Pinakbet (pakbet or pinakebbet, meaning "shrunk") is a popular Ilocano dish from the Northern part of Luzon. This vegetable dish is more known as a regional food. But today, almost the whole country has a different way of cooking this dish.
The original Pinakbet Ilocano uses fermented fishes called bagoong or bugguong. This is to bring-out the distinct taste of the vegetables. Some part of the country invented to used bagoong alamang.
Pinakbet used basic vegetables such as bitter melon, eggplant, tomato, okra, string beans, chili peppers, parda, patani, squash. Others include root crops like sweet potatoes. In Ilocos, they even include the young pods of marunggay. It is usually spiced with ginger, onions, or garlic.
In some cases, lechon, chicharon, or other meats (most commonly pork) are added. It is considered a very healthy dish, and convenient in relation to the harsh and rugged, yet fruitful Ilocos region of the Philippines.
Panalo pakbet sa Ilocos! Ang difference lang na nakita ko dun eh hindi sila naglalagay ng kalabasa. Most of them hinahalo ay bagnet.
ReplyDeleteHi Tricky, yeah you're correct, they don't include squash as an ingredient. In Sinait, Ilocos Sur, bagoong was a no-no in preparing this dish. They use a lot of tomatoes and seasone it with salt.
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