The Spaniards introduced into the Philippines a practical system of volume (in lieu of weight) measurement which we used for almost 400 years. Some of them are still being used today.
This system applies mainly to agricultural crops - rice, corn, mungo, muscovado sugar, sesame, beans, flour of rice, corn and cassava, and the like. It is also used in measuring fish and fish products like ipon (dulong), dilis (dried anchovies), salt, suso (snail), padas (fry of samaral fish) and other small fishes.
The system consists of the following units, systematically patterned as follows:
cavan
ganta (or salop)
litro
chupa.
gantilla
There are six chupa in a ganta, twenty-five ganta to make a cavan. There is also litro, equivalent to four chupa, and gantilla, eight of which is equivalent to one ganta. Except for the cavan which is made of jute sack, these measuring tools is made of wood having the same dimension on all sides and bottom.
Spain did not invent this system; it evolved in early Europe and Middle East, which in turn was introduced into the Philippines. Remember the story of Alibaba in One-Thousand-and-One Arabian Nights? The story tells how Alibaba's brother came to know of his secret of having found a treasure. A gold coin stuck at the bottom of a ganta!
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