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  

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 

dilis (deboned and dried)

Boneless dried dilis sold at the roadside stalls in Brgy. Damortis, Sto. Tomas, Pangasinan.

boneless dilis – /bon-les di-lis/ Tagalog dried fish) [n.] deboned anchovies.

The dilis (anchovies) are decapitated, butterflied, and deboned of their backbone, then soaked in a brine solution, drained, and sundried to become dried boneless dilis. 

Best cooked by pan frying briefly on medium heat until the fish turns lightly brown and crisp. Often eaten with a dip of spiced vinegar on the side and lots of steaming freshly cooked rice and a cup of coffee.            

The dilis (anchovies) to be deboned and dried must be freshly caught. Otherwise, when dilis is no longer fresh, it would not be of good quality as it would likely be itchy when eaten and emits a foul odor.

It must be noted that Filipinos are fond of calling deboned fish or meat as boneless. It is actually a misnomer to call this fish "boneless" because the fish here actually has bones and what they did to make it boneless was that they deboned it like what they did to this dilis (anchovy) here. 

Thus, it should aptly be called deboned dried dilis instead of boneless dried dilis. But "boneless" already got its new meaning and usage and has deeply rooted already in the Pinoy community. Boneless already became part of Philippine English to exactly mean "deboned" and we got stuck with it. Those who got confused, please bear with us. This is our language and we are equally entitled to it.

Boneless dried dilis sold at the roadside stalls in Brgy. Damortis, Sto. Tomas, Pangasinan.

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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 

danggit bulad

danggit bulad – /dáng-git bu-làd/ Cebuano dried fish) [n.] dried rabbitfish \sundried butterflied rabbitfish.

To make a dried danggit, the rabbitfish is first butterflied by making a deep incision cut into the back of the head and running the cuts towards the dorsal side (upper back), and continuing to cut the flesh open towards the caudal fin (tail) and deep across towards the anal fin side, leaving the abdomen side (pelvic and pectoral) uncut and remain attached to serve as the hinged of the butterflied body of the fish. 

The process of butterflying a fish is called pakas in Cebuano, and the butterflied fish is called pinakas.   

When butterflied and split-opened, the fish is gutted and the fillet is washed clean, soaked in briny water, drained, and then sun-dried or air-dried under the heat of the sun until the fish is parched, stiff, and very dry. Drying a fish is among the ancient method of preserving a catch.    

The shelf life of dried danggit will last for several months or up to a year if the dried fish is stored and kept away from moisture.       

Dried danggit is commonly cooked by pan frying on medium heat or by grilling or broiling shortly on hot embers as it would easily get burned. It is crisp and crunchy like chicharon when cooked and best served with spiced vinegar as a dip on the side, and lots of steaming freshly cooked rice and a cup of coffee.

Dried danggit sold in the stalls along the roadside of Damortis, Pangasinan.

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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 

danggit flower

danggit flower – /dáng-git flá-wer/ (Pangasinense dried fish) [n.] dried danggit arranged like a starflower.

The danggit fish (rabbitfish) is scaled, its gills and viscera removed, washed clean, and butterflied and the side of fillet with no bones is detached and set aside for use in making another version of dried danggit - a sheet of dried danggit fillet. 

The splits of danggit fish are immersed briefly in brine solution and then laid flat and neatly arranged on screen wire (mesh or bamboo stick mat) like overlapping petals of a flower. 

The arranged fish are then dried under intense sunlight for about 2 to 3 days or until the fish is stiff and very dry and the splits of danggit would stick together to hold its shape resembling a starflower.

Danggit flowers sold along the roadside (highway) stalls of Damortis in Santo Tomas, Pangasinan

To cook, danggit flower is fried on medium to low heat, turned over, and done when it is crisp brown. Must be cooked until light brown. Dark browned danggit is already burnt.  

 

Fried dried danggit  served with sliced tomatoes and dipping of sukang Iloko (Ilocano sugarcane vinegar) or baak (aged sukang Iloko) with minced garlic.

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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

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

Other local common names: 

indong or ubod in Cebuano and Boholano

sili in Hiligaynon (Ilonggo)

kasili in Bicolano & Waray

kamidling in Palaweño

a.k.a. palos in Tagalog and Bulaqueño

The species of eel found in the sea. Igat is good if fried or grilled.

In Pangasinan and Cebu provinces, igat is made into tuyo (sundried).

Generally, in Tagalog, those eels that are from freshwater are called palos, not igat.

However, the names igat and palos are sometimes confused and used interchangeably, such that Bulaqueños in several towns of Bulacan would call the sea eel as palos, and they called the freshwater eel as igat.

big-sized igat are laid on the ground by fish traders at the Zamboanga City Public Market.

 

Igat sold in Seaside Paluto Restaurants and Market along Daang Hari road in Brgy. Almanza Dos, Las Piñas City.

See also igat (dried and fried)

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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

fisharon

fisharon - /fish sa-rón/  dw Amer. fish + Span. chicharrón [fried pork crackling]) [n.] fish skin cracker

Other local name:

• a.k.a. tuna chip or fish skin crackers

It is made with deep-fried skin of matured fish, such as bangus (milkfish), tuna, and tilapia (St. Peter's fish). A Pinoy delicacy.

A recently invented "pulutan" (finger food that accompanies in drinking session). 

Tuna chips (fisharon) from Gen. Santos City

The word fisharon is coined after combining the English word "fish" and "chicharon" (from Span. chicharron, meaning fried pork crackling). 

Tuna fisharon is also known as Tuna chip in Gen. Santos City.

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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