Bubod - yeast
Diket - "sticky" variety of rice
Labba - a wide flat round rattan container primarily used for winnowing rice
Gusi - clay jar
Dalikan - earthen stove
Sayote - the fruit of a climbing plant common in the Cordilleras
Camote - sweet potato
Bobo - old Kankana-ey term for rice

This is served when a host invites somebody to partake of his rice wine at his house. It is also drank in volumes during public festivities and celebrations.

Needs:

- half a pound of bubod
- a kilo of diket preferrably of the red variety
- a labba (or any wide space) to spread the rice to dry
- a gosi or any closed container

(Note: One of the most high-grade kind of bubod is available from the vendors of Abatan, Benguet. Don't try plastics as containers, they add a plasticky flavor.)

Ways:

Cook the kilo of diket with a little less water than you would cook an ordinay rice. Just after the boiling water has been absorbed (na-ilowagan), set aside the diket.

(Before continuing, tell everyone not to disturb you until everything as not to destroy the spirit of the tapey. The oldies even ask, 'Maid um-umtot' or 'No farting".)

Spread the diket on a labba covered with banana leaves (or just spread the diket around any open space) and wait until its a little bit dry. Crush the bobod into very fine powder. Then, spread the bobod evenly. (This is a crucial part - you have to do it very evenly. My mother told me that one of the secrets to a good tapey lies in the quality of the distribution of bobod in the diket).

Put this in your container and seal tightly. If you are in a cold place, put it in a warm location. (usually near the dalikan or in the corner of the house) Wait for at least 4-5 days, after which the tapey is now ready. Remember, the sweetness of the tapey decreases with time.

Foreigners dubbed this as Igorot Ham / Igorot Smoked Meat. It refers to salted pork and is cooked best with pinikpikan, legumes, or plain vegetables. It can also be deep fried and then in vinegar or hot sauce. Your choice...

Needs:

- Pork (1/5 of it should at least be fat).
- Plenty of Salt
- Garlic (optional)
- Pepper (optional)
- Storage container (Preferably wooden or clay jars)

(Note: Traditional Igorots use the meat on top of the neck of the pig. The Chops are a good alternative. The container must not be metal, because of the reaction of the salt with the metal. If you are using plastic, make sure you use the hard ones and the meat should be used before six months are over otherwise, the meat would taste like well .. plastic... )

Ways:

Rub the meat with generous amounts of salt. You may also add garlic or pepper. Look for a suitable place where the meat can be hanged so it will undergo the curing process. The best way is to smoke it in the shade.

(Note: You can use any of the varieties of redwood, oak, dried birch, or "dapong". As much as possible, avoid any of the Pine family. If you have no choice but to use Pine wood, make sure the wood is dry, and avoid using resin-packed wood, since the meat will have a bitter taste. The best wood to use is rosewood.)

Make a fire under the meat. The meat should be high enough so that the flames and excessive heat won't reach it, but low enough so that the smoke reaches the meat. Smoke it for a minimum of thirty minutes and a maximum of three hours per day, for at least two weeks. If you used rosewood, and the place you are curing it is clean, surely free from insects, dust, and dirt, the meat can actually be eaten raw. The result is the best type of innasin/etag. Store in container for future use.

Needs:

- Any leafy vegetables (usually camote shoots or beans leaves)
- Sliced camote
- Rice
- Cooking pot

Ways:

Boil a pot of rice. When it starts boiling, add the camote slices. When it starts to dry (malinay), add the vegetable leaves. The dish is ready once the rice dries up.

(About the dish: Before, when bobo was rare, it was considered as food for the rich and so it was not uncommon for people to cook rice with that many extenders. I remember my grandmother telling stories of how she would get reprimanded by her mother every time she frets and picks only the rice from a meal of kinal-oy. "Lastog. Ay imbag no nan sam asawaen et sada ka kanayon ay mapak-pakan is inapoy" The closest English translation goes like - "You choosy girl - its good if you'll ever find a husband who can afford to feed you rice at every meal".)