Chiton (kibet chicharon)

chiton - /tsi-tón/ Tagalog [Quezon province] fried snack; dw Eng. chiton [sea mollusk with oval flattened body covered with a shell of overlapping plates] [n.] chiton crackling;  a crisp fried meat of chiton.

Other local common name: 

• a.k.a. kibet chicharon  in Tagalog-Quezon
  

Chiton is pronounced as /kháy-ton/ in English, and /tsi-tón/ in Tagalog. In Quezon, kibet refers to raw or processed meat of the mollusks, but when fried into chicharon, it is called chiton by the locals.

Chiton is a Tagalog-Quezonian [Quezon province] delicacy, also known as kibet chicharon in Tagalog-Quezon. It is a crisp fried meat of kibet, known in English as chiton (Chiton densiliratus), a kind of oval flattened sea mollusk with overlapping shell coverings on its back. It crawls and firmly attaches itself to rocks on the seashore. 

The kibets are boiled for about at least 30 minutes to soften them. The shells are then removed, the skin around the edges (girdle) is scraped off, and the thick skin of its sole is peeled off. The cleaned kibets are boiled again on medium heat for about an hour to remove the stench and then seasoned with salt, ground pepper, and crushed garlic towards the end of boiling. Other flavorings or spices of choice might also be added. The water used in boiling is drained and kibets are sundried the whole day, or until completely dry and stiff. The final step is the deep-frying of dried kibets until they become crisp, golden-brown chicharon.

Capa's chiton, manufactured in Alvares Village, Lusacan, Tiaong, Quezon. I bought this from the Pasciolco Pasalubong and Restaurant along the Diversion Road of Brgy. Lumingon, Tiaong, Quezon (23 August 2019) at PHP80.00 per pack then.

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Related topics:

• YouTube video: Unang Hirit, "Sarap at Lutong ng Seafood Chicharon sa Tiaong, Quezon," Oct. 25, 2017, https://youtu.be/LU-7tXhgjLQ
• YouTube video: Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho, "Pinoy exotic foods, yummy o yucky?" Nov. 05, 2017, https://youtu.be/YPGyiElcKFE

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