snake wine

A snake wine with the Philippine king cobra in a bottle. The snake is called banakon in Cebuano or ulupong in Tagalog. The slender snake is called iliw in Cebuano. Both snakes are known to be extremely venomous.

snake wine - /es-nek wayn/ Cebuano and Tagalog wine [n.] a spirit soaked with a snake.

A freshly killed snake (complete with its scales, skin, flesh, bones, and internal organs) is steeped in spirit or clear (transparent) distilled wine until the juice from the body of the snake partly became the flavor of the wine.

Snake wine is taken as a potent drink and is believed to have some medicinal benefits, add vitality, energy, and as an aphrodisiac or something that boosts one’s sexual appetite.

The authentic "Cobra Energy Drink." Unlike the commercially bottled cobra energy drink, this snake wine will not cause you to worry about having diabetes. The snake wine has no sugar added in it. What you will get is a real cobra in a bottle -  not just a label with a drawing or printed illustration of snake.

The usual kind of snakes used in making snake wine are those that are highly poisonous like the dreaded Philippine king cobra (Naja philippinensis) known as banakon in Cebuano or ulupong in Tagalog. Another known highly venomous snake is the Cebuano iliw.

The usual spirits used as a base for this potent drink are the hinebra (gin), vodka, lambanog (Philippine coconut arrack), anisado (anise wine), and naturally fermented rice wine.

I found this man peddling a bottle of snake wine on the sidewalk of Ormoc City in western part of Leyte, Philippines.  He told me that he used a local gin with a brand name Mallorca as base spirit for this potent drink.

To convince me that it is safe to drink snake wine, this man swigs a shot of snake wine.

Few seconds later, the drink started to warm his body. This man told me it would keep him active for a day. Awesome. Honestly, I was actually stunned when he did that. I thought the potent spirit he drank would later take his spirit away. But no, he stayed alive.

In 2018, while on the strawberry farm of La Trinidad, Benguet (about 10 Kilometers or 6 miles north of Baguio City), I found more variations of local snake wines. They are quite expensive. The smallest bottle (350 ml) of snake wine is sold at PHP1,000.00 each and the biggest ones are between PHP3,000 to PHP4,000.

More bottled snake wines in La Trinidad, Benguet using different kinds of venomous Cordilleran snakes.

See me sampling a shot of snake wine that is made with rattle snake from Kiangan, Benguet. Click or tap the photo, below, to watch the Facebook video.

SNAKE WINE from Kiangan, Benguet is very expensive. This one is of rattle snake in lambanog with ginseng root. I don't know how they got rattle snake here in Benguet. A shot glass is P150.00. Every drip counts. (June 08, 2018)

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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).

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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  

abaling

abaling – /a-bá-ling/ Ilocano (Cagayano), Itawis, and Ibanag larva/delicacy) [n.] June beetle grub. 

a.k.a. abalin in Ilocano [Cagayano]

It is the larva of salagubang (June beetle), often made into a delicacy in Cagayan Valley. The Ilocanos of Cagayan, Itawis, and Ibanags would cook these beetle grubs into dried adobo by braising the beetles in vinegar, soy sauce, and spices, or into ginisa (stir-fried in little oil with garlic). The grubs can also be deep-fried or roasted when desired. Any of these dishes is usually served as pulutan (food served during a drinking session).

Like the salagubang (June beetle), the locals considered abaling as an aphrodisiac and a body warmer.

sample dish that uses abaling

ginisang abaling - /gi-ni-sáng a-bá-ling/ (Ilocano (Cagayano) dish) [n.] stir-fried June beetle grubs.

Wash thoroughly the abaling larvae then sautée in oil with garlic until lightly seared. Sprinkle with little amount of salt to taste. Add a squeeze of calamansi juice and stir to mix. Pour little amount of cooking oil and stir continuously until the abaling are light brown and crisp.

Do not overcook to avoid burning or too much scorching of the abaling.

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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. 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 

igat (dried)

Dried igat (sea eel) sold at the roadside stalls in Brgy. Damortis, Sto. Tomas, Pangasinan.

igat – /i-gat/ (Tagalog, Pampangueño (Capampangan), Pangasinense, Ilocano, Maranao, and Maguindanao sea fish) [n.] dried sea eel.

In Pangasinan, sea eel is made into tuyo (dried) traditionally by sun drying. The igat fish (sea eel) is cleaned of its gills, gutted,  soaked in a brine solution, drained, then sundried. 

When dry, it is cut into pieces (about 2 inches long) and is often sold in cutlet form. Dried igat is considered by Pangasinenses (local folks of Pangasinan) to be a "pampatigas ng tuhod" (potent knee jerker and aphrodisiac). 

It can be fried, grilled, or used as sahog in vegetable dishes.

See also igat 

Below, is a serving of fried dried igats with a dip of sukang Iloko with sliced fresh ripe tomatoes.

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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. 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 

penoy

penoy – /pé-noy/ Tagalog [Metro Manilan, Lagueño and Bulaqueño), Batangueño, Cebuano, Boholano, Waray, Ilonggo, Bicolano, Ilocano, Pangasinense, and Capampangan egg/delicacy; dw Tag. balut [wrap] + pino [fine] > Pinoy [Filipino] [n.] unfertilized duck egg.

Other local name:

•  a.k.a. balut penoy in Tagalog

It is a duck egg that remains unfertilized after undergoing the incubation period.

The unfertilized duck egg has no yolk formation when screened through the candling process or that procedure where each egg is held against a lighted candle (old method) or electric bulb (modern method).

The unfertilized eggs are sorted out as the by-product in the production of balut sa puti and then kept warm in rice husk for several days before they are sold as a hardboiled eggs.

Instead of having a semi-fully developed chick, a penoy egg would only produce a mass of plain white and yellow embryos. Thus, when boiled, the white portion would solidify and the yellow mass would just coagulate.

There are two kinds of boiled balut penoy: the masabáw (soupy) and the tuyô (dry).

The masabaw is produced by keeping duck eggs in rice hay or incubating them for up to 12 to 13 days. When boiled, masabaw is not actually soupy but rather very moist, creamy, and a bit slimy that can be slurped readily after having sprinkled with a pinch of salt or doused with spiced-up vinegar.

When incubated further for a day or more, the penoy egg would become tuyô or quite dry and appear to be like an ordinary boiled chicken egg only that the white and yellow parts of the embryo are not holding any regular shape, sometimes it appears semi-scrambled.

Penoy egg would become tuyô or quite dry and appeared to be like an ordinary boiled chicken egg only that the white and yellow part of the embryo are not holding any regular shape, sometimes it appears semi-scrambled.

To easily distinguish masabaw from tuyo, vendors would put a distinguishing mark on the shell of balut penoy. For the masabaw, a straight vertical line is drawn around the shell, or sometimes the letter “S” is written for sabaw (soup) or “M” for masabaw (soupy). A crosswise or spherical line is drawn around the egg to indicate that balut penoy is tuyô.

A douse of vinegar and a sprinkle of salt are the usual condiments used when eating balut penoy.

Due to the limited supply of duck eggs, commercially produced brown chicken eggs are now fast becoming a substitute for making balut penoy which is called penoy itlog manok or pinoy in Visayas.

However, there are mischievous balut penoy makers who would pass on the white chicken eggs as brown chicken eggs by putting light brown artificial coloring on the shells of white chicken eggs, such as dipping them in coffee

Photo shows balut penoy sold on the stall of a sidewalk vendor under the viaduct in Alabang, Mutinlupa City. The eggs with no markings are balut sa puti. Shown also in the photo is a bottle of spiced vinegar and container that holds grains of salt. Vinegar and salt are the usual condiments used when eating balut

Crossing spherical line or a line drawn across around the egg would indicate that these penoy eggs are tuyo.

A straight vertical lines are drawn for the masabaw. Sometimes, letter “S” is written, which stands for "sabaw"

A bucket of shelled penoy readied by a night vendor under the pedestrian overpass along Zapote Road in Alabang, Muntinlupa City. These would be dipped in orange-color batter, then deep fried to become kwik-kwik.

Opinions as to whether or not penoy is Haram (forbidden) in Islamic law differ from various schools of thought. 

It is unclear if this unfertilized egg is just similar to a fresh chicken egg that can be taken as food.  

There are those who would say that considering the chick and its blood is not yet formed in the egg, penoy can be taken as food because only those animals that are not killed without slaughtering and their blood are considered Haram. 

To be safe, it is advisable to ask first if the person to whom the penoy egg would be served would accept it gladly.


See Index of Entries here

Related posts:

Balut

Balot itlog manok

Pinoy (penoy itlog manok)

Orange egg barbecue

Ebun a barag

Guinness largest serving of balut in Pateros

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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.

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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.

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

 

balut

balut - /ba-lùt/ (Tagalog [Metro Manilan, Lagueño and Bulaqueño), Batangueño, Mindoreño, Cebuano, Boholano, Waray, Ilonggo, Masbateño, Bicolano, Ilocano, Pangasinense, Itawis, Ibanag, and Capampangan, Surigaonon, and Zamboangueño delicacy) [n.] boiled fertilized egg of itik (mallard duck), approximately 16 to 19 days old of incubation with the almost fully developed embryo or chick inside the shell.

Other local name:

• a.k.a. balut sa puti in Tagalog

The cooked duck embryo of a fertilized duck egg is so-called balut sa puti because the biggest part of the embryo is still wrapped in egg white, fondly called by Pinoys as bato (stone) being the toughest part of balut that would require a lot of chewing to fully masticate it. 

The famed balut sa puti is in the center stage among the pulutan (food served with the wines) when the classy Planet Grapes of Tuscany, McKinley Hill in BGC introduces their concept of pairing world-class wines with Pinoy street foods themed as "wine meets street food." Here, a hard-boiled balut egg becomes the centerpiece.

A table setting of  Planet Grapes' "wine meets street food" with balut egg as the centerpiece on each plate.

Balut has found also its way on classy food stalls such as this bucket of balut  eggs offered to customers at daytime Mercato Centrale in Bonifacio Global City (BGC - The Fort), Taguig City

Removing the shell before your eyes under an open light is not for the weak at heart. It is suggested that you eat balut without looking at the egg content, or better yet eat this while hiding in the dark.

Balut is eaten by first cracking an opening at the tip of the egg by tapping it lightly against a hard surface. Using the finger, the shards on the cracked portion are removed to expose the veiny thin film that would easily peel off or burst open, further exposing the watery content (amniotic fluid) of balut. More often, the thin film on the side would adhere and peel off with the shard of the shell. A pinch of salt is then sprinkled into the hole and/or doused with a little amount of vinegar. 

More often, balut is cracked and opened only on the top side, then a pinch of salt is sprinkled all over the exposed boiled chick. The juice (amniotic fluid) is then slurped or sipped out.

The juice (amniotic fluid) in the egg is immediately sipped out or slurped to savor the taste. When drained, the rest of the shell is cracked open and discarded to expose the whole content of the balut. 

Sprinkling more salt or dousing more vinegar may be needed before biting or mouthing the whole content of the balut. 

For those who cannot brave the sight of the veiny yolk and the hairy dead chick, it is advised to take balut at night or in a dark room or unlighted places. This probably is the reason why balut is popularly sold and available in the streets at night. 

Balut is not unique to the Philippines, as it can be found also in other Asian countries where it is known to have another name and is served or eaten with different condiments. 

Balut is high in protein and is valued by Pinoys for its nutritional benefits, considered by most locales as vigor enhancing delicacy and as an aphrodisiac.  

Click the image for you to find out why it is advised that you eat this delicacy at night or under the cover of darkness. Disgusting for some. It's yucky but yummy exotic food for those who have tried it.

Balut is sold in almost all cities and big towns all over the Philippines. In Bacolod City, the egg is always kept warm over a steamer that is also used in heating boiled peanuts.

In Guadalupe Nuevo (Tulay), Makati City, workers would stop to buy and eat balut from a sidewalk stall beside the Guadalupe wet market.

Vendors and bargain hunters in Divisoria of Tondo, Manila are also offered the delicacy.

Balut has no marking - Marking boiled eggs with a distinctive line or mark using a pencil or pentel pen is done to easily distinguish balut sa puti from the balut penoy, such as this tray of balut with a bottle of spiced vinegar sold on the sidewalk under the viaduct in Alabang, Muntinlupa City. The marked eggs are the balut penoy, while the unmarked ones are balut sa puti. 

Production of balut is also done now in other provinces throughout the country where eggs of itik are available. 

The famed balut in Pateros of Metro Manila no longer originates in this town after duck farming was wiped out by the intrusion of modern development in Metro Manila. 

Most duck eggs used in making balut in Pateros are now sourced from the duck raisers in Pampanga, Bulacan, and Nueva Ecija provinces. 

Due to the limited supply of duck eggs, commercially produced brown chicken eggs are now fast becoming an alternative to making balut, known as balut itlog manok.  

While in Cebu City, balut is available day and night at the Fuente Osmeñia Park.

Balut eggs can also be served in several ways. It can be cooked in tomato sauce to become balut caldereta or balut afritada, or in a soup like a balut a la pobre, and as paste or spread for bread, as in balut pate.

Though considered a delicacy by some Pinoys, balut is considered unclean or filth by the followers of the Islamic faith and is Haram (forbidden) in Islamic Laws because it comes under the heading of eating maytah, or that the animal has died without being slaughtered properly. 

Eating maytah is definitely Haram according to Islam. Thus, balut should not be served to Muslims so as not to offend or insult them.

Crazymix meme on FB

Related posts:

Balot itlog manok

Orange egg barbecue

Ebun a barag

Guinness's largest serving of balut in Pateros

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. We need 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.

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