Nicole Ponseca > Quotes

“Portmanteaus, or words derived by blending two or more others, are plentiful in Tagalog. Humba might be an example. Some folklore traces the dish’s namesake from stringing the first two letters of the first and last words in the phrase humot nga baboy together. (Humot can mean “sweet smelling” or “delicious smell”; baboy means “pork” or “pig.”) Another theory is that it derives in the same way from humok nga baboy, where humok means “soft and tender.” All of the above apply, as humba is tender, soft, and sweet, smells divine, and melts in your mouth.”
― Nicole Ponseca, I Am a Filipino: And This Is How We Cook