It is in this essay that the Ybanag group and the culture of the Cagayan province are given special emphasis in order to unravel the deep secrets of the race that painfully are beginning to wane due to the advent of commercialism and modernization.

Ybanag Indigenous Foods

The Ybanag's life revolves around foods or anything connected with foods. The Ybanag's health revolves around foods. Success in the rearing of the Ybanag's children and family depends on foods. Social celebrations and gatherings - whether formal, informal or semiformal; simple or pompous; small or big - are defined by the foods served and eaten. These illustrate how food is most relevant to Ybanag's life and culture.

Ybanag foods come in different forms, tastes, colors, shapes, grandiosity and presentation. Further, Ybanag foods are narrowed into four major categories which give various, yet, definite meanings to Ybanag festivities. Ybanag foods are classified as mappaganas ta accacan or appetizers; maca-macan or main dish; and paddulse or desserts.

Mappaganas Ta Accacan (Appetizers)

Ybanag indigenous foods and meals can be described as aromatic, aphrodisiac, delicious, savory, and nutritious. These descriptions are so apt that one can be awed by the variety of meals the Ybanags eat. This is because other than the main dishes, the Ybanag social functions are complemented by appetizers (mappaganas ta accacan).

Among the Ybanags, meals are complemented with a concoction of raw vegetables, and/or fishes/shellfishes. The appetizers serve as a pulley that pushes one to eat more than the usual, ordinary quantity he can take.

Among the Ybanags, the best and most sought after appetizers (mappaganas ta accacan) are the onion salad (salsa na sebolyas), pickled peper (sili nga artem), lemon juice (daggo na dalaya). Likewise, onion leaves salad (salsa nga kutchay,)which is a concoction of onions mixed with fish paste (bagoong), and chopped ginger with sliced tomatoes, is a favorite appetizer among the Ybanag.

The Ybanags describe appetizers to be mappaganas ta accacan. Mappaganas means to stimulate one's gustatory gland to eat. For the Ybanags, appetizer is important since one should be stimulated to savor the food served on the table.

Ybanag appetizers are simple and economical. They come from various indigenous plants available in the surroundings. Generally, Ybanag's appetizers result from experimentations the Ybanags conduct with whatever is readily available in their laguerta or garden, kakayuan or nearby bushes, koman or at the farm, or nearby water or kayan. The preparation of appetizers is not usually laborious; it is easy to prepare and most often plain. Accessibility to the spices of these appetizers is easy, considering that most are home grown or found in the market.

In Tuguegarao City , the early Ybanags craved for appetizers.

Maca-Macan (Main Dishes)

It ishelpful to classify the Ybanag main dish according to its sources which are aya-ayam (animals), mana-manango (fishes and shellfishes), and gula-gulay (plants). From these main sources of food result the main dishes for the Ibanag. These aya-ayam, mana-manango, and gula-gulay (plantsvegetables) are cooked in uniquely Ybanag ways and processes.

Aya-Ayam (Animals)

The Ybanag's main dishes come from animals. These animals are baka (cow), nuang (carabao), kazzing(goat), karneru (sheep), kitu (dog), utta (deer), bavi (pig), pabu (turkey), manu (chicken), ayong (monkey), and patu (duck), gansu (goose).

Meat is the focal point of the main dish. Meat is not only a universal popular food, but also an important part of the diet because of the substances it contains. To the Ybanag, the substances sourced from meat give strength to the body (mappasican), lengthen lifespan (mappaapaddu ta attolay), refines way of living (malladda y attolay), and mappasikan ta bagga-baggi. The importance of meat to the Ybanag's health is greatly manifested when celebrating special occasions like baptism (pakristianu), birthday (diyas), anniversary (compleanyo), family reunion (aggurummung), patron's feast (fiesta) and wedding (mappacasal).

Mana-Manango (Fish/Water Animals)

Mana-manango or fishes or sira-sira are the other main source of the Ibanag's staple food. This is due to the description of the province where the indigenous Ybanag thrive. Cagayan, as it is topographically described, is verdant with bodies of water. From the bodies of water came several kinds, shapes and sizes of fishes.

The Ybanags of Cagayan are located in different regions of the Province. Some Ybanags are located in forested areas; others are at the center and others along or near seashores. The proximity of forests, or water to the people determine the sources of staple food. Hence, Ybanags near waterbeds are dependent on body of water.

The Ybanag's vanity for fishes exemplifies the vast variety of fish taken from the waters. For instance, informants from Pamplona , Abulug, Aparri and Buguey (barangays which are situated along the seashore) source their meals from fishes taken afresh from the water.

These fishes are ludong (mullet), kurilaw (Manila Sea Channel Catfish), agua/pasga/purung/vugasin, sapsap (toothed ponyfish), mori (goby), tabbalay (spangled emperor), ifun (goby), caggu (clam), kiwo (eel), larangan (glassy pershlet), akaya (crab), lasi/aramang ( tiny shrimp), cusifan/padaw (lobster), patta (catfish), dalag (mudfish), basikul (whelks), liddak (periwinkle), ala (freshwater clam), agurung (periwinkle), vunganga (whelks), berabig/birabid (whelks), kabibi ( clam), and gurami (fresh water fish).

Gula-Gulay (Vegetables)

Ybanag indigenous foods come mainly from plants which are used as vegetables.

While other cultures are wary of plants, the Ybanags are experimental, creative and ingenious as regards palnts. All parts of plants in any form are used as vegetable-foods. The mayan or underground crops used as vegetables are camosi (sweet potato), rabanus (radish),

The stems, leaves and flowers of plants are likewise considered edible foods. These are afutu na dupo (banana blossom), alibabag (alucon, Llk.), anta (string beans), apape (balsam pear), balangac (swamp cabbage), Calabasa (squash), catuday (sesban), cubay (Malabar nightshade), don saluyu (jute), camosi (sweet potato), lanteng/maralisto/baleva (eel grass), marunggay (horse radish), nasi (spiny amaranth), paku (edible fern), papait (sarsalida, lbn), pichay (pechay), rabung (bamboo shoot), sili amiling (Chile or red pepper).

Fruits and seeds of plants are also considered food (maca-macan) among the Ybanags. These are amale (butterfly bean), anta (string beans), anta (string beans), apape (balsam pear), balatung (green gram), Baranghenas (eggplant), bassaw (hyacinth bean), bichuelas (bush snap bean), cabatengga (vegetable gourd), cabatiti (sponge gourd), Calabasa (squash), candoli (white squash), capaya (papaya), cardis (pigeon pea), gulapitan (lima bean), marunggay (horse-radish), nangca (jackfruit),saluyu (Okra), sili amiling (chile pepper), sili macopa (sweet apepper).

Paddulse (Dessert)

The dessert is the concluding part of the meal process among the Ybanag whether simple, or great; formal or informal; ordinary or unique social gathering. It is the dessert served that finally characterizes what an Ybanag culinary culture is. It is in the dessert served that makes the ultimate uniqueness among the Ybanag indigenous peoples.

The dessert or paddulse is what makes a difference in the taste, shape, savor, and meaning of the main dishes. It is the dessert that reshapes and recalls the sumptuous and enjoyable eating session that the meal-eaters have on social gatherings or during simple family gatherings.

Usually, and most often, the Ybanag meal with others and laughters are concluded with the ordinary yet often well-taken-care of fruits which are found in the laguerta of the Ybanag host. Fruits that abound within the area, or the community or within ones reach is what is served as paddulse. These fruits are taken afresh from the trunk, washed, peeled or pared, sliced, mashed, halved or cut. And of course eaten fresh!

Ripe fresh fruits are delicious. They maybe eaten raw or cooked. Fruits are valuable sources of minerals like ion, calcium, phosphorous, potassium and magnesia. Most fruits contain vitamins A, B and C, sugar and water. Fruits are washed thoroughly in running water before eaten.

Rica-Ricadu (Ingredients)

Rica-ricadu or ingredients are a must for Ybanag social and culinary functions. Without these, Ybanag meals can never be complete.

The foods of the indigenous Ybanag are never sumptuous unless at least three of the following ingredients are present. The basic ingredients or most cpmmon ingredients of Ybanag indigenous foods are sebolyas (onions), ahus (garlic), bagong munamun (fish paste), laya (ginger), tawyu (soy sauce), asin (salt), and pamienta (pepper).

Other important ingredients in the early Ybanag cuisine are addulu, (kamias), bagoong aramang (shrimp paste), bagoong ifun (fry paste), calamansi (Philippine lemon), dalaya na sical (lemon grass), dalaya (lemon), don na sebolyas/kutchay (onion leaves), kamasi ( tomato), lappaw na kalamagi (tamarind flowers), laurel (bay leaf), lugu na calamagi (young tamarind leaves), lugu na lubban (young pomelo leaves), nabbaggawan ta bagga (ricewash), silam (vinegar), sili amiling (pungent pepper), and uzzin nga sili (red pepper).