RUSH MAGAZINE

Tamilok at Kinabuch in Puerto Princesa
The name "tamilok" come from the words of a foreign visitor in Palawan while they were
walking when they saw locals in Palawan eating the raw worms from the woods and they
are eating it with just vinegar. The visitor said "Tommy, look!". Since then, the woodworms
from mangrove trees, have been known as tamilok. Despite by its usual name of
worm, woodworms are not that usual worms that some people are getting disgusted at,
woodworms are molluscs, which is why they tend to have an oyster-like taste and texture
like "tulya". The tamilok is served kinilaw style cuisine, meaning it is raw, deep in vinegar
with spicy peppers, onions, and calamansi juice. . First a review on tamilok, it’s not so bad
as you think. If you eat oysters, then you would most find them to have similar taste. Others
say tamilok has a distinct wood taste, but maybe coz I dipped it in too much vinegar
that it masked that woody flavour.
How to enjoy eating it:
1. On a plate full of tamilok, pick a size that you can swallow.
2. Deep it into the the spiced vinegar.
3. Deep it in a while, get it from the vinegar.
4. Swallow or eat it carefully like a spaghetti. Taste it carefully and feel the it as you get it
in your mouth.
5. Say masabor gale! It means "delicious" in Palawan. And when your done with one, repeat
it again until you finished it all.