Humba

Humbà, also spelledhombà, is aFilipinobraisedporkdish from theVisayas,Philippines. It traditionally uses fatty cuts ofpork bellyslow-cooked until very tender insoy sauce,vinegar,black peppercorns,garlic,bay leaves, andfermented black beans(tausi) sweetened withmuscovadosugar. It also commonly includeshard-boiled eggsandbanana blossoms.
Humbais derived from the Chinesered braised pork belly(HokkienChinese:封肉;Pe̍h-ōe-jī:hong-bah / hong-mah;lit.'roast meat'; also known inMandarinChinese:紅燒肉;pinyin:hóngshāoròu;lit.'red cooked meat') introduced to the Philippines viaHokkienimmigrants, but it differs significantly from the original dish in that Filipinohumbahas evolved to be cooked closer toPhilippineadobo, using a lot morevinegar.Humbaalso does not traditionally userice wine,ginger,chilis, orfive-spice powder; and it commonly use additional ingredients likebanana flowersor pineapples, which are absent in the original dish. Regardless, traces of its Chinese origin is still evident in the primary use offermented black beans(tausi), an uncommon ingredient in native Filipino cuisine. Humba is likely precolonial in origin and its precursor variant and ingredients were likely brought to the Visayas by Hokkien migrants.
The defining ingredient ofhumbais thefermented black beans(tausi), without which it is basically just a slightly sweeterPhilippineadobo. Likeadoboit has many different variants, but it is relatively easy to prepare albeit time-consuming.
The most basichumbarecipe uses fatty cuts of pork, usually thepork belly(liempo). It is marinated in a mixture ofsoy sauce,vinegar,garlic,bay leaves, andblack peppercorns. The pork is then sautéed with the garlic. Once the meat is half-cooked and lightly browned, water is added with the rest of the ingredients along with fermented black beans andmuscovadosugar (or some other sweetening agent).Banana blossomsmay also be added. It is then allowed to simmer for a few hours until the meat is very tender. Alternatively, it can be cooked in apressure cookerto cut down the cooking time.Hard-boiled eggsmay be added before serving. It is eaten with white rice.
Humbacan sometimes be prepared with chicken, in which case it is more or less identical to Philippine chickenadobo, except for the use oftausi.It can also be prepared withpineapplesas the sweetener, which again makes it very similar to another Filipino dish, thehamonado.
A similar dish tohumbaispata tim, which is also derived from Chinesered braised pork belly. Butpata timdoes not usevinegarortausiand primarily usespork hockwithpéchayandmushrooms.
The Humba is known as the main delicacy of the town ofRondain the province ofCebu. Every year, the town holds the Humba Festival to promote the local cuisine of the town. The festival is also considered a religious festival and is celebrated around the feast day of the town's patron saint,Our Lady of Sorrows, which falls on September 15. During the festival, there are Humba cooking contests and religious dance offerings in honor of theBlessed Virgin. This is generally a week long affair and all activities are aimed at promoting the Humba of Ronda. This festival is one of the activities of the tourism program done to promote the town of Ronda and the town's special Humba.