Iba or Kamias: My Childhood Snack
Kamias or what is popularly known as Iba in Ilonggo is one of my favorite childhood snack alongside green mango, star apple, and guava. We didn’t have Jollibee or any fancy restaurant in Iloilo when I was a kid (except for some old-time Kong Kee, Dainty and Ted’s La Paz batchoy) so our backyard was the most convenient place to go everytime we crave for something to stuff our small bodies. My grandparents loved fruit trees and a variety of exotic plants. They probably planted every known fruit tree in every corner of our compound. We were educated to utilize everything that we had and that includes reaching for the nearest tree when we were hungry.
Iba stood graciously beside my grandparents’ house near the concrete fench surrounding our compound. It was always the object of desire among our neighbors’ kids that they would painstakingly climb over the fence to harvest the fruits. The time of the day was of no essence for them. They’d do it at nigh if they had to. I grew up shooing away as many kids as I could ever remember– sometimes I’d even throw stones at them. I got myself into petty fights with other kids because I was overly protective of the tree. Later on I discovered that some days, iba was all they had on their table. I heard it’s best with hot rice and a pinch of salt.
Iba is always paired with rock salt. For me, at least. I eat it in so many different ways that my mother would sometimes fear I’d turn green from eating. What I like doing is to crush the fruit with my bare hand to extract the juice. When it’s dry enough, I sprinkle it with salt. Sometimes I like to eat it with style. I’d take out a China and arrange the sliced fruit in circles. The dip is usually salt mixed with soy sauce. Yum!
My grandma didn’t eat it as it is. She liked the more complex way by fermenting them in a big bottle and wait for a week before she served it in the dining table. Sometimes she’d make candies out of ripe iba but it’s just weird to associate that fruit with something sweet.
Iba is not only limited for eating and this we all know for sure. We use it as substitute to disinfect our hands and to remove stains from our clothes. I also learned to use it to clean my toenails and fingernails, usually before I request for a manicure or pedicure. One of my aunts use it to whiten dark areas of her body like elbows, knees and neck. She said it’s better than Eskinol since it’s natural and free. You know what? I believe her!
im really very thankful you found a great guy like him.
my mom always has dried kamias in her pantry. in batangas kasi, they use the very very dried kamias (dried under the sun until they are really brown and wrinkled!) for their famous yummy pinangat na tulingan or dulong or tawilis. my husband loves it!
[...] I was 14 years old when this happened. I didn’t experience anything traumatic before that so I had no idea that death could be very excruciating until I saw my grandfather’s head buried in his hands with tears cascading on his face. I couldn’t imagine the pain that he felt– it must be hard to contain because I never saw him crushed like that before. He was always there for her even when she was at times unreasonable. I tried to make sense of reality and when I couldn’t, I cried next to him, all on my own, as if I was grieving in private and didn’t want anyone to come near. I remember crying while walking to our house, in the bathroom, in bed, and even the morning after while eating my breakfast. I guess I already understood that my grandmother’s loss was irreversible so I felt a sense of guilt for prioritizing less-important things over spending time with her. I didn’t realize that until her death. I felt as if 14 years were insufficient to let her know how precious our moments were. Sadly, all I could hold on to was the memory. [...]