igorot traditional food

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According to Nico Cawed, a member of the Bontoc tribe, he used to prepare Pinikpikan thrice a week for years. This popular dish derives its flavor from the coagulated blood, the burned feathers and skin, plus the Etag , which is a cured meat, aged under-ground in earthen jars. I have included his detailed and graphic description of this process in lieu of photos because of the extreme manner of preparing this native Cordillera dish. Nico says, "Many Baguio visitors -- and even residents -- think that thePinikpikan is merely a flavorful chicken dish. "In reality, its preparation is a ritual performed by Cordillera tribes to determine the appropriate courses of action and their fate. It takes hours of careful work to prepare an authentic Pinikpikan." "The chicken is 'battered' to keep the blood inside the chicken. If it is beaten properly, the chicken will not be bloody when it is cut. None of the bones should be broken during the beating or even the slicing." "The process of light beating or "pikpik" is where Pinikpikan gets its name." How to Prepare Pinikpikan 1. Select an appropriate live chicken and start a fire. In earlier times, the tribes would use a native chicken, smaller in variety with tastier, darker meat. In recent days, a broiler has become a perfectly acceptable substitute because it's much larger and serves more people. 2. With a simple stick lightly beat the live chicken under both wings and in the neck until these areas turn dark blue with the bloood rising to just under the skin. Deliver the coup de grace by hitting the head hard with the stick. The eyeballs are checked for signs of life.

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Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Adolescent on Igorot Traditional Foods

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Page 1: Igorot Traditional Food

According to Nico Cawed, a member of the Bontoc tribe, he used to prepare Pinikpikan thrice a week for years.

This popular dish derives its flavor from the coagulated blood, the burned feathers and skin, plus the Etag, which is a cured meat, aged under-ground in earthen jars.

I have included his detailed and graphic description of this process in lieu of photos because of the extreme manner of preparing this native Cordillera dish.

Nico says, "Many Baguio visitors -- and even residents -- think that thePinikpikan is merely a flavorful chicken dish. 

"In reality, its preparation is a ritual performed by Cordillera tribes to determine the appropriate courses of action and their fate. It takes hours of careful work to prepare an authentic Pinikpikan." 

"The chicken is 'battered' to keep the blood inside the chicken. If it is beaten properly, the chicken will not be bloody when it is cut. None of the bones should be broken during the beating or even the slicing." 

"The process of light beating or "pikpik" is where Pinikpikan gets its name."

How to Prepare Pinikpikan1. Select an appropriate live chicken and start a fire. In earlier times, the tribes would use a native chicken, smaller in variety with tastier, darker meat. In recent days, a broiler has become a perfectly acceptable substitute because it's much larger and serves more people.  

2. With a simple stick lightly beat the live chicken under both wings and in the neck until these areas turn dark blue with the bloood rising to just under the skin. Deliver the coup de grace by hitting the head hard with the stick. The eyeballs are checked for signs of life."It must be noted that when the Pinikpikan is served with vegetables, such as sayote, or flavored with ginger, then it becomes merely a version of the Philippine soup, Chicken Tinola or Tinolang Manok."-- Nico Cawed (commenting on  commercialized versions of this dish  served in restaurants and eateries around Baguio City)

Page 2: Igorot Traditional Food

3. The pinions are then removed and the whole chicken is thrown into an open fire until all the feathers are burned off, making sure that the boots are properly singed so that they can be separated from the skin by hand.

4. The chicken is the then washed and cleaned to remove soot and dirt, then the claws, beak and crown are removed. The intestines are inverted and cleaned, while the gizzard is sliced open and cleaned. The intestines are then tied around the gizzard. All these will eventually be included in the soup. 

5. Then the ritual cutting up of the chicken begins. Remove the chicken head and set aside for cooking. Slice the skin to dislocate the thighs, then slice under the neck to remove the innards (stomach, intestines and gizzard). Guide the knife to slice under the shoulder blade to separate the rib cage from the chest. Remove the chest, leaving the rib cage intact with the internal organs (heart, liver, lungs). 6. The tribal priest is then called to read the bile and liver. Calub is when the liver is covering the bile, and Cherwey is when the bile is completely visible, which is a sign of good luck. This then determines the tribe's course of action (i.e. hunting, planting, etc.). If the prognosis is Calub, the whole process is repeated, and other chickens cooked this way, until Cherwey is achieved. 

7. Then limbs are separated from body, and all edible chicken parts, including the head and innards, are thrown into a pot of water flavored with Etag or Itag and boiled. The singed feathers are also used to give the soup a smoked flavor.

8. The headman is served what is considered the best part, which is the whole center portion (ribs and innards). The rest of the chicken is served as a viand.http://www.gobaguio.com/pinikpikan.html

A dish extremely popular in the Cordilleras. Served in all occasions.

Ingredients:

 A live Chicken

One Chayote (Optional)

 "Pechay", Known in the United States of A as BokChoy (I forgot the English name :-( If any of you out there know, please e-mail me.)

 one half kilo to one kilo "Innasin" 

Necessary Knowledge: 

Page 3: Igorot Traditional Food

You must know how to butcher fowls.(Come back to this site later ... I’ll teach you how to butcher fowl without a knife... The Igorot way... and by the way, many Igorots do not also know how to do this.)

The Chicken: The common Barn Chicken is preferred to Broilers, and Cobbs preferred to other broiler chickens. The Igorots use a specie that produces the best of this dish. The meat, when cooked, is dark in color. After the introduction of broilers in the Philippines, it became increasingly known as "nitib" for "native".

Preparing the Chicken, the Igorot way.Tools needed for preparation: 

Wood for fire.

A clean, flat surface, preferably smooth

A piece of stick for beating. 

DO NOT DRESS THE CHICKEN (or should I say, undress? :-) ). Start a fire. Now, put one wing of the chicken on the flat surface. Using the stick, beat the wing from the inside, not too soft, but not to hard that it will break the bones and the skin of the chicken. (Of course, the chicken will squawk and fight back, you____ whatever..., so you have to hold the head, the other wing, and the legs in the other hand.) Beat it from the tip of the wing to the side, then back. Do it again. Now Do the same to the other wing. After beating the wings, lay the neck of the chicken sideways on the flat surface. Beat the neck from end to end. (Ever heard of the song "killing me softly.." ). You may probably wonder why one has to beat the chicken. (AIN’T THIS CRUEL? NOPE!!!!) Click here to find out why you have to beat the chicken, and why it is not actually cruel to do so. 

Now KILL THE CHICKEN! Of course... But to kill the chicken, hold the chicken by the feet and wings in one hand. Hit the back of the head with the stick, just below the comb. Not too hard, or the chicken will bleed, and not too soft either, or the chicken will get mad, and may peck at you. One well placed blow will do it without breaking the skin. 

Afterwards, burn all of the feathers off the chicken on the fire you made. After a few more tries, you will learn how to burn off the feathers faster. You can use your gas range, but it will be very messy afterwards. Better burn the feathers off using an outside fire. Click here to find out why you have to burn the feathers off. 

Page 4: Igorot Traditional Food

After the feathers are removed, remove excess charred feathers from the chicken. Remember, you should have removed the beak,tongue,crest,and feet coverings. Chances are, the chicken has also started to look like roast chicken. Now, butcher the chicken, slice it into manageable pieces, and put the slices into a cooking container. (I’ll be putting a page on how to butcher fowl on this site later. I’ll show you how to butcher fowl without a knife, using only your fingers, and a sharpened edge of a stick.) Cut the "Innasin" into pieces as large as the chicken pieces. Put them into the cooking container. Do not put the Chayote if there is very little "Innasin". On the other hand, if you think it will be very salty, add Chayote to minimize the salty taste. Note: the Chayote will be very tasty when cooked. Clean the "Pechay" and separate the leaves. It is better to cook this over heavy heat. When the meat is done, Put the "Pechay" into the container, Remove from the fire/heat, and cover. Leave for two minutes. Stir, and serve. If you do not have, pechay, the next best leafy vegetable is watercress. If you do not have either lettuce or watercress, You can use the young shoots of the chayote. For lettuce, leave for 4 minutes. For Watercress, leave for 2 minutes. For the young shoots of the chayote, put it in while it is still being cooked, then leave for 4 minutes. Remove from the fire/heat, and serve. Servings depend on the size of the Chicken, the vegetables, and the Meat added. 

What Fowl can be used in place of the Chicken? Actually (although it is my opinion, many Igorots will attest to this) the Duck, especially the "itik" or small brown ducks ( I still do not know what the specie is... if you know, please e-mail me) taste better. Geese, especially the Gander tastes the best for me.

http://daoey.tripod.com/pikpik.html

Etag is the cured and smoked pork of Sagada, Mountain Province. Also known as binurong karne ng baboy in Tagalog. The meat delicacy was first thought by God Lumawig. It is used together with chicken in every special occasions, rituals and offerings.

Last January 29, 2011, the native of Sagada celebrated the Etag festival. The festival is celebrated to popularized their native delicacy, etag. Demonstration on how to make etag was part of the festival.

Page 5: Igorot Traditional Food

The recipe needs pork with backfat (approximately 1/5 of the meat is backfat) and have a thickness

of at least one inch. Addition of garlic and pepper is optional.1) Rub generous amount of salt to pork meat.2) Place it in covered earthen jar or binulnay and cure overnight.3) After curing, smoke meat two to three hours every day for at least two weeks.The resulting etag can be eaten raw or mixed with variety of dishes. Some of the dishes are etag with dried beans, etag with pinikpikan etag with lepeg (lepeg is a leftover of rice wine fermentation) etc…

Do the following for sanitary and quality assurance purposes.1) Weigh the pork and amount of salt to attain consistent product taste.2) Fix the length of smoking.3) Clean the earthen jar and other equipment after every use.4) Create a closed smokehouse to prevent contamination with dirt and other foreign matters.5) Vacuum pack etag to extend shelf life.According to some residents, the real smoking process for etag last for five months to five years. Etag makers are forced to speed up the process due to increasing demand for their delicious delicacy.

http://www.foodrecap.net/recipe/etag/

SAGADA, MOUNTAIN PROVINCE -  It looks like tapa or bagnet but with a more pungent odor. Etag or smoked pork is more than just a staple food item; it is a significant part of local culture in this Cordillera town.

To highlight its cultural significance, the local government in Sagada recently held the first Etag Festival.

Etag is sliced meat, salted and then cured by smoking or dried under the sun for weeks, giving it a dark, brownish color. Almost every household in Sagada makes etag, which would explain why you will see piggeries in most  backyards.

Native pigs – those usually brown or black in color – are considered best for making etag.

Page 6: Igorot Traditional Food

Etag is usually added as garnish to pinikpikan, a traditional chicken soup dish  that resembles tinola but with a smoky flavor. Pinikpikan is served in highland provinces but adding etag gives it a distinct Sagada flavor.

(You can order pinikpikan in most restaurants here but it is advisable to order in advance because preparation time is longer.)

Etag is also rooted in Sagada’s cultural history. In the old days, their ancestors would hunt wild boars that are then slaughtered as sacrifice to Kabunyan (or Supreme Being). The meat is then divided among the villagers for food.

Until now, etag is shared among families in Sagada, especially during special occasions such as weddings and family gatherings.

“During gebaw, for example, in celebrating the birth of a baby, the parents are gifted with etag. It is also usually given as a gift to newlyweds,” says Safey Pekas, owner of Salt and Pepper Diner.

The elders believe the smoky aroma of etag drives away evil spirits.  But it is exactly the smell that led me to it when I hurriedly went to the local market to buy etag shortly before leaving Sagada.

You don’t buy etag per kilo, you buy it per piece. For 180 pesos, I got an arm-length piece, like a huge portion of liempo, with a piece of string tied on one end.

I was told you can buy etag, vacuum-sealed, in some souvenir shops. I was glad to have bought mine, though, straight from the timba, then rolled in newspaper.

You don’t need to put etag in the fridge (unless you want that smoky aroma everytime you open it). You just hang it somewhere, chop a few bite-size pieces as sahog for sauteed veggies.

If you’re passing by Baguio heading back to Manila, don’t forget to buy broccoli. I’ve yet to try it on tinola but the sauteed brocolli garnished with etag is highly recommended.

http://loqal.ph/food-and-beverage/2011/02/24/in-sagada-etag-is-a-staple-food-item-and-tourist-delicacy/

”Etag”, a delicacy in the Cordilleras, is now undergoing value-adding interventions to enhance its unique taste and flavor; prolong its shelf-life; and improve its packaging.

Etag or “inasin” is a salted meat made from native pigs. The Highland Agriculture and Resources Research and Development Consortium (HARRDEC), based at the Benguet State University, has initiated a program on the commercialization of the pork-based ethnic food delicacy of the Cordilleras led by Consortium Director Sonwright B. Maddul.

The research started in 2009 and is developing science-based value adding interventions to ensure food safety, quality, and high market acceptability of Etag; and also to promote its commercialization. Likewise, the project also seeks to develop handling and packaging methods to prolong product shelf-life and enhance its acceptability to consumers.

Dubbed by foreigners as the “Igorot smoked meat”, etag is primarily used as an ingredient in Cordilleran dishes such as the “pinikpikan” ─ a chicken-based dish similar to “tinola”. 

Aside from pinikpikan, etag can be mixed with legumes and other vegetables.

Page 7: Igorot Traditional Food

Etag in the Igorot culture

Igorots are known to be meat-eaters. During festive occasions, they prepare their favorite dishes, often pork-based, making etag a regular ingredient. Every part of the pork carcass is used in preparing the various local dishes. Etag dishes are consumed with much delight along with rice wine and other locally brewed alcoholic beverages.

Etag is very much a part of the Igorots’ culture and age-old traditions. For instance, when a child is born, etag is processed and preserved. It will only be taken out of storage and cooked when the child gets married and served as one of the dishes during the wedding celebration.

Simple way of making it

The fastest way of preparing etag is by rubbing the meat, bones, fat and all, thoroughly with a generous amount of salt.  For the curing process, the pieces of meat are hung to dry, either to air-dry or sun-dry.

If the preferred wood is available, some cure the etag by smoking. This is considered the best way to cure etag. The meat is smoked for a minimum of 30 minutes and a maximum of 3 hours per day, for at least two weeks. However, the meat should not be reached by the flames and should not be exposed to excessive heat.

After smoking, etag is ready for storage for future use.

Commercializing etag

In addition to creating livelihood, the benefits from commercializing this ethnic delicacy can go beyond preserving a culture. Commercialization of etag would mean wider and assured market for pork from native pigs, thus promote conservation and profitable use of a threatened local animal genetic resource.

In some provinces of the Cordillera Administrative Region, one of the priority programs of local tourism offices is the promotion of ethnic food products to complement the scenic sights in the region. In fact in 2007, the 1st ethnic food fair showcasing etag and other pork-based dishes was held in La Trinidad, Benguet.

However, while etag is popular among the Igorots, there is no deliberate effort to develop a standardized and optimized processing method to ensure its safety, consistent quality, and preservation of its unique taste and flavor. Thus, this is where HARRDEC took its cue.

http://www.pcarrd.dost.gov.ph/ssentinel/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1786%3Aintroducing-etag&Itemid=41

Pinuneg

It is similar to the longganiza and the sausage. Their only differences are the contents and made up. The Pinuneg

use the pig’s blood, large intestine and spices. This food must be a product of the culinary ingenuity of the

Cordillerans, it is something like combining in one the two filipino dishes which are the longganiza and the dinuguan.

Thus, this is not a traditional recipe, this food just came out recently from a Cordillera restaurant then the recipe had

quickly spread all throughout the Highland.

Page 8: Igorot Traditional Food

Ingredients and Materials

# 2 ft intact and cleaned large intestine of pig, it can be obtained from the pig butcher or slaughter house.

# 400 to 500 ml of pig blood, it can be obtained from the pig butcher or slaughter house (note that the blood will be

jellified and become dark red in color after a minute of exposure to the air but that’s just alright)

# 1 tablespoon of salt

# 1 cup of minced red onion

# 1/4 cup of minced ginger

# 1 teaspoon of powdered peppermint

# 1/2 cup of minced garlic

# 1 cup of chopped leeks (optional)

# 1 1/2 liter of water

# a cooking container

# 2 5-inch clean hard fiber threads, for tying the ends of the intestineProcedures(In case the intestine still contains the

stuff, you must to take it out. Remove the waste inside the intestine by putting water through the other opening and

raise it to push down the contents out from the other end. After removal, wash it thoroughly and then invert or turn it

inside out using a stick or through your own technique, treat it with salt, mash and then wash it. Do the salting-

mashing-washing three times and be sure not to create cut on it)MIX THE INGREDIENTS: Put the jellied blood into

the bowl, soften it by mashing with your hand, then put all the ingredients (do not include the leeks and the intestine).

Mix them thoroughly.

STUFF THE INTESTINE: Tie close one end of the intestine with one thread (do not use rubber, nylon or any material

that melts on boiling water), then with your hands, fill in all the mixture inside the intestine tube. The intestine should

inflate to its size. Close the mouth (open end) of the intestine by tying it with the other thread.

COOK IT: Put the thing into the cooking container in a circular or spiral way and pour into the 1 1/2 liter of water and

cook it. If you want to serve the broth then you can add 1 tablespoon of salt (amount of salt still depend upon your

discretion). Boil the Pinuneg for 30 to 35 minutes.

SERVING: After cooking, take out your pinuneg from the container and put it on a big plate. Slice it crosswise with 2

cms thickness. You may fill cups with the broth and add leeks. Pinuneg is best eaten with rice during meal time.

http://qhconet.wordpress.com/2010/11/28/pinuneg/

THE TAPEY = IGOROT RICEWINE

This is served when a host invites somebody to partake of his rice wine at his house. It is also drank in volumes during public festivities and celebrations.

Needs:

- half a pound of bubod

Page 9: Igorot Traditional Food

- a kilo of diket preferrably of the red variety- a labba (or any wide space) to spread the rice to dry- a gosi or any closed container

(Note: One of the most high-grade kind of bubod is available from the vendors of Abatan, Benguet. Don't try plastics as containers, they add a plasticky flavor.)

Ways:

Cook the kilo of diket with a little less water than you would cook an ordinay rice. Just after the boiling water has been absorbed (na-ilowagan), set aside the diket.

(Before continuing, tell everyone not to disturb you until everything as not to destroy the spirit of the tapey. The oldies even ask, 'Maid um-umtot' or 'No farting".)

Spread the diket on a labba covered with banana leaves (or just spread the diket around any open space) and wait until its a little bit dry. Crush the bobod into very fine powder. Then, spread the bobod evenly. (This is a crucial part - you have to do it very evenly. My mother told me that one of the secrets to a good tapey lies in the quality of the distribution of bobod in the diket).

Put this in your container and seal tightly. If you are in a cold place, put it in a warm location. (usually near the dalikan or in the corner of the house) Wait for at least 4-5 days, after which the tapey is now ready. Remember, the sweetness of the tapey decreases with time. INNASIN / ETAG - a.k.a. IGOROT SMOKED MEATForeigners dubbed this as Igorot Ham / Igorot Smoked Meat. It refers to salted pork and is cooked best with pinikpikan, legumes, or plain vegetables. It can also be deep fried and then in vinegar or hot sauce. Your choice...

Needs:

- Pork (1/5 of it should at least be fat).- Plenty of Salt- Garlic (optional)- Pepper (optional)- Storage container (Preferably wooden or clay jars)

(Note: Traditional Igorots use the meat on top of the neck of the pig. The Chops are a good alternative. The container must not be metal, because of the reaction of the salt with the metal. If you are using plastic, make sure you use the hard ones and the meat should be used before six months are over otherwise, the meat would taste like well .. plastic... )

Ways:

Rub the meat with generous amounts of salt. You may also add garlic or pepper. Look for a suitable place where the meat can be hanged so it will undergo the curing process. The best way is to smoke it in the shade.

(Note: You can use any of the varieties of redwood, oak, dried birch, or "dapong". As much as possible, avoid any of the Pine family. If you have no choice but to use Pine wood, make sure the wood is dry, and avoid using resin-packed wood, since the meat will have a bitter taste. The best wood to use is rosewood.)

Make a fire under the meat. The meat should be high enough so that the flames and excessive heat won't reach it, but low enough so that the smoke reaches the meat. Smoke it for a minimum of thirty minutes and a maximum of three hours per day, for at least two weeks. If you used rosewood, and the place you are curing it is clean, surely free from insects, dust, and dirt, the meat can actually be eaten raw. The result is the best type of innasin/etag. Store in container for future use. 

KINAL-OY

Needs:

- Any leafy vegetables (usually camote shoots or beans leaves)- Sliced camote- Rice- Cooking pot

Ways:

Boil a pot of rice. When it starts boiling, add the camote slices. When it starts to dry (malinay), add the vegetable leaves. The dish is ready once the rice dries up.

Page 10: Igorot Traditional Food

(About the dish: Before, when bobo was rare, it was considered as food for the rich and so it was not uncommon for people to cook rice with that many extenders. I remember my grandmother telling stories of how she would get reprimanded by her mother every time she frets and picks only the rice from a meal of kinal-oy. "Lastog. Ay imbag no nan sam asawaen et sada ka kanayon ay mapak-pakan is inapoy" The closest English translation goes like - "You choosy girl - its good if you'll ever find a husband who can afford to feed you rice at every meal".) 

PINIKPIKAN

A dish extremely popular in the Cordilleras. Served in all occasions.

Needs:

- A live Chicken- Sayote (Quantity is variable)- a head of Chinese cabbage/pechay- one half to one kilo of innasin/etag- enough knowledge in butchering fowls.- wood for fire- a clean, flat surface, preferably smooth- a piece of stick for beating.

(Note: The common Barn Chicken is preferred to Broilers, and Cobbs preferred to other broiler chickens. The Igorots use a species that produces the best of this dish. The meat, when cooked, is dark in color. After the introduction of broilers in the Philippines, it became increasingly known as "nitib" for "native".)

Ways:

DO NOT DRESS THE CHICKEN (or should I say, undress? :-) ). Start a fire. Put one wing of the chicken on the flat surface. Using the stick, beat the wing from the inside, not to soft, but not to hard that it will break the bones and the skin of the chicken. (Of course, the chicken will squawk and fight back, so you have to hold the head, the other wing, and the legs in the other hand.) Beat it from the tip of the wing to the side, then back. Do it again. Now do the same to the other wing. After beating the wings, lay the neck of the chicken sideways on the flat surface. Beat the neck from end to end.

Now KILL THE CHICKEN! Of course... But to kill the chicken, hold the chicken by the feet and wings in one hand. Hit the back of the head with the stick, just below the comb. Not too hard, or the chicken will bleed, and not too soft either, or the chicken will get mad, and may peck at you. One well placed blow will do it without breaking the skin.

Afterwards, burn all of the feathers off the chicken on the fire you made. You can use your gas range, but it will be very messy afterwards. Better burn the feathers off using an outside fire. Click here to find out why you have to burn the feathers of.

After the feathers are removed, remove excess charred feathers from the chicken. Chances are, the chicken has also started to look like roast chicken. Now, butcher the chicken, slice it, and put the slices into a cooking container. Cut the innasin/etag into pieces as large as the chicken pieces. Put them into the cooking container. Do not put the sayote if there is very little innasin/etag. On the other hand, if you think it will be very salty, add sayote to minimize the salty taste. Clean the vegetables and separate the leaves. It is better to cook this over heavy heat. When the meat is done, Put the vegetables into the container, remove from the fire/heat, and cover. Leave for two minutes. Stir, and serve. 

BINAOD

This delicacy is traditionally prepared just after the pig manure have been dried and collected and just before they are delivered to the fields to be used as fertilizer.

Needs:

- ground diket- sayote leaves- salted pig intestines aged for years (inmingel)- a big pot to accomodate all of this

(Note: If you don't have pig intestines you can use ground and sugared peanuts.)

Page 11: Igorot Traditional Food

Ways:

Add a little water into your ground diket and mix until you get a good dough. Heat or steam the sayote leaves a little so they would fold and not tear easily. Get enough dough, wrap it with the leaves and insert one or two slices of the pig intestines in the middle. Make as many of these and put it in your container filled with water. Boil until cooked. 

SABENG

This is the Igorot counterpart of white wine served during dinner.

Needs:

- camote slices- cold water- rice broth- a big and nice wide mouthed container

Ways:

First, you have to concoct the base ingredients. Put cold water on a big and open container. Get the broth of cooking rice. (The watery stuff skimmed off the top when rice is boiling - To anyone out there who knows the Igorot term for this, please inform us. This is the same thing that is fed to children to cure loose bowel movement.)

Put this in your container of water. Peel a few camotes, slice them and add to the water. Let it remain for about a week. At any time, you may replenish the container by adding more camote slices, water or broth. My grandmother even added sliced banana peeling and left-over rice to the container. (No kidding!) Everything adds up to the enrichment of the wine. 

SOURCE: http://www.sagada-igorot.com/igorot/igorot_cuisine2.phphttp://s4.zetaboards.com/Igorot_Pride/topic/424119/1/

Papaitan or Pinapaitan, for those who don’t know is a sampalok and bile flavored stew of tripes and innards. It is either an ox or goat. (baka or kambing). This dish is popular with those who love drinkingliquor. It is one of the mainstay dish of restaurants along the h-ways if you have ever traveled up north or Ilocos country. I know a lot of people want to know how to cook this dish. Cooking is fairly simple except that it require a lot of time to get the innards to get cook to tender especially the tripes, not unless you want to use the pressure cooker but you won’t get the same tastiness with slow cooking.

When buying just ask the butcher it is for papaitan and most likely he knows what it is, so he will be giving you a set complete with diluted bile. Here in Abu Dhabi it is the meat shop way of attracting Filipino customers, by selling meat cuts the way Filipinos want. Here are some tips in cooking papaitan. Wash thoroughly. Parboil the innards with garlic and ginger for 15 minutes, discard water and rinse before slicing. Add bile small amount at a time so with sampalok. Until you get the correct sourness and bitterness.

Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 k. ox tripe/innards1/2 c. diluted ox bile1 head whole garlic

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1 thumb size ginger, crushed2 thumb size ginger, cut into strips1 head garlic, chopped2 medium size onion, chopped1 bundle spring onion, chopped1 small packet, sampalok sinigang mix2-3 siling labuyo, chopped1/2 c. patissalt and pepper

Cooking procedure:

Wash thoroughly ox innards, drain and cut into small slices, set aside liver. In a sauce pan put all innards, whole garlic and crushed ginger cover with water and boil for 15 minutes, drain and discard liquid. Rinse and add fresh water and boil for 1-2 hours or until innards are tender. Remove from pan separate broth and keep aside. In same sauce pan sauté onion, garlic and ginger. Add innards including liver stir for 3-5 minutes, add patis and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Pour in broth and simmer for 10-15 minutes, add siling labuyo, sinigang mix and goat bile (half quantity at time and taste sourness and bitterness add more if required). Simmer for another 3-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, garnish with spring onion. Serve hot.

http://www.overseaspinoycooking.net/2007/08/papaitan-baka-pinapaitan-baka.htmlTAPEY, or

Igorot rice wine is traditionally served when a host invites someone to partake of his rice wine at his

house. It is also drank in volumes during public festivities and celebrations. Tapey is nowadays

available in stores around the Cordilleras. http://sagada-igorot.blogspot.com/2009/11/how-to-make-tapey-igorot-rice-wine.html

The term Innasin is derived from the Bontoc/Igorot term "inassinan" meaning salted. This is used to describe salted pork meat, or meat of the pig. This is actually smoked Ham, but more salty, and in many ways, better. Some Igorots call this "Etag", but according to Ikit ay Ayotsok, the "Etag" could also apply to Beef, Carabao, Deer, Wild Boar meat.

Ingredients: 

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Pork (1/5 of it should at least be fat). The best part to make into "Innasin" are the Chops. To many Igorots, the real thing should be the meat on top of the neck of the pig. I prefer the ribs, including a liberal amount of fat taken from the part below the stomach. 

Salt

Ground Garlic (optional)

Ground Pepper (optional) 

Container: The container must not be metal, because of the reaction of the salt with the metal. I have tried plastic containers, but they must not be the recycled kind. Make sure you are using hard plastic. If you are using plastic, the meat should be used before six months are over. And you’d better do, because I’ve tried storing in a "Tupperware" container, and after one and a half years, the meat tasted like - well .. plastic... The best containers are clay jars or wooden, airtight containers. Gourd Containers are recommended, but it is hard to acquire it if you live in the city. (And I doubt if most of those who are reading these online have it :-) ). If there is no other recourse, use Glass containers, but be sure to store it in a cool, dry, and dark place. 

Preparation of "Innasin" 

THE FASTEST WAY Rub the meat with generous amounts of salt. If there are bones, make sure that the place between the bone and the meat has been applied generously with salt. Even the Fat should have been rubbed with salt. For a more spicy taste, do the same steps, including adding ground garlic and ground black pepper.Look for a suitable place where the meat can be hanged so it will undergo the curing process. The best way is to smoke it in the shade. You can use any of the varieties of redwood, oak, dried birch, or "dapong". As much as possible, avoid any of the Pine family. If you have no choice but to use Pine wood, make sure the wood is dry, and avoid using resin-packed wood, since the meat will have a bitter taste. The best wood to use is rosewood. Make a fire under the meat. The meat should be high enough so that the flames and excessive heat won’t reach it, but low enough so that the smoke reaches the meat(Your main purpose). "Smoke" it for a minimum of thirty minutes and a maximum of three hours per day, for at least two weeks. If you used rosewood, and the place you are curing it is clean, surely free from insects, dust, and dirt, the meat can actually be eaten raw. The result is the best type of Innasin. In the Cordilleras, the only place where I’ve eaten this type of Innasin was in Benguet, where rosewood was once plentiful. After smoking it, place it in a gourd container. The Bontocs call this "Lutsen" or "Luden". Way back when I was

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young, the gourds my mother used to acquire were either from Kalinga or Sadanga, in the Cordilleras. They were of a thick-skinned variety. If you do not have one, use a big glass container. Make sure that the container you are storing the meat in is clean, and sealed tightly. A noted cookbook writer from Pangasinan wrote and was asking if there is another way aside from smoking it, since in the city, there is no such thing as a curing area. Well, the neighbors will just go crazy with the smoke. Well, cancel the curing process, and store it. It just won't taste that good. To approximate the taste, try this: Add the garlic and pepper, and add a little monosodium glutamate (Vetsin). It must be consumed in six months. However, if you did not add the spices, you can still store the meat for more than three years. 

HOW THEN DO YOU COOK INNASIN? The primary use of this is as part of Pinikpikan. You may wash the excess salt first, if it would be too salty for your taste. It can also be deep fried. Cook it as you would for normal Ham. You can use either Hot sauce or Vinegar as dipping, but I love it just the way it is as viand for breakfast when I eat rice or bread. It can be used for meat addition to most types of leafy vegetables and beans. I also love it when included in white "Johnson" beans. (Umtu-umtut ta magtek yangcay, saet paylang en-acob nan utut). 

CONSIDERATIONS

Any part of Pork can be made into Innasin, but with different results. If you plan to make Innasin that shall be aged, Select the meat without any bones attached, make sure the meat is clean, and it is free from insects. No Fly should touch it. Innasin is normally best from three to six months for general consumption, but connosieurs prefer aged Innasin. Aged Innasin can be from one and a half to two years, but I've tasted Innasin that have been aged for four years, and it has to be washed first because it was bitter (from the smoke). However, the taste was really good. Use only small pieces of Aged innasin or "Tinmangki ay Innasin" with Pinikpikan, so that the taste won't overwhelm the taste of the chicken. Generally, Aged Innasin would have redder flesh, and the fat would turn yellow. Also, Do not add Garlic and Pepper to Innasin you plan to age. 

Please note that any Innasin that is made and that has bones attached to it have to be consumed in six months. If you don't well ... there is this taste that comes out(To me it's tasty), and to some - it changes the entire taste of the Innasin.

http://daoey.tripod.com/innasin.html

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Safeng or sabeng tastes and smells just like the German Sauerkraut. The main difference lies with the fact that Germans use Cabbages, while Igorots add Sweet Potatoes or Cassava.

Ingredients: 

Spring Water 

Sweet Potatoes or Camote 

Cassava 

Freshly gathered ears of Corn (Not the dry ears, but the just right ones. Young ears are also acceptable.) 

Boiling Rice Froth or "Am" 

Bananas, preferably the frying bananas type with emphasis on the "Minaleng" Specie (I don't know the scientific name, okay?) For replacement, use either the "Saba" type or the "Dipig" type. Do not use the "Senorita", Red Bananas, or the "Lacatan" types. The Cavendish variety is usually a no-no, but some prefer adding it)(optional) 

Extra Rice, preferably the Sticky or glutinous variety 

Young Squash(optional) The amount of ingredients vary, and depends from taste to taste. For a measured number, use this: 

10 liters of spring Water(Mineral Water, if there is Any. Perrier can be a substitute) 

1 and 1/2 kilo of Camote 

1 and 1/2 kilo of Cassava 

1 kilo of Fresh Corn 

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around 1/2 liter of Am (cook around 1/2 kilo of rice, but add more water than usual.The froth and some of the liquid while it is boiling is taken - known as Am). 

around 10 pieces of Ripe frying bananas 

The 1/2 kilo of rice you cooked. 

One small Squash (weighs around 1/2 to 1 kilo) 

Container: Now this is one heck of a choice: You must use a clean earthenware container, with a wide coverable mouth. It must not be lead-glazed. If you don't have one, a clean Iron container is next prefered. DO NOT USE LEAD,PLASTIC OR ALUMINUM CONTAINERS! A cover is also needed. 

Preparation of Safeng Put Spring water inside the container, and fill it to around 4/5ths of the total capacity - (Clean,cold tap water will do, But let the water stand for 24 hours to let the chlorine evaporate. Cover it with either cloth or a screen.) Next peel the Camote,the squash, the bananas and the Cassava and then slice them into pieces (About 1/4 inch thick). If the ears of corn are very clean (No insects, no damage, No insecticide, no dust) remove the stem, if there is any that has been left. Do not unshuck the ears totally. Open it halfway, but leave the covering. Do not remove the hair. Now put all the ingredients, including the Am and the extra rice, into the container. Seal the container. The resulting soup is ready in one week.Druing the whole process, make sure all the ingredients are clean. 

HOW THEN DO I DRINK IT? Straight up... or sip by sip.. whichever you would prefer. Using a clean dipper, stir the soup. Then get some of the resulting liquid, transfer to your drinking container, and drink it. It was noticed that drinking this also stops Loose Bowel Movement(LBM). When the container is halfway empty, put in fresh water, additional cooked rice, and three pieces of bananas. Let stand for three days before getting some of the liquid. This is good up to four times replenishment.

CONSIDERATIONS

There are many variations to the making of Safeng, but the preceding recipe was mentioned a lot by the acquaintances who drink Safeng. This recipe belongs to Ikit ay Marya Tsullipas, and is a favorite of Safeng drinkers of the Ayochok Clan. I have noticed that there are some Cordilleran tribes that do not know about this/nor are makers of this. I have some acquaintances from the Basao and Saclit tribes, and

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they've never made or drank safeng. In times of hardship, the Bontocs were once known to make this liquid, and use it for food, until times got better. Oh... I know my Mother is laughing... see, I still prefer Tapey to Safeng. 

http://daoey.tripod.com/safeng.html

The Most popular Igorot Alcoholic beverage!. I noticed that Igorots prefer this over all the over alcoholic beverages. I'd like to call this wine... But shucks!... aged Tapey does not taste like wine ... It tastes like Whiskey with a lot of bitters, and kicks like a horse. This is rice wine, and the only Philippine rice wine, I might add. Sake, the Japanese rice wine, does not compare to this in terms of alcoholic percentage, esp. if its aged. Sake, on the other hand, is somewhat more tasty to me. (or was it my imagination?). Part of my posting this recipe is to clear up certain things about tapey that are misunderstood by the lowland people, notably the Ilocanos and the Tagalogs. During drinking sessions, I've had the opportunity to listen to stories by braggarts on how they've tasted Sake, and How they've taken in Tuba(Coconut wine), and How Irish mead gives a fast hangover... and generally touching on the alcoholic proof of tapey. It sure makes me smile just to listen to the stories.Before I go on, I'd like to point out the following: 

1 to 2 weeks old Tapey. The best dinner wine. Good for the ladies. This is still sweet, and can be compared to drinking Cali Shandy, or Q Shandy. Most of the braggarts I've listened to have drank this stuff. One ends up so full, before he gets tipsy. (ever drank 4 liters of liquid?). 1 month old Tapey Just right for social occasions. A little less sweet. More zest in it. A shot before a meal suits me right. 2 months to 6 months old Tapey The Kicker Tapey. This is where the kicker stories start. Usually, during Filipino drinking sessions, the drinkers are sitting down. If they are imbibing in Tapey, they would tend to drink faster, and a little bit more than the usual beer or gin shots. This is because the Tapey has not yet lost its sweetness, and has more zest. The overall effect is a heady feeling, where one gets drowsier and a little bit sleepy. Now, of course one would then get the urge to empty bladders, and usually, when the drinker stands up fast, he'd suddenly get dizzy for no reason. I still do not know the scientific

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explanation to this, but I'd tried this around five times, just to find out if the stories were true. The first time I did this (stood up fast), I simply sat down. The second time I tried it, I leaned on a wall. The last time, I held on to my bladder, and when I stood up fast, I just ran outside, just to puke. {The trick}...However, if one were to stand up slowly, nothing happens. If you were feeling heady while sitting down, it would be none the worse when you stand up. What I'd usually do is, casual-like, light a cigarette, crack a joke while standing up, straighten slowly, then walk slowly and nonchalantly towards wherever I can piss. I don't get "kicked". If one wants to hasten feeling the alcoholic effect, include eating the grains while drinking. 1 to two years old Tapey The tapey has lost its sweetness, and is bitter. The liquid is not white anymore, but yellowish in color. If the tapey was done finely, the alcohol content would be high - around that of Brandy. Don't drink this as you would to beer. Drink it and take it as you would take Brandy. Five years old TapeyOut of curiousity, I made Tapey like this. There was no visible rice left, and what remained of the rice settled at the bottom. It was also of a dark golden color. It is bitter. Before I drank it, I tasted it sip by sip (testing out for food poisoning, since It was my first time to have something like this.) I'm still here, and sure, I drank it... The taste is just like mixing mentholated Whiskey, Brandy, and Apple Cider. I got slightly tipsy after two tumblersful. 

Ingredients: 

200 grams Rice Yeast or "Fufud"/"Bubod" - This are yeast made from rice. They look like rough, round biscuits. These are normally sold in small markets (You have to ask). My mother acquires hers from an old lady who hails from Guina-ang, Mountain Province, and prefers these from those that come from Tucucan and Kalinga. In the different parts of the Cordilleras, There are some markets/locations well-known for good Fufud. My apologies, if I don't post the recipe for this. I simply do not know. I only know that old Fufud and ground rice are part of it, but I do not know the process. The old woman that sells me Fufud won't tell me exactly how. In the US of A, try the Ground yeast sold by Thai/Indian/Indonesian Stores. In the absence of these, use the same amount of commercial yeast, but expect a less sweet, and less alcoholic effect. 1 kilo of Gluteinous rice, known as "tsayaket", "dayaket", "diket", "malagkit", preferably the red variety. The more gluteinous, the better. The best type are the ones that are around three months old from the time the palay was harvested. The Palay that was stored for long or "baak" is not good. Banana Leaves - The banana leaves should be prepared this way... Wash the banana leaves. Heat the leaves over fire, where the heated parts have turned greener. Wipe the leaves clean with a clean damp cloth. 

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Container: Either a gourd container, A wooden container, or a Glass container or an earthenware container should be used. Do not use Plastic or metal containers. 

Preparation of Tapey Cook the Gluteinous or sticky rice as you would with normal rice, but with less water than normal. After all the water has been absorbed, but it has not been thoroughly cooked, remove from the heat. Work in a cool dry place, where there it is not too breezy.(A purely supertitious notice: Igorots make Tapey with some stuff in mind:1. No one must disturb the maker.2. It must be done in a very silent surrounding, where there is no sound whatsoever, and no one talks. It is better if the maker is all alone. The reasons why these are done are varied from place to place, but one thing for sure sticks out: the Tapey will get sour if the superstitions are not followed.)

Prepare a clean flat surface, and cover it with the banana leaves. Spread the rice over the banana leaves, and let it cool and dry a little bit.While waiting, get the Fufud, and pound it into very fine powder. Now mix it evenly with the Rice. Mix it as evenly as possible. An uneven mixture may produce a sour taste. After mixing, put it in your container, and seal tightly. Put it in a warm place. If you are planning on aging it for a long time, Put it in a dark Place. I have seen many Tapey containers stored in cool, dry, and dark places. Why? I really don't know why, but it is practiced. The Tapey is usually ready as very light wine in four days. You will notice that there is liquid within the container. However, It is a lot better if you open it after six to seven days. The liquid that you produce is sweet, but the sweetness will gradually lessen as it ages. The color will change from white to Yellow to brown. 

HOW THEN DO YOU DRINK IT Remove the liquid - That is what is drunk. An easy way to do this if the rice is floating is to use a dipper, and press slowly downwards into the mixture. Let just the liquid spill over the dipper. transfer this into your cup. Others like to eat some of the grain, so in serving add a little grain(adding a little makes your serving more authentic). I love drinking this when the liquid has been cooled off in the freezer. You might want to try it. I have seen men in the "Ator" sing "Faya-u" while drinking in front of a container that must contain 5 gallons or more.

CONSIDERATIONS

Never assume that you can hold your drink with Tapey. The alcoholic effect is a little

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bit more long-lasting than gin. Perhaps because the sweetness hides the alcoholic taste? I really do not have a scientific explanation. Perhaps one of the readers can write to me and explain why? 

http://daoey.tripod.com/tapey.html

Tsu-om or Du-om is Roast Rice Crunch. In Tagalog, and some other Filipino dialects, this is called Pinipig. The Igorots do not have the sole ownership of this food idea, but they do have a very distinctive style. This is only applicable if you are /will currently harvest rice by hand. This is how Igorots make it, and no alternatives are offered that can equal this.

Ingredients: 

Young rice yet to be pounded. 

Sugar(optional) 

Other tools 

Mortar and Pestle 

Big Frying Pan 

Wooden ladle 

Winnower(A wide flat basket, or a wide flat basin can be used to those who know how). 

Selecting the right riceAfter harvesting the rice in the rice field, Select the not so mature rice that is left immediately afterwards (There always is some left). This type should be dense enough, yet should have a milky liquid in the middle. To test, remove the husk from one grain, and split the rice grain into two, or simply crush it with your fingers. There should still be some liquid left. Normally, one rice grain tested is

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enough for you to gauge what rice to gather is best for Tsu-om, since you would(of course) notice the color of the stalk, the husk, and the wat it stands up (The stalk won't be too bent, since it is not yet too heavy for the stalk). Gather at least four bundles ("fetek", or "botok" or "hinbotok") or if you want a definite measurement, something that would approximate a halk kilo of rice after being dehusked. (Around 1 and a half kilo of rice, including husks and stalks/panicles). 

Preparation

The period of time from the time it is gathered to the time you start preparing it should be within not exceed six hours, if you wish to achieve the best taste possible. If it should exceed, wet the rice every 15 minutes. Using a mortar and a pestle, separate the rice from the stalks/panicles. Put the rice into the Big Frying Pan (We use a Vat, which Filipinos call either "Silyasi" or "Talyasi"). Start a fire, and the fire should be high enough. Stir, using the wooden ladle, so that the heat would be even. (During the roasting of the rice, you'd love the smell that comes out.) The rice Husks before roasting are either a green gold color or green color. As it is being roasted, it changes to a dry brown color. You can test it manually if the raosting is finished. Pick a grain. If you remove the husk, and the kernel is too soft, and the liquid has not solidified yet, it is not yet finished. If the kernel is a soft, and when you squeeze it, it is sticky, it is not yet finished. Do not make a mistake by removing the rice at this point! You will have a hard time removing the chaff/husks. The kernel should be solid enough and is not sticky to indicate that it can now be removed from the roasting. When you think it is done, remove it from the Pan/vat immediately, Since the still undissipated heat will keep roasting the grains. Now, using the mortar and pestle, pound it to remove the husks, and using a winnower, remove/separate the chaff from the grain. The result is now ready to eat. If the grains are still colored green, you got it right the first time, from the harvesting to the roasting. Most kids who love this would include adding a little brown sugar. The result is just perfect. The grains are still soft and chewable. They should be eaten within one hour. 

The Difference 

Most Commercial pinipig, and other lowland pinipig that I have tasted do not approximate what we used to make. Commercial pinipig are the worst... They are made from either mature grains, or non-fresh grains. Non-fresh grains in the sense that the makers would get grains still with husks and boil them, till the kernel inside gets soft. Then this are roasted afterwards, before they are pounded. They simply taste like boiled rice. Lowland Pinipig (I've tasted those from San Fernando, from Pangasinan,

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from Nueva Ecija, From Tugegarao, from La Union, and the Ilocos regions, and the taste is quite the same: not as good as the Igorot "Tsu-om". Why .. My opinion, backed by several occasions where I was able to observe the way rice is harvested, is that the rice picked for Pinipig was not picked from pure, immature grains. While lowland people either use sickles or machines to harvest rice, The Igorots harvest rice as it had been during the olden times, people pick the grains by hand, and they pick only what is mature enough for harvesting. Thus, they also pick the rice for Tsu-om by hand, enabling them to select only what should be made for Tsu-om. If, on occasion, you have drop by a rice growing town in the Cordilleras, and it is rice harvest time, check out the people who are currently harvesting rice. Perhaps they'll be making Tsu-om? 

http://daoey.tripod.com/tsuom.html

Roasting is very easy: prepare whatever is to be roasted, then Roast it... For animals, dress/skin it, spit it, roast it. How you roast something is entirely a different matter. A lot depend on the heating. It's up to you to add your spices, and to put anything you want, depending on your taste. Roasting a Monitor Lizard should be easy. Dress - errr, Shouldn't it be really undress? You'd skin it, spit it, then roast it. There is one problem though... The meat of the lizard has a certain fishy taste (Igorots describe this as "langsi"), although it tastes like Chicken. This is very much tasted on the meat near the viscera. So how should you roast it? This recipe also applies to snakes. Click here to see how snakes are roasted. This was made clear to me by my uncle, Daniel Ayochok. Way back when I was young, I caught a monitor lizard, but I did not want to bring it home because my previous experiences were such that whenever I brought something home, I did not get to have my fill of my own catch. So I thought of roasting it, and was starting to skin it at the farm when my Uncle passed by and saw me. He taught me. Thus, this recipe is not mine. Yeah, I know it is an endangered specie, but heck, in the Cordilleras, the favorite part of a lizard's menu are Chicks. To the Igorots in the past, the lizards were either prey or pests. In any case, I have seen one Igorot along the Mountain trail way back in the 80's rearing monitor Lizards. So that means, if one loves the taste (Not to mention that the skin is sold to shoe makers), You can have a Monitor Lizard farm. I do not encourage hunting here. I simply am posting a recipe. Get it, Mr Environmentalist? Ingredients: 

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One Big Monitor Lizard (Called "Faniyas" or "Hilay" or "bayawak") 

Palongpong - A certain vine located in the Cordilleras. The leaves have a sour taste, and is usually eaten by kids. For replacement, you could either try using the "Kamias" (Readers, what's the english term for this?), or Unripe mangoes. I would appreciate if Igorot readers out there supply me with their local term for Palongpong, and whether there is a scientific name for this. (I'm still betting there is no scientific name) 

Salt 

Preparation

Prepare the Monitor Lizard. (Click here to find out how to skin a lizard and a snake) Now,Open the Monitor Lizard's mouth, and remove the tongue. Rub salt inside the mouth, and all over the body, including the space at the ribs where the heart was. Crumple leaves of the "Palongpong". Stuff the mouth with this. Stuff the space at the ribs with crumpled "Palongpong" too. Now spit it.Spitting a Monitor Lizard is just like what you would do to any four legged animal. However, you need not tie the legs. YOu havew to tie the tail and the head, and also tie at the abdomen. After it has been spitted, prepare your fire, and start roasting. Normally, the meat would reach a red/brown resin color, and it would be then ready to be eaten. Without the salt and the Palongpong, the fishy taste would be noticeable. However, the salt masks this, and the "Palongpong provides a sour taste that dissipates the fishy taste. Substitutes

You can actually substitute ("Kamias"), but Strips of Unripe Mangoes are better. If You do not have any of this, you can still remove the fishy taste before you roast the Monitor lizard (This is an old trick: I do not know why I am still telling this). Get a container, fill it with vinegar, and let the meat stay there for thirty minutes, before roasting. The taste would be different, though, and you would not experience the original taste of Monitor Lizard Meat.

http://daoey.tripod.com/fanias.html

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Roasting is very easy: prepare whatever is to be roasted, then Roast it... For animals, dress/skin it, spit it, roast it. How you roast something is entirely a different matter. A lot depend on the heating. It's up to you to add your spices, and to put anything you want, depending on your taste. Roasting a Python should be easy. Dress - errr, Shouldn't it be really undress? You'd skin it, spit it, then roast it. There is one problem though... The meat of the "Feclat" has a certain fishy taste (Igorots describe this as "langsi"), although it tastes like Chicken. This is very much tasted on the meat near the viscera. So how should you roast it? This recipe also applies to Monitor Lizards. Click here to see how Monitor Lizards are roasted. This was made clear to me by my uncle, Daniel Ayochok. Way back when I was young, I caught a monitor lizard, but I did not want to bring it home because my previous experiences were such that whenever I brought something home, I did not get to have my fill of my own catch. So I thought of roasting it, and was starting to skin it at the farm when my Uncle passed by and saw me. He taught me how to roast it, and how to roast other game. Thus, this recipe is not mine. Yeah, I know it is an endangered specie, but heck, in the Cordilleras, the pythons eat a lot of domestic animals, foremost of them the chickens. To the Igorots in the past, the Feclat were either prey,enemy, or pests. I do not encourage hunting here. I simply am posting a recipe. Get it, Mr Environmentalist? Ingredients: 

One Python of the "Feclat" type, although this would actually apply to any Land Snake. 

Palongpong - A certain vine located in the Cordilleras. The leaves have a sour taste, and is usually eaten by kids. For replacement, you could either try using the "Kamias" (Readers, what's the english term for this?), or Unripe mangoes. I would appreciate if Igorot readers out there supply me with their local term for Palongpong, and whether there is a scientific name for this. (I'm still betting there is no scientific name) 

Salt 

Several Spits (Palatutsok)

PreparationPrepare the Snake. (Click here to find out how to skin a lizard and a snake) Now,Open the Python's mouth, and remove the tongue. Rub salt inside the mouth, and all over the body, including the space at the ribs where the heart was. Crumple leaves of the

Page 25: Igorot Traditional Food

"Palongpong". Stuff the mouth with this. Stuff the space at the ribs with crumpled "Palongpong" too. Cut the Python into roasting pieces (The length of the spit). Now spit it by either inserting the spit, or tying the meat with the spit. Use wire to tie the meat down. After it has been spitted, prepare your fire, and start roasting. Normally, the meat would reach a red/brown resin color, and it would be then ready to be eaten. Without the salt and the Palongpong, the fishy taste would be noticeable. However, the salt masks this, and the "Palongpong provides a sour taste that dissipates the fishy taste. Substitutes

You can actually substitute ("Kamias"), but Strips of Unripe Mangoes are better. If You do not have any of this, you can still remove the fishy taste before you roast the Python (This is an old trick: I do not know why I am still telling this). Get a container, fill it with vinegar, and let the meat stay there for thirty minutes, before roasting. The taste would be different, though, and you would not experience the original taste of Python Meat.

http://daoey.tripod.com/feclat.html

There are several variations to this dish. They are1. Kinidlo'y Makan - Camote and Plain Rice 2. Kinidlo'y Tsayaket - Camote and Gluteinous rice 3. Kinidlon si Ifengnget - Camote, leaf extenders, and plain rice. A practice by the subtribes of Benguet, where rice was much scarcer before. 

Ingredients: 

Plain Rice grains /Gluteinous or sticky rice 

Sliced Sweet potatoes or Camote, Amount is usually around 90% of the weight of the rice. I have noticed that slices of small/younger Sweet Potatoes are more tasty. 

Camote Shoots or Chayote Shoots, or PechayAround 1/4% of the weight of the rice. (Wash it thoroughly). 

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Cooking Kinidlo 

Prepare the rice as you would cook rice, but add around 1/5 more water than usual. Some would put the Camote slices when the rice is boiling, but it is tastier if you include the rice from the beginning. Cook as you would cook rice, where you lessen the heat when the water is gone, and you are waiting for the rice grains to be fully cooked("Malinay").When the rice is cooked, For #1 it is then ready to serve. For #2, Using a wooden Ladle, Stir from top to bottom around ten times, or when the rice gets really sticky. This is to spread the taste of the camote with the rice. For#3, When it is cooked, Put the vegetables on the rice, and cover. remove the fire/stop the fire/heat, and let it stand for at least 10 minutes. At Abatan, Buguias, Benguet, I had the opportunity to see how they cook it, and noticed that if men were the ones who cooked this, they sprinkle just a little salt on the vegetables. A very tasty variation is when you put two to three pieces of the fish from "Bagoong Padas"(A type of fish paste) on top of Camote Shoots.

Serving:

For #1 and #2, get the topmost first. This is to avoid having the whole pot of food from getting destroyed in a few hours time ("mafang-es" or "Mabangles"). The same goes for number 3, but remove all the vegetables from the pot, and put in a separate container. 

http://daoey.tripod.com/kinidlo.html

SABENGThis is the Igorot counterpart of white wine served during dinner.

 

Needs:

 

- camote slices

- cold water

Page 27: Igorot Traditional Food

- rice broth

- a big and nice wide mouthed container.

 

Ways:

 

First, you have to concoct the base ingredients. Put cold water on a big and open container. Get the broth of cooking rice. (The watery stuff skimmed off the top when

rice is boiling - To anyone out there who knows the Igorot term for this, please inform us. This is the same thing that is fed to children to cure LBM.)

 

Put this in your container of water. Peel a few camotes, slice them and add to the water. Let it remain for about a week. At any time, you may replenish the container by adding more camote slices, water or broth. My grandmother even added sliced banana

peeling and left-over rice to the container. (No kidding!) Everything adds up to the enrichment of the wine.

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