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Fermentation Atlas

Fish and seafood from Philippines

Guinamos / ginamosginamos

Ginamos is the Cebuano name for salted, fermented tiny fish such as anchovies or silverfish, sold in jars or open buckets in southern Philippine markets. The fish are mixed with about a quarter to a fifth of their weight in salt and left to mature for weeks. It is cloudy grey and is usually eaten uncooked with vinegar. Made in 3 steps over 45 days. The longest step, pack and mature, takes 45 days (Dagodog J.M.H 2023) and runs at 20–25 °C (Dagodog J.M.H 2023). Salt is 17–20 % (Dagodog J.M.H 2023).

Key numbers
Main step45 daysMeasured[dagodog2023]Pack and mature
Temperature20–25 °CMeasured[dagodog2023]Pack and mature
Salt17–20 %Measured[dagodog2023]Mix with salt
Fully documentedFish and seafood45 daysMore fish and seafoodMore from Philippines

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceThe amounts are one tested batch of spicy ginamos from a 2023 study in Tawi-Tawi; plain ginamos is made with salt only.
400 g (or 500 g)Anchovies (Stolephorus spp.), cleaned, washed and drained for 30 min[dagodog2023]
100 gSalt · 1 part salt to 4 parts fish (the safer of two tested ratios); 1:5 was also tested[dagodog2023]
10 g chilli, 10 g vinegar, 6 g ginger, 6 g garlic, 4 g onion, 5 g sugar, 2 g MSGSpices for the spicy version · Plain ginamos is fish and salt only[dagodog2023]
Starterspontaneous

Total time across the recorded steps: 45 days

Start
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What changes: Starting material: tiny anchovies, washed and drained

Step 1 of 3
Clean, wash and drain the fish
Time
30 min
Measured
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

What makes this one different

Ginamos is the southern Philippine counterpart of Tagalog bagoong isda. It is usually made from the tiniest fish, kept for only one or two months, and eaten raw with vinegar.

Related ferments

Variants

  • Spicy ginamos (2023 formulation)Chilli, vinegar, ginger, garlic, onion, sugar and MSG added to salted anchovies.
  • Dayok or ginamos of krill (western Visayas)In western Visayas the names also cover krill or shrimp paste.
  • TinabalThe name for larger fermented fish.

Safety

Salt is what keeps ginamos safe. In one study the 1:4 salt ratio gave a lower bacterial count than 1:5 after 45 days. Histamine can form in fish while it is salted and fermented, and the US FDA uses 50 ppm in fish flesh as its guidance level, so use fresh fish.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

Ginamos is a Cebuano word for salted brine products of tiny fish. Espejo-Hermes (2004), as cited in the 2023 study, describes it as kept for one or two months and eaten uncooked with vinegar.

  1. [dagodog2023] Dagodog J.M.H., Abdulgani W.A., Akrim S.M., Tikmasan J.A., Sarri J.H., Maribao I.P. 2023, Sensory, physicochemical, microbiological properties and commercialization preference of formulated spicy salted fish ginamos, European Food Science and Engineering 4(2):75–80, doi:10.55147/efse.1392159paper
  2. [fda-ch7] US Food and Drug Administration, Fish and Fishery Products Hazards and Controls Guidance, chapter 7, Scombrotoxin (histamine) formationgov
  3. [wp-bagoong] Wikipedia, Bagoong (regional names only), accessed 2026-10-16wiki