Delicious Pork Humba

Humba is a sweet pork dish that resembles the famous pork adobo in terms of appearance. This is popular in the southern parts of the Philippines and is considered as one of the delicacies of the region. Pork belly, pork hocks, and pork ham are the 3 most common pig parts used to make this delightful masterpiece.

This dish uses all the ingredients of pork adobo; however, certain ingredients such as brown sugar, salted black beans, and banana blossoms make this dish stand out. There are also other variations wherein pineapple juice is used (I learned this from my friends that came from Cebu, Davao, and Gensan).

Just like adobo, humba was made due to the need for the meat to last longer. Humba lasts for several days without spoiling due to the vinegar present and especially if it is immersed in oil.

There are some versions why this dish is called such, some would say that it is from the phrase “HUmot nga BAboy” with the first two letters of the first and the last words joined together. Humot is a word in the Bisayan dialect which could be roughly translated to mean “sweet smelling”, “fragrant”, or “with delicious smell”. Baboy, on the other hand, is Filipino for pork or for a pig (it could be interchangeable depending on the usage). Some argue that it really means “HUmok nga BAboy”, since the meat, due to the way it is cooked, becomes very soft and tender. Humok means “soft” or “tender”.

So, here are the ingredients that is needed on ” How to cook Pork Humba”

3/4 tablespoon ground black pepper

25 grams dried banana

1 kilo pork belly or, if you want, the meat from the leg or thigh part, cut in desired portions (medium sizes are preferred)
2 to 3 regular size garlic, crushed and diced
2 regular size red onion; chopped
2/3 cup vinegar (palm vinegar or cane vinegar are preferred for a more authentic taste)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup white sugar or brown sugar

(most folks now use Sprite or Coca Cola instead of sugar, if you use soda 1 1/2 cup of it would be plenty enough)

6 bay leaves

7 star anise

1 cup of rice water (if you do not have rice water, good old water would do)

blossoms (optional)
½ cup of salted black beans (you could get this in cans and it is best to drain most of the sauce/juice and only use about 2-4 tablespoons worth of the sauce/juice)
Cooking oil

Salt (add this to taste)