The Vinegar of Ilocos

Sukang Iloko, the vinegar of the Ilocanos, is derived from sugarcane juice and is used for making Ilocano sausages and as a potent dip for pork dishes. The vinegar is stored and fermented in traditional burnay, locally made clay jars that artisans learned to make from Chinese craftsmen hundreds of years ago. The sugarcane juice is extracted by a traditional carabao-powered crusher, cooked in a huge vat to a molasses stage, and poured into the burnay. The bark of the kariskis tree is the fermenting agent for the vinegar. Fermentation can last from two months to a year, depending on the jar and the quality of the molasses.