REGIONAL DISH

(Etag na Pinikpikan)

Etag
Water
Ginger
Wombok

Procedure:
Put the ginger and etag in the water and let it boil
after put the wombok.

(Soupy broth w/ pinikpikan)

Eel
Salt
Onion leaves/leaks
Paminta

Fry the eel

Sauce:
Soy Sauce
Ketchup(Spicy)
Chili
TAG – (also spelled as itag in IIocano; a.k.a. innasin in Ilocano) [n.] indigenous air-dried salted slab
of pork; A slice of pork cured in salt then air-dried under the sun or smoked, or both. Etag is the
general term used in Cordillera about the native’s traditional way or preserving pork. 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. 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. In Mountain Province, the
locals mounted the annual celebration of Etag Festival for their favorite preserved meat. It is held
every February.

There are 2 kinds of etag, the "smoked etag" and the "sundried etag"

SMOKED ETAG - [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 or coconut husk and place the skewered etag close
to the fire but not too close that it would get roasted instead of being just smoked. Do this 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 - [n.] a kind of etag (cured slab of pork) 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