Pinapaitanorpapaitan (lit. "to [make] bitter") is a Filipino-Ilocanostew made with goat meat and offal and flavored with its bile, chyme, or cud (also known as papait).[2][3][4] This papait gives the stew its signature bitter flavor profile or "pait" (lit. "bitter"),[5][6] a flavor profile commonly associated with Ilocano cuisine.[7][8] Similar to other Ilocano meat dishes, pinapaitan does not contain any vegetables other than those used for flavoring.[9]
It is enjoyed as a main dish served with rice or as pulutan (appetizer) with alcohol.[16] One researcher has suggested that the consumption of pinapaitan may be an underlying display of machismo, not dissimilar to extreme chili-eating competitions. Nevertheless, the consumption of bitter foods including bile is said to trigger the body's innate immunity, thus supporting disease prevention and promoting health.[17]
It has no relation to the similar sounding dish named paitan (白湯), a common soup for Japanese ramen.
Pinapaitan has been a staple of Ilocano cuisine for hundreds of years, and it remains a popular comfort food to this day.
The most probable origin of pinapaitan is from the Spanish colonial era. In the early 1800s, the Spanish friars would get the best meat, while the Filipinos were given the less desirable cuts. Pinapaitan is said to be a product of this resourcefulness, which dates back to that time.[18]
Pinapaitan is typically prepared the same day the goat (or cattle) is butchered.[16] Bile is collected from the liver and gallbladder, or cud from the stomach or small intestines of the same animal.[19]
The meat and offal are sliced into thin bitesize pieces 3 cm to 5 cm and parboiled in water mixed with vinegar to remove impurities or gaminess. Aromatics vegetables, primarily ginger (optionally garlicorshallots) is sauteed, followed by the meat and offal. Water is added to the meat and simmered until tender.[10]
The bile (or cud) is added to the stew towards the end of the cooking process. It is optionally soured with vinegar, bilimbi, or tamarind (pulp or leaves), or spiced with chili peppers. It may be seasoned with salt, patis, or MSG.[12]
Some recipes use bittermelon, or its leaves, as a substitute for bile or when it is not available.[18]
Kinigtot (lit. "surprised") or ginulat is a similar Ilocano stir-fried dish using goat meat or beef, which is mixed with papait.[17]Kilawin is another Ilocano dish with parcooked goat that is traditionally eaten with papait.
Ilocanos are not the only ones partial to bitter flavors using bile. Niu bie tang is a soup made by the Dong ethnic group in the Guizhou Province of China. Cattle are fed fine grass and herbs before slaughtering and extracting the ingredients. Other ingredients are added to the cud and bile and boiled to make a soup. People in Guizhou enjoy the soup as the base of noodle dishes.[20]
The Dai ethnic group in southern Yunnan is noted for its noodle dish sapie(撒撇), a dish laced with bile and chyme.[17][21] The Isan ethnic community in northern Thailand and Laotians, also feature bile in laap (ລາບ).[22] Further afield in Italy, chyme from unweaned calves furnishes the sauce for a Roman dish called pajata.[23][17]
^Prein, M.; Oficial, R.; Bimbao, M.A.; Lopez, T. (2002). Aquaculture for diversification of small farms within forest buffer zone management: an example from the uplands of Quirino province, Philippines. In Rural aquaculture. Wallingford UK: CABI Publishing. p. 97-109.
