Edge of The world Part-1

Traditional Food: Etag ( Dried and salted pork/meat)

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

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Etag is the general term used in Cordillera about the native’s traditional way or 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 calledalnos as it would emit pleasant smoke and add aromatic smoky flavor to the meat. If alnosis not available, wood and leaves of guava tree is 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 long time of 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 a cheese. The molds are rinsed off and etag is safe and ready to cook.

The cured meat is grilled and served with cooked rice. It is also used as 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 have to be soaked for a while in plain water 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 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 from getting wet or moistened with too much moisture. Hanging the etag right above the smoking kitchen stove as 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 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’d 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 etagthat 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.

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

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 makeetag.  In the past, when the forest of Central Luzon was abounding with wild animals, the natives would hunt wild pigs and wild deer and used the pork of wild pigs and venison of wild deer in making etag. The most coveted and highly valued etag is the venison.  

Traditional Filipino Dishes

Traditional Filipino Dishes.

Filipino food tends to be overlooked for other Southeast Asian cuisines, like Thai and Vietnamese. But you’d be mistaken to neglect it. Pinoy cuisine has been delighting taste buds for centuries with phenomenal flavors that reflect the country’s multi-cultural influence. From deep-fried lumpia rolls to sweet leche flan, you can find Chinese, Spanish, or Native influence in almost every dish.

* Cassava Cake

Cassava cake is another popular Pinoy dessert crafted from freshly grated cassava flour and coconut milk, traditionally baked on coals. And you won’t have to feel too guilty indulging because cassava offers a handful of health benefits.

    * Chicken Adobo

One of the most well-known dishes on our list, chicken adobo’s distinctive flavor comes from a slow cooking process – plus plenty of vinegar, crushed garlic, soy sauce, and black pepper.

 * Kare-Kare

Kare-Kare is a Filipino stew with vegetables, oxtail, and a thick savory peanut sauce. Originating before the Spanish arrived to the Philippines, kare-kare is a Filipino comfort food.

* Lumpia 

Lumpia is a delicious deep-fried spring roll, stuffed with a mixture of minced meat and chopped vegetables.

* Pancit

Pancit, or pansit, are noodles that can be mixed with whatever meat or vegetable your stomach desires. The name originated from the Hookien word ‘pian e sit,’ meaning ‘something conveniently cooked.

* Sisig

Sisig is a spicy, fatty meat dish with pig head and liver marinated in vinegar, soy sauce, calamansi juice, and chili peppers. Also known as the ‘golden lime,’ calamansi is a citrus fruit that’s commonly used in Filipino lemonade.

* Sinigang

Often associated with tamarind, sinigang is a sour and savory Filipino stew made with onions, tomatoes, eggplant, spinach, ginger, and fish sauce.