Pinikpikan... The Way It Is

Why do we have to hurt the ones we love to eat?

Gross! Maybe, but that's the way it is when you want to have Pinikpikan. You have to "killing-me-softly" the chicken. Pikpik, where Pinikpikan was derived, means to pat/tap and such is done hundred of times in preparing the main ingredient of the dish.

Before your imagination runs wild, let me share how this controversial food is prepared.

Ingredients

1. Chicken (much better if you have a native chic)
2. Salt
3. Ginger

Optional Ingredients:

• Sayote (Chayote) or Papaya
• Leafy vegetables (cabbage, pechay or bok choi, saringit or cabbage shoots)
• Etag (salted/smoked pork. I'll tell about this next time.)
• Onion leaves (leek)

"Torturing" the Chicken
Before killing the chicken, using a stick, tap the inner part of each wing consecutively from tip to base and vice versa until they turned dark red. (To be able to do this, ask an assistant to hold the chicken head and feet. Spread the wings and join them backward then hold the tip with one hand.) When the wings are done, hold the feet and hang the chicken downward then deliver a killer whack at the back of its head. Others prefer breaking the neck (yap, there are expert neck breakers) than this bludgeoning part.

The controversies of Pinikpikan arose from the way its main ingredient is prepared. Many calls it inhumane since the chicken is killed slowly or softly (thus the song "Killing Me Softly" was associated to the dish). The beating is meant to make the blood curdle inside which in effect is believed to render a richer flavor to the meat compared to ordinary butchered chicken. With the right force (just enough to bruise but without cutting the flesh), the process would only take 10 minutes at the most.

(Photo from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinikpikan)

"Undressing" the Chicken

When the chicken is already dead, pull off the the large feathers in the wings. Then singe the chicken directly in an open fire or
with the use of an LPG blow torch. Pluck the burned feathers but be careful so as not to tear the skin apart. Repeat the burning and the plucking until almost all of the feathers are removed. If you want to include the head and the "adidas" in the cooking, don't forget to peel off the feet skin and the outer covering of the beak. Wash the "undressed" chicken afterward.

Just like the tapping part, there is no other way to remove the feather of a Pinikpikan chicken but through singeing. Otherwise, it will not be a Pinikpikan.

Butchering the Chicken...
There's a way of doing this without breaking any bone of the chicken. Cut the skin under the neck just above the depression in the breast. Lay the chicken on a table. Use one hand to hold the breast down through the incision made then use the other hand to pull the neck up and towards the back to separate the breast from the back and ribcage with all the innards intact.

Locate and remove the bile before working on the other organs. Avoid bursting the bile for it can make the whole chicken taste bitter. In case the bile bursts, wash the tinctured part immediately until the green coloration disappears. Wash the intestine thoroughly and slice open the gizzard to remove its yellowish inner lining. Tie up all the internal organs using the intestine and include it in the cooking later.

Cut the meat to your preferred slices and don't forget to chop off and discard the claw nails.

Cooking
The simplest way of cooking is Pinikpikan is to boil all the meat with a ginger. Then add salt to taste when the meat is almost cooked. That's it!

If other ingredients are included in the menu, boil the etag (salted pork) first before putting in the chicken and sayote. Add salt to taste. When the meat is cooked, add the leek and other vegetables.

And presto!



If you want to try Pinikpikan, drop by at Sagada Lunch when you are in Baguio (I haven't tried other eateries yet if they also have pinikpikan. ) I am sure you will also find the same delicacy in most of the local hotels and lodges in other parts of the Cordillera.

Repainting The Igorot Freedom Park Monument

The monument is majestically placed at the Igorot Freedom Park which is more known as Igorot Garden. It depicts the five major tribes of the Cordilerans - Kankanaey, Ibaloi, I-Bontok, Kalinga and Apayao - in their traditional customs and in their valiant fight for their land.

At day...


... and at night

(Photo from http://ticzticz.blogspot.com)

the monument is a site to behold.


And now... some of the locals wanted to have their mark in this imposing edifice. Little by little, they are repainting the base of the monument using mixture of:

1. Areca/Betel nut
2. Betel leaf (ikmo or buyo)
3. Lime powder (apog)
4. SALIVA!

You heard it right guys! Here's how the on-going repainting work looks like.

Anyone who enjoys betel nut chewing are free to join in this repainting project. Just bring your own concoction. You may also participate in the chess tournaments in the park while doing this endeavor.

On a more serious note...
May we request the park managers or the city officials to do something about this? How about a signages of "Maiparit ti Agtupra Ditoy" or "Itugot Yo Pagtupraan Yo"?

I don't want to deprive others in enjoying their "nganga" while relaxing in the park. However, our kailians should be responsible where they spit. I saw some using bottle of mineral water to contain their spittle and maybe others should emulate them for a start. It is yukky but much more hygienic than spitting all around the monument.

Ala ngarud! Ken dakayo ay kakailian ay men memmema, no mabalin, adi tako koma aramiden ay pagtubbaan nan monumento ay naisaad ay mangipaila esnan kina-taraki tako. Awet to kanan nan tapin di ipugao ay maid ubpay pangisakit takos nan kina-Igorot tako.

Batangas Coffee? How About Benguet Coffee?

Chances are, when one talks of Philippine coffee, he meant Kapeng Barako (Coffea liberica) also known as Batangas coffee. The popular Batangas coffee though are now cultivated mostly in the neighboring province of Cavite.

Unknown to many, there is another Philippine coffee cultivated in the Cordillera. Benguet coffee is a variety of one of the most widely cultivated coffee in the world, the Coffea arabica. (C. arabica is known to have richer in flavor than the other popular Coffea robusta.) Introduced in the locality more than a century ago, coffee production in the mountains had remained a backyard activity. The introduction of Starbuck and other popular cafes' in the country have changed the scenario though. Nowadays, there are renewed efforts to revive the coffee industry of the Cordillera.

Benguet coffee is now available in Baguio market. I already bought some together with Kapeng Barako so I can start educating my tongue about the different coffee tastes.

Ano sa iyo? Kapeng Barako o Benguet coffee?




Coffee Breaks...
...We have a coffee tree in the front yard of our previous house in Mankayan. I remember the sweet taste of the fresh fruit as we peel them in our mouth (nah! There are mechanical ways to peel coffee beans now). But we were not allowed to drink coffee then, my mom used to say it will make us dull.

...The first time I tasted Benguet coffee was during my father's wake. More than two decades after my last taste of fresh coffee beans! At first, I thought that the free flowing brewed coffee in the house was Kapeng Barako. It's good that I was informed before I had the chance to ask who brought the Batangas coffee.