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Many of the Philippine islands don’t have names

civet cats and coffee in the philippines

because they’re so small. Only around 350 islands have an area of a square mile or more. There are three primary island groups. These include Luzon, the Visayas group, and Mindanao. Luzon is in the north It should be no surprise that this island nation benefits from long coastlines around the country, estimated at 22,500 miles of shoreline. The interior of the country is typically mountainous, also containing river systems and lakes. The islands were created from volcanic rock and coral in most cases, but all types of principal rock formations can be seen on the islands. The mountain ranges generally run from north to south. The most prominent mountain range is the Cordillera Central, which runs from the Luzon Strait through the central and west, Visayas is in the middle, and Mindanao is to the south.

             The term “civet cat” can refer to a number of small cats, but the palm civet, the civet in the Philippines, is special. This unique cat-like animal is nocturnal and is closely related to the mongoose. Since it’s seen as a pest, it’s normal for the Filipino people to hunt them and use them for meat. What is more interesting is that the civet has a different purpose, too. Their droppings are sought after. Why? The civet cat eats sweet red coffee cherries with beans inside. The beans pass through the animal’s body and into its droppings after fermenting in the animal’s stomach. People collect those beans from the feces and use them to make unique, expensive coffee. People travel deep into the Malarayat mountain range, just south of Manila, to hunt for civet droppings and the exotic beans that are worth a pretty penny. The coffee has a great aroma, oily texture, and good taste that make the effort worth it. Some people collect beans for a living. So what does it taste like? The coffee is said to taste like fermented plums with hazelnuts and dark chocolate.

12 PHIlIPPINES