How Panyam and Jaa Became Symbols of Tausug Muslim Filipino Identity

Описание: Panyam and Jaa are more than traditional sweets from Mindanaon cities like Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi. They reflect Tausug foodways, family memory, and the quiet labor that sustains Muslim Filipino culture across generations.

This short documentary was awarded Second Place at the inaugural Doreen Gamboa Fernandez Short Food Video Awards 2025, presented by the Food Writers Association of the Philippines and FEATR Media. The film was selected from 77 entries under the theme “Minatamis and Sweet Merienda Staples,” honoring Fernandez’s legacy of treating Filipino food as history, identity, and narrative.

What the film explores:
• Jaa — known as Tinagtag, Amik, or Lokot-Lokot — crafted with coconut shells, wooden sticks, and an intricate pouring technique that creates its signature lace-like form.
• Panyam (Panyalam) — a rice cake prepared for gatherings and rituals, shaped by silence, patience, and intergenerational teaching.
• How these delicacies function as markers of Tausug identity, shaped by faith, community, and place.

Why this story matters:
Muslim Filipino food traditions are often underrepresented in mainstream narratives of Philippine cuisine. This film documents techniques taught by grandmothers, shaped by the hands of women, and carried across islands. It highlights how Tausug communities preserve food knowledge despite limited visibility in the national conversation.

From Mindanao to Las Vegas:
This project is deeply personal for our team. Our video editor is Tausug and Muslim Filipino, and the communities of Isabela, Basilan, and Panglima Sugala, Tawi-Tawi welcomed us into their kitchens, homes, and stories with generosity and trust.

Credits
Director: Walbert Castillo
Videographer: Anthony De Guzman
Video Editor: Jovan Roscom
Producers: Sunshine Dominguez and Monica Blanco
Audio Producer: Edmar Gardoce

About the Doreen Gamboa Fernandez Awards:
The DGF Awards honor the work of the late cultural historian Doreen Gamboa Fernandez, whose writing on Filipino cuisine shaped how scholars, chefs, and the public understand food as a cultural text. By expanding into digital storytelling, the Awards continue her mission of documenting Filipino life through the everyday act of cooking and eating.

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