Professor Arrow? Thanks, Erwan. So the total titratable acidity is one of the basic and simple tests for us to determine the amount of acid. So when we say amount, that's the concentration of acid present in our sample. So when it comes to food, there are different types of acids present. And normally we report the total titratable acidity on the type of acid. So right now we will test four samples, three of which are fruits. We have the calamansi, the biasong, dibatuan, and then this will be compared to our instant sinigang mixed. There are different types of acid in food. Each fruit will have a distinct type of acid. They may not be the same for all of the samples that we have tested. So that is one factor in terms of the total titratable acidity and in terms of the perceived sourness. So of course, the acids present in the food will greatly contribute to the sour taste of a particular dish. But it is not normally the amount of acid present in the food which dictates the sourness.