biti

biti - /bi-tì/ (Bicolano [Camarines sur] preserved) [n.] dried swim bladder of abo fish.

Abo fish (tiger toothed croaker)  is a kind of fish found in the seas of Camarines Sur in Bicol.

When dried and uncooked, biti is flat and leathery.

Biti is rare and pricey when available. 

As of 2009, a kilo of biti is worth around P1,200.00 in Naga City.  In 2015, it is sold at P2,500.00 a kilo in Naga City and up to P3,000.00 or more in other places outside the city.

Dried biti I bought from the public market of Legazpi City in 2015.

This dried internal organ of abo fish can hardly be found being processed, dried, and sold outside Camarines Sur in Bicol or anywhere else in the country.

Biti would expand and swell like a balloon when pan-fried. 

It is cooked by pan-frying on low to medium fire. It would swell and turns crisp like chicharon when cooked. Must be taken away from the pan when already golden brown. Otherwise, it will turn dark and darker, which means biti is getting burned and bitter to taste.

Pan frying has to be done quickly on medium fire. Biti would easily get scorched and burned. It must be golden brown when cooked, not dark brown.

It can be served as a breakfast meal with sinangag na kanin (pan-fried rice) and sunny-side-up chicken egg or served as a snack or pulutan (food served along with alcoholic drinks). 

Dried biti is very light in weight, almost like that paper.

A handful of biti I found in the public market of Legazpi City in 2015.

A sheet of dried biti found in the People's Mall (a public market) of Naga City in 2015.

10 grams of biti is priced at PHP250 in 2015 when I found it in the People's Mall ( a public market) of Naga City in 2015. 

A handful of biti from the public market of Naga City

A pack and a handful of biti. I found this in the public market of Naga City during one of my travels in Camarines Sur (Bicol) in 2009

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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.  

Edgie Polistico  

ebun a barag

A bowl of boiled (half-cooked) ebun a barag presented during the sneak preview of MarQuee Mall's "Big Bite! The Northern Food Festival" in Angeles City last week

ebun a barag - (e-bun a ba-rág; Capampangan exotic food) [n.] monitor lizard’s egg. 

Other local names:

• itlog ng bayawak in Tagalog
• itlog sa halo in Cebuano 
• itlog sa hawo or itlog sa haw in Boholano 
• illuk alivo in Itawis

This is the egg of the Capampangan monitor lizard (scientific name: Varanus bitatawa) they called barag or what is known as bayawak in Tagalog.

The pliant shell of the egg would shrink after it is boiled (half-cooked) causing the surface to dent 

The taste of ebun a barag is agreeable.  It reminisces the taste of masabaw na balut penoy. A friend, Kenny Ngo of  Life is Kulayful gestures with approval after trying ebun a barag.

Another friend, Az Coladilla of Azrael's Merryland Blog, seems to be fascinated also by the ebun a barag. A rare exotic delicacy of Pampanga.

Its egg yolk is cream-colored and the egg white is transparent. 

The yolk is creamy-white and does not hold any shape. When squeezed out, the yolk would flow like toothpaste. The albumen (egg-white) is transparent and coagulating like that of chicken egg and flow thin (watery) 

The Capampangans would boil the bayawak’s (monitor lizard’s) egg as malasado (half-cooked)  and eat the cooked egg by puncturing a hole on the top side of the shell and then squeezing the pliant shell. The egg’s content is often spread on hot, freshly cooked rice.

The pliant shell of spent egg would just deflate like a busted pingpong ball. Unlike the shell of chicken egg, the shell of ebun a barag  would not crack or brittle 

It tastes similar to the balut penoy egg that is masabaw (moist and juicy)

RJ Ledesma, co-founder of Mercato Centrale, sips ebun a barag during the sneak preview of MarQuee Mall's "Big Bite! The Northern Food Festival" in Angeles City last week. 

Related posts:

Balot itlog manok

Orange egg barbecue

Balut

Guinness's largest serving of balut in Pateros

References:

• National Geographic, “Giant, fruit-eating monitor lizard discovered in the Philippines” Ed Yong, April 7, 2010, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/giant-fruit-eating-monitor-lizard-discovered-in-the-philippines

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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  

betute tugac

A freshly fried betute tugac. I got this on the sneak preview of MarQuee Mall's 'Big Bite' The Northern Food Festival in Angeles City, Pampanga in October 2013.

 

betute tugac - /ba-tú-tè tu-gák/ (Capampangan delicacy) [n.] stuffed frog; a fried stuffed edible frog.

 

Other local names: 

• a.k.a. batute or batute tugak in Capampangan 
• also spelled as betute tugak in Capampangan

A Capampangan dish made with whole tugac (farm frog) caught from the river or from rice paddies of Pampanga.

Skinned ricefield frog sold in the public market of  Cabanatuan City January last year. There are ingenious  and Novo Ecijanos would tan the skin into leather and made into taxodermy-like coin purse attached with keychain holder.

The frog is skinned and all its entrails are removed. The feet are cut off, its head decapitated and thrown away. The cleaned hollowed body is then stuffed compactly with minced meat of another frog, or added with ground pork or finely chopped chicken meat or their combination as stuffing. 

The stuffing is seasoned with finely chopped fresh herbs and spices that include leaves of tangle, a fragrant premma tree (Premna odorata) an aromatic leaf of the tree also known as alagaw in Tagalog. Other seasonings may include other locally available herbs and spices (i.e. garlic, red onions, ginger, tomatoes, kuse, kulitis, etc.) - all minced or chopped into small pieces.

When I came back to Cabanatuan City last June 2012, I brought home and cooked these skinned frogs.

The internal organs of the frog have to be removed and the hollowed cavity has to be filled with ground meat mixed with seasonings and minced tangle leaves if you are going to make a betute tugac.

The stuffed frogs are fried like a relleno. It is deep fried until brownish red or darker and crisp.

The host was trying to impress us with a serving of betute tugac during the sneak preview of MarQuee Mall's 'Big Bite' The Northern Food Festival in Angeles City, Pampanga.

Capampangan betute actually means butete in Tagalog or puffer fish in English.

The stuffed frog is called betute because the bulging-filled belly of the frog makes the frog look like a pufferfish.

This one is filled with ground meat and minced vegetables. The tangle leaves in it added the aromatic flavor.

Betute tugac is served and eaten with a dipping of spiced-up vinegar, chili sauce, or toyomansi. Without the dip, the fried frog would taste flavorless, and its two spreading legs are just pieces of tough meat.  The fillings are made tastier if added with ground pork or beef with all the seasonings and herbs mentioned earlier (above).

Dipping the betute tugac in spiced up vinegar (or any Pinoy dipping sauce) would bring out the taste and enhance the flavor of the frog.

 

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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. We need to know what you think.

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

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, you must try 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  

adobong sawa

Adobong sawa with chicharon balat ng sawa (python skin crackling) from Lamarang Steak & Seafood Restaurant in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija during one of my travels in central Luzon in summer 2012. 

adobong sawa - /a-dó-bong sa-wá/ Tagalog, Cebuano, Boholano, Bicolano, Ilocano, and Novo Ecijano delicacy) [n.] python adobo.

The meat of the python snake is cooked adobo-style.

Adobong sawa can be prepared as masarsa (saucy) or pinatuyo (dry) kind of adobo.

A live sawa (python) on display at the entrance of the Eagle Center in Malagos District, Davao City in April 2012.

A python at the Eagle Center in Malagos District, Davao City (actually there were several of them on display) is not for sale to take home and cook into a delicacy. The snakes are for the visiting tourists to experience how it feels to be hug by this constrictor reptile.

A serving of flaked adobong sawa from the Lamarang Steak & Seafood Restaurant in Cabanatuan City in Nueva Ecija province during one of my travels in central Luzon last summer of 2012. This is cooked pinatuyo style (dry).

Adobong sawa is an exotic delicacy in the Philippines as it is not commonly found and prepared in all places. It is considered by some as an aphrodisiac and is thought to have a potent effect. Some attested to having experienced a sensational warmness in the body after having this dish as pulutan (food served along with alcoholic drinks).

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

See Index of Entries here

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. 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.  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. 

Edgie Polistico  

CD-CD

This was when Compact Disc (CD) was still the popular file storage media for all your digital files. I found this CD-CD cracker from a stall in the Commercial Center of Tacloban City's downtown last summer of 2010.

CD-CD - /si-di si-dì/ (Waray [eastern Leyte] biscuit) [n.] cracker biscuit shaped like a CD (compact disc) or DVD (digital video disc) disc.

After kneading the dough of mixed flour, baking powder, salt, and water, it is flattened into a thin sheet and a punch cutter is used to get those disc-shaped cutouts with donut holes. 

The cutouts are placed in a baking tray and placed in the oven to become biscuits. Towards the end of baking, each disc is sprinkled with grains of brown or coarse white sugar that melted slightly and stuck on the surface of the CD-CD biscuit.

Packs of CD-CD biscuits on display for sale in the Commercial Center, downtown of Tacloban City last summer 2010.

CD-CD  biscuits can be eaten as is or paired with a cup of hot coffee, or with a bottle of cold softdrink (soda).

Before, when CD (compact disc) was not yet invented, this biscuit was a small-sized disc and used to be called galyeta by the Warays of eastern Leyte. Yeah, it was the size of a mini-disc of those erstwhile applications or software file installers. And yeah, it already had its donut hole then. The bakers eventually enlarged the size to match and make it look like the bigger CD of the 1990s until the early decades of 2000s.

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

See Index of Entries here

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. 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