The Philippines marked a historic cultural achievement as asin tibuok, the traditional artisanal sea salt from Alburquerque, Bohol, was officially inscribed on UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding during the committee’s 20th session in New Delhi on December 9, 2025, becoming the first Philippine traditional food process ever recognized on any UNESCO intangible heritage list.
Often called “dinosaur egg salt” for its dome-like form, asin tibuok is created through a painstaking, weeks-long process dating back to at least the 17th century, involving soaking coconut husks in seawater, burning them into ash, filtering brine, and boiling it for hours in handmade clay pots to produce a smoky, earthy salt prized by chefs worldwide.
National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) Chairman Victorino Mapa Manalo said the inscription honors the skill and dedication of Boholano salt makers, while Senator Loren Legarda emphasized that it affirms heritage as living knowledge passed down through memory, practice, and care across generations.
Today, the craft survives through only a few families in Alburquerque, with much of its knowledge preserved through a 2022 British Museum–funded documentation project that recorded the full production process and traditional kamalig salt workshops.
With this recognition, asin tibuok becomes the Philippines’ seventh UNESCO intangible cultural heritage entry, joining the Subanen buklog ritual on the Urgent Safeguarding List and opening pathways for international cooperation, cultural tourism, and sustainable livelihoods for Bohol’s remaining mangasinay salt makers.
