Humba — Philippines

Humba, sometimes spelled hombà, is a Filipino braised pork dish from the Visayas built on fatty cuts of pork belly, slow-cooked until very tender in a mixture of soy sauce, vinegar, black peppercorns, garlic and bay leaves, sweetened with muscovado sugar and given a savory depth by fermented black beans known as tausi. It is reported across the Visayas region of the Philippines, prepared for family meals and festive occasions alike, and often kept simmering a while longer so the sauce has time to reduce and the pork to soften further. To prepare it, the pork belly is browned and then simmered slowly with the soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, tausi and muscovado sugar, with just enough water or broth added to keep it from drying out; hard-boiled eggs and banana blossoms are added partway through so they absorb the sauce without falling apart. What sets humba apart from other Filipino pork stews sharing similar soy-and-vinegar bases is the presence of tausi and the pronounced sweetness from muscovado sugar, along with the addition of banana blossoms, which is far less common in related braises and gives the dish a distinct texture alongside the soft pork.