Showing posts with label Ilocano. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ilocano. Show all posts

November 2, 2017

samak


samak /sa-makIlocano tree /bark /leaf /fermentation agent) [n.] parasol leaf tree (sc.name: Macaranga tanarius, Linn.) \elephant’s ear

 binunga in Tagalog and Ilonggo

 minunga in Bicolano 


A small tree with medicinal bark, leaves, and fruits is used in fermenting and coloring basi (sugarcane wine), sukang Iloko (Ilocano sugarcane vinegar), and tuba (palm wine) in some places of Luzon.


How to tell binunga leaves from binungang-malapad. 

Binunga leaf  (Macaranga tanarius) is very much like that of Macaranga grandifolia (of botanists Fr. Francisco Manuel Blanco and Elmer Drew Merrill) commonly known as binungang-malapad in Tagalog. They are often confused and mistaken to be the same.  The slight variation is the "rounded" shape of tanarius compared to grandifolia's "heart shape" with more pointed and sometimes curvy bottom tip.


All photos by Edgie Polistico are copyrighted. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.


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For more about Filipino food, see  this Philippine Food, Cooking, and Dining Dictionary. It is OPEN and FREE.



Continue to follow my blogs. You can also follow and learn more by joining us in our Facebook group. Have more bits and pieces about our kind of food, ingredients, and ways of cooking, dining, and knowing food culture across the 7,641 islands of the Philippines. I will search for more and continue to share my findings. It is my pleasure to rediscover the known and least known things or the unheard ones and put them here for everyone to find, learn, and treasure. 

Encouragement and enthusiasm are not enough. I also need moral support, prayers, and anything else that can uplift my spirit and keep my good reasons. Keep them coming. All I know is that I am happy with what I am sharing and giving away. If you are pleased and happy with what I am doing, just smile and please share the happiness. Keep sharing and include to share the PHILIPPINE FOOD ILLUSTRATED. I feel energized when my blog becomes one of the reasons why you are happy and smiling. 

Edgie Polistico

September 4, 2016

etag

Etag from Sagada, prepared by the Igorots of Sagada, Mountain Province.

etag /é-tag/ Ilocano and Cordilleran [Ifugao, Igorot, Kankanaey] preserved meat [n.] cured and aged slab of pork; An indigenous smoked or sun-dried salted slab of pork.


Other local common names:
    • also spelled as itag in IIocano
    • a.k.a. innasin in Ilocano


Etag is the general term used in Cordillera about the native’s traditional way of preserving pork. A slab of a big slice of pork is cured in salt for about a week (or longer) then air-dried under the sun or smoked for several weeks (even months), or both. Though any kind of wood will do the smoking, the Igorots would prefer to use the wood from a tree they called alnos as it would emit pleasant smoke and add an aromatic smoky flavor to the meat. If alnos is not available, wood and leaves of guava trees are said to be a good substitute.

For the locals, the longer the etag is cured in salt and air-dried, the more it is tasty, flavorful, and expensive when sold in the market. The meat would turn darker and darker in color over a long time during the aging process.

Etag may not be appealing to the uninitiated because it has a foul odor and most often has maggots after several days of air-drying the meat, probably because of its exposure to flies.  As it undergoes the aging process, etag is often covered on the surface with a thin layer of milky-white molds similar to when aging cheese. The molds are rinsed off and etag is safe and ready to cook.




This etag from Sagada is partly covered in the middle with white molds over few weeks of aging. This one was prepared by the Igorots of Mountain Province.

The cured meat is grilled and served with cooked rice. It is also used as a meat ingredient in some native vegetable dishes, or boiled in a soupy broth with pinikpikan (chicken that was beaten slowly to death). 

When necessary, etag has to be soaked for a while in plain water and then rinsed thoroughly to reduce its saltiness. 

Etag has to be consumed after a week of drying or smoking. When there is extra etag, it must be stored in a closed container to avoid the infestation of flies and their maggots, ants, cockroaches, and other insects and even from rodents. If stored longer, it has to be sun-dried or smoked again from time to time and avoiding it getting wet or moistened with too much moisture. Hanging the etag right above the smoking kitchen stove when they cook their meal is also a common practice done by the natives when storing and continuing the aging process.

In Mountain Province, the natives and the local government mounted their annual celebration of the Etag Festival for their favorite preserved meat. It is held every February.

Depending on how the aging process was done, etag is generally classified as "smoked" or "sun-dried," as follows:

smoked etag (es-mok e-tag; Cordilleran preserved meat) [n.] a kind of etag that is smoked to further preserve the cured meat. Thus, it is referred to as the "smoked ham" of Cordillera. Smoking is usually done by hanging the etag over and close to the stove or hearth, exposing the cured meat to smoke while being air-dried. The fast way to smoke etag is to build fire on a pile of firewood and place the skewered etag close to the fire but not too close that it would get roasted instead of being just smoked. It is done at least 30 minutes every day for a week and the meat must be kept in a sealed container after each smoking session to avoid the infestation of flies and their maggots. Smoked etag has a dark reddish-brown color because of the stain caused by the smoke.

sun-dried etag (san-drayd e-tag; Cordilleran preserved meat) [n.] a kind of etag that is sun-dried to further preserved the cured meat. It is air-dried under the heat of the sun by skewering the cured meat in a long stick and hang on a stretched rope or clothesline, or simply spread on flat dry surface, such as on concrete structure, big rocks, or on trellis-like frame of bamboo sticks, like those used in drying fish. It is then turned over from hour after hour to equally dry the other side. Sun-dried etag is lighter in color compared to smoked etag due to lack of staining. It would more likely that flies and their maggots would infest the meat if it is not protected with screen or net while in the process of sun drying.

These etags are air-dried under the sun somewhere in the public market of Bontoc, Mountain Province and was described as the  "Bontoc ham" by Phil. Daily Inquirer on its Dec. 21, 2009 issue, as the processed meat is often regarded as the region's version of Christmas ham. (Photo credit to Espiritu of the Phil. Daily Inquirer (Northern Luzon).)

The etag may also be prepared using both curing processes.  That is, the meat is cured first by smoking and then sun-dried in the next few weeks or months that follow.

Nowadays, the Cordillerans (Igorot, Ifugao, Kankanay, and other ethnic tribes of Benguet and Mountain Province) would commonly use pork from cultured or farmed pigs to make etag.  In the past, when the forest of Central Luzon was abounding with wild animals, the natives would hunt wild pigs and wild deer and use the pork of wild pigs and venison of wild deer in making etag. The most coveted and highly valued etag is venison. 


Personal notes: 

With due respect to the customs and traditions of all the ethnic groups of Cordillera and northern Luzon, the process of making etag and how long the aging process would take to complete reminds me of the Fire Mummies (a.k.a. Kabayan Mummies) of Benguet. The mummification process of fire mummies was unique compared to on how mummification was done in Egypt and the rest of the world. It was like the natives were preserving their dead in a process similar to when making an etag. The mummification would begin right after a person died, whom they would let ingest a very salty drink. The corpse was washed and set over a fire in a seated position to dry out bodily fluids. The dead were also subjected to the smoking process. Tobacco smoke was blown into the mouth to dry further the inside of the body including the internal organs and then herbs were rubbed into the body before the mummified body was placed in a coffin of dugout pinewood and laid to rest in rock shelters, caves, or burial niches. 

This mummification process of Cordillera ended in the 16th century when Spain started its colonization of the country, but the practice of making etag persisted for centuries, even to these days. The people of Mountain Province conserved this ancient traditional meat delicacy and promoted it by mounting an annual celebration of the Etag Festival every February.


All photos by Edgie Polistico are copyrighted. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.




Thank you for the encouragement and enthusiasm. I also need your moral support, prayers, and anything else that can uplift my spirit and keep my good reasons. Keep them coming.  Sharing with and giving away is happiness to me.  If you are pleased and happy with what I am doing, just smile and share with the happiness we have in the PHILIPPINE FOOD ILLUSTRATED. I feel energized every time my blog becomes one of the reasons why you are happy and smiling. 

For more about Filipino food, see  this Philippine Food, Cooking, and Dining Dictionary. It is OPEN and FREE.


April 26, 2015

daludal


Bundles of daludal in Santiago City Isabela public market.
daludal /da-lú-dal/ (Ilocano vegetable) [n.] taro runner.

takway in Negrense, Capizeño, & Tagalog
pusaw in Maranao

 

It is the long stalk of a young taro runner that grows away sideward from the mother plant. A newly sprouting stalk of gabi (taro) that is slender with an unopened young leaf.

Dadulal is often taken and used in cooking as a vegetable and is referred to as the Philippine native asparagus. It is harvested and cooked into a variety of vegetable dishes, much like that of Ilocano aba.

In Negros and Panay islands where it is called takway, it is often boiled and then seasoned with suka (vinegar) and asin (salt) or included in making Ilonggo laswa (boiled assorted vegetables).
A vendor cleaning some takways she is selling at Silay City public market during one of my travels in the province of Negros Occidental.

 


A heap of takway being sold on the sidewalk of Silay City public market in one of my travels in Negros Occidental province.

The stalks can also be cooked with coconut milk to become ginataan or made into adobo by simmering the cutlets in vinegar and soy sauce with or without sagpaw or sahog.

The peeled takway. Just wash them clean and they are ready for cooking


All photos by Edgie Polistico in this blog are copyrighted. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.




For more about Filipino food, see  this Philippine Food, Cooking, and Dining Dictionary. It is OPEN and FREE.


June 22, 2013

orange egg barbecue

Orange egg barbecue on display and ready for grilling at a roadside food stall in Cauayan City, Isabela. I found this while on a food hunting  one evening in March 2013.

orange egg barbecue - (o-rens eg bar-bek-kyu; Ilocano [Cauayan City, Isabela] and Ibanag delicacy) [n.] hard-boiled orange-colored eggs in a barbecue stick


Other local name: 
  • a.k.a. egg barbecue in Ilocano [Cauayan City, Isabela]

The chicken eggs or duck eggs are hard-boiled, shelled, and then soaked and boiled briefly in achuete water. If achuete water is not available, water tinted with yellow-orange food coloring is used.

When I passed by the public market of Alicia, Isabela I found these bags of bugok na itlog itik (rotten duck eggs). The eggs are already shelled, colored orange, hard-boiled, and all ready for skewering into egg barbecue and grilling.
Grilling the orange egg barbecue at a roadside food stall in Cauayan City, Isabela while on a food hunting one evening last March 2013.

The tinted eggs are skewered in bamboo barbecue sticks and grilled until eggs are heated well. Egg barbecue is served with a dipping of spiced vinegar. 

Grilling orange egg barbecue on intensely hot live charcoal embers. This was my evening snack in Cauayan City, Isabela (March 2013).
 
There are at least four kinds of egg barbecue depending on the kind of egg used:
  • fresh egg barbecue - using hard-boiled fresh chicken egg
  • binugok egg barbecue - using the shelled hard-boiled binugok egg or chicken egg that remained unfertilized after undergoing an incubation period
  • penoy egg barbecue - using the shelled hard-boiled penoy egg (duck egg that remained unfertilized after undergoing the incubation period)
  • balut egg barbecue - using the shelled hard-boiled balut eggs

Cross section of orange egg barbecue served with sukang Iloko.  Also in the dipping bowl is pork barbecue
These pieces of egg barbecue, being sold in the public market of Alicia, Isabela, are coated with breadcrumbs. They have to be deep-fried  along with the bamboo stick then grilled afterward. The grilling is actually done to reheat the fried skewered orange eggs. Most often, grilling is skipped for those who cannot wait to bite.


Related posts:


All photos by Edgie Polistico in this blog are copyrighted. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.



Encouragement and enthusiasm are not enough. I also need moral support, prayers, and anything else that can uplift my spirit and keep my good reasons. Keep them coming.  Sharing and giving away is happiness to me.  If you are pleased and happy with what I am doing, just smile and share the happiness we have in the PHILIPPINE FOOD ILLUSTRATED. I feel energized every time my blog becomes one of the reasons why you are happy and smiling. 

For more about Filipino food, see  this Philippine Food, Cooking, and Dining Dictionary. It is OPEN and FREE.



Continue to follow my blogs. You can also follow and learn more by joining us in our Facebook group. Have more bits and pieces about our kind of food, ingredients, and ways of cooking, dining, and knowing food culture across the 7,641 islands of the Philippines. I will search for more and continue to share my findings. It is my pleasure to rediscover the known and least known things or the unheard ones and put them here for everyone to find, learn, and treasure. 

If you liked this post and our site, share it.

Let us know your opinion on the subject. Feel free to comment in the comment section, below. It is important for us to know what you think.

Tell us what other topics you would like us to write, share, and discuss about.

Edgie Polistico 

December 22, 2012

igado

igado /i-ga-dó/ (Ilocano dish) [n.] braised strips of meat, liver, and other internal organs.

Other local names:
  • a.k.a higado or dinaldalem in Ilocano

Ragout of atay ng baboy (pig’s liver), the liver is cut into strips and marinated in vinegar for a while. Other ingredients include some thin strips of sliced pork, sliced pig’s kidney, heart, lapay & isaw (intestine), strips of kamote (sweet potatoes) or patatas (potato), and thick strips of ginger. Cooking starts with sautéing of chopped onions and garlic (if there are pork fats, fry it first then use the lard in sautéing), then all ingredients, except the liver are added into the pan. 

When the color of the ingredients turns opaque, it is a sign that the stuff is heated well. Toyo (soy sauce) is then added with some vinegar, peppercorn, bay leaf, and garbanzos (chickpeas). If the soup dries out while simmering, A cup or two of water is added to continue simmering until the meat is tender. 

When meat is tender, the liver is added followed by some pieces of siling haba (finger chili). Salt and pepper may be added to adjust the taste. 

The liver is the last ingredient to be cooked into the pan as it easily hardens when cooked, the longer it is heated the tougher it becomes. 

To add a complimenting colorful garnishment, add pre-cooked green peas and sliced carrots when cooking is about to finish.

Igado is being served in a roadside bulalohan in Binalonan, Pangasinan.


All photos by Edgie Polistico in this blog are copyrighted. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.



If you liked this post and our site, share it.

Let us know your opinion on the subject. Feel free to comment in the comment section, below. It is important for us to know what you think.

Tell us what other topics you would like us to write, share, and discuss about.

For more about Filipino food, see  this Philippine Food, Cooking, and Dining Dictionary. It is OPEN and FREE.



Continue to follow my blogs. You can also follow and learn more by joining us in our Facebook group. Have more bits and pieces about our kind of food, ingredients, and ways of cooking, dining, and knowing food culture across the 7,641 islands of the Philippines.  

Encouragement and enthusiasm are not enough. I also need moral support, prayers, and anything else that can uplift my spirit and keep my good reasons. Keep them coming. All I know is that I am happy with what I am sharing and giving away. If you are pleased and happy with what I am doing, just smile and please share the happiness. Keep sharing and include to share the PHILIPPINE FOOD ILLUSTRATED. I feel energized when my blog becomes one of the reasons why you are happy and smiling. 

Edgie Polistico 

December 19, 2012

abaling


abaling /a-bá-ling/ Ilocano (Cagayano), Itawis, and Ibanag larva/delicacy) [n.] June beetle grub. 

a.k.a. abalin in Ilocano [Cagayano]


It is 
the larva of salagubang (June beetle), often made into a delicacy in Cagayan Valley. The Ilocanos of Cagayan, Itawis, and Ibanags would cook these beetle grubs into dried adobo by braising the beetles in vinegar, soy sauce, and spices, or into ginisa (stir-fried in little oil with garlic). The grubs can also be deep-fried or roasted when desired. Any of these dishes is usually served as pulutan (food served during a drinking session).


Like the salagubang (June beetle), the locals considered abaling as an aphrodisiac and a body warmer.


sample dish that uses abaling

ginisang abaling - /gi-ni-sáng a-bá-ling/ (Ilocano (Cagayano) dish) [n.] stir-fried June beetle grubs.

Wash thoroughly the abaling larvae then sautée in oil with garlic until lightly seared. Sprinkle with little amount of salt to taste. Add a squeeze of calamansi juice and stir to mix. Pour little amount of cooking oil and stir 
continuously until the abaling are light brown and crisp.

Do not overcook to avoid burning or too much scorching of the abaling.


All photos by Edgie Polistico are copyrighted. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.




If you liked this post, share it.

Let us know your opinion on the subject. Feel free to comment in the comment section, below. It is important for us to know what you think.

Tell us what other topics you would like us to write, share, and discuss about. 


For more about Filipino food, see  this Philippine Food, Cooking, and Dining Dictionary. It is OPEN and FREE.



Continue to follow my blogs. You can also follow and learn more by joining us in our Facebook group. Have more bits and pieces about our kind of food, ingredients, and ways of cooking, dining, and knowing food culture across the 7,641 islands of the Philippines. 

Encouragement and enthusiasm are not enough. I also need moral support, prayers, and anything else that can uplift my spirit and keep my good reasons. Keep them coming. All I know is that I am happy with what I am sharing and giving away. If you are pleased and happy with what I am doing, just smile and please share the happiness. Keep sharing and include to share the PHILIPPINE FOOD ILLUSTRATED. I feel energized when my blog becomes one of the reasons why you are happy and smiling. 

Edgie Polistico 

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