Philippine Food Illustrated

natak – /na-t'k, na-tâk/ Maguindanaon pith & flour) (a.k.a. natek or natuk in Maguindanaon) [n.] pounded sago palm pith.

A crudely pounded and processed pith of sago palm tree (Metroxylon sagu). It is used as the source of starch or flour ingredient for use in the making of Maguindanaon sindol, or their version of minatamis na guinataan of assorted chunks of root crops, rice, and ripe plantain.

Natak in the Cotabato City's Super Market (not Supermarket).

Natak in Cotabato City's Super market.

Natak is mixed with water and shaken in a plastic bag. The milky white juice it produced is strained and the water is used as thick broth in cooking sindol.

Natak is sometimes sold in the public market of Cotabato City stuffed in woven sago palm pouches.

The browned and darker natak palm wrapper is made with strips of old sago palm, while the greener or lighter colored natak wrapper is from young sago palm.

Natak is also processed to become flour. To do it, natak is mixed with enough water to cover it, then stirred, strained, and the milky water produced is set to stand undisturbed in the container for about a day or until sago sediment would totally settles at the bottom. The liquid that floats on top is decanted or scooped out and discarded away. The sediments are collected, put in a strainer to drip dry then sundried, crumbled, and sieved to become a very fine sago flour.

The flour produced is further dried thoroughly by sun drying again under intense sunlight or by heating and stirring it in a pan heated on medium fire, keeping it away from getting scorched or from becoming browned. When very dry, sago flour can be stored for a year or two.

The flour produced is used in making pastries or as a thickener in lugaw or ginataan, or made into sago pearls, or added as an extender to sweetened boiled rice (sweet porridge or congee).

Natak in the Cotabato City's Super Market, a public wet market of the city.

A Maguindanaon vendor selling natak in Cotabato City's Super market.

The collected flour is dried thoroughly by sun drying under the intense heat of the sun or by heating and stirring it in the pan on medium fire, keeping it away from getting scorched or from becoming browned. When very dry, it can be stored for a year or two.

Personal notes:

I just realized after my many interactions with our Muslim brethren in Mindanao and in Metro Manila that some vowels in their spoken language that they normally don't pronounce. Natak is one of them. Maguindanaons would pronounce it as /na/t'k/, with the silent "a" in the second syllable. In particular, the Maranaos are also fond of keeping "u" and "e" silent in their language.

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