By Almira Louise S. Martinez, Reporter
A SMALL business in Bulacan province is working to preserve inukit na dayap, a traditional candied lime delicacy, as fewer artisans practice the labor-intensive craft.
Ocampo’s Specialty Product in San Miguel, Bulacan, continues to produce the hand-carved confectionery, which takes about a week to prepare and requires considerable skill to prevent the delicate fruit rind from breaking.
“I don’t know anyone who is still doing it because maybe, the older generations failed to teach the younger ones,” owner Cecilio A. Castro told BusinessWorld in an interview. “The new generations should know this because this is part of our culture.”
San Miguel was once known for its traditional sweets, including inukit na dayap, pastillas de leche and yema, earning the municipality the name San Miguel de Mayumo — sweet in the Kapampangan language.
“They used to call it San Miguel de Mayumo, which means sweet,” Mr. Castro said. “So, San Miguel, Bulacan was known for its sweets.”
While other traditional desserts remain popular among residents and tourists, inukit na dayap has become increasingly difficult to find as fewer people learn the craft.
The delicacy is made from native lime rind carved into intricate patterns and preserved in sugar, producing a sweet confection with a mint-like flavor. It can be eaten on its own or paired with pastillas de leche, a milk-based candy.
Mr. Castro learned the craft from his mother-in-law Luz M. Ocampo, who established the business around the 1920s. He said Ms. Ocampo continued carving the fruit into old age and lived to 94.
“She was able to reach 94 years old and just died because of old age,” he said. “Inukit helped with her long life because she was able to keep her mind working as she carved the fruit.”
Producing inukit na dayap involves cleaning, boiling and soaking the fruit to remove its pulp and the bitter oils from its rind. The process takes about a week, during which the rind becomes increasingly thin and fragile.
“As you progress, the fruit becomes thinner and more sensitive,” Mr. Castro said. “It’s hard if you are heavy-handed because it gets damaged easily. Sometimes, in 10 designs, only five get to be part of the final product, so it really depends on your skills.”
Sourcing suitable native limes presents another challenge, with each fruit costing P10 to P15.
Mr. Castro said the business must carefully select fruit without damage from insects or other animals because imperfections could affect the finished product.
“It’s expensive even if you buy it from the market,” he said. “You have to pick those without any animal bites.”
Traditional beliefs among some tree owners can also complicate harvesting.
Mr. Castro said certain owners do not allow buyers to pick fruit themselves, while others observe beliefs restricting who may harvest from their trees.
A mature dayap tree produces about 10 to 23 kilos of fruit annually, with two fruiting seasons each year, according to startup Dayap Philippines.
Ocampo’s produces about 500 jars of inukit na dayap a year, selling them for P400 each.
The business seeks to increase production this year as orders rise ahead of the Christmas season, traditionally an important sales period.
“They are already placing orders for Christmas, and we’re just in October, so hopefully we can have more in the coming months,” Mr. Castro said.