pakwan

Butong Pakwan

Butong Pakwan (Buto ng Pakwan) are watermelon seeds.

Among many Filipinos’ fondest memories is gathering around a bowl of dried watermelon seeds with a piece of old newspaper on hand ready to be piled with discarded shells.

Slices of Pakwan (Watermelon). Photo by Angie Pastor. Pakwan is the Tagalog word for watermelon. The most common variety of watermelon in the Philippines is round and has a rind whose outer surface is a very dark green.