etag - /é-tag/ Iocano and Cordilleran [Ifugao, Igorot, Kankanaev preserved meat [n.

] cured and aged slab

of pork; An indigenous smoked or sun-dried salted slab of pork.
Other local common names:
* also spelled as itag in llocano
* a.k.a. innasin in llocano

Etag is the general term used in Cordillera about the native's traditional way of preserving pork. A slab of
a big slice of pork is cured in salt for about a week (or longer) then air-dried under the sun or smoked for
several weeks (even months), or both. Though any kind of wood will do the smoking, the Igorots would
prefer to use the wood from a tree they called almos as it would emit pleasant smoke and add an
aromatic smoky flavor to the meat. If alos is not available, wood and leaves of guava trees are said to be
a good substitute.

For the locals, the longer the tag is cured in salt and air-dried, the more it is tasty, flavorful, and
expensive when sold in the market. The meat would turn darker and darker in color over a long time
during the aging process.

Etag may not be appealing to the uninitiated because it has a foul odor and most often has maggots after
several days of air-drying the meat, probably because of its exposure to flies. As it undergoes the aging
process, etag is often covered on the surface with a thin layer of milky-white molds similar to when aging
cheese. The molds are rinsed off and etag is safe and ready to cook.

The cured meat is grilled and served with cooked rice. It is also used as a meat ingredient in some native
vegetable dishes, or boiled in a soupy broth with pinikpikan (chicken that was beaten slowly to death).
When necessary, etag has to be soaked for a while in plain water and then rinsed thoroughly to reduce
its saltiness.
Etag has to be consumed after a week of drying or smoking. When there is extra etag, it must be stored
in a closed container to avoid the infestation of flies and their maggots, ants, cockroaches, and other
insects and even from rodents. If stored longer, it has to be sun-dried or smoked again from time to time
and avoiding it getting wet or moistened with too much moisture. Hanging the tag right above the
smoking kitchen stove when they cook their meal is also a common practice done by the natives when
storing and continuing the aging process.

In Mountain Province, the natives and the local government mounted their annual celebration of the
Etag Festival for their favorite preserved meat. It is held every February.

Depending on how the aging process was done, etag is generally classified as "smoked" or "sun-dried,"
as follows:

smoked etag (es-mok e-tag; Cordilleran preserved meat) In.] a kind of etag that is smoked to further
preserve the cured meat. Thus, it is referred to as the "smoked ham" of Cordillera. Smoking is usually
done by hanging the tag over and close to the stove or hearth, exposing the cured meat to smoke while
being air-dried.
The fast way to smoke tag is to build fire on a pile of firewood and place the skewered tag close to the
fire but not too close that it would get roasted instead of being just smoked. It is done at least 30
minutes every day for a week and the meat must be kept in a sealed container after each smoking
session to avoid the infestation of flies and their maggots. Smoked etag has a dark reddish-brown color
because of the stain caused by the smoke.

sun-dried etag (san-drayd e-tag; Cordilleran preserved meat) [n.] a kind of etag that is sun-dried to
further preserved the cured meat.
It is air-dried under the heat of the sun by skewering the cured meat in a long stick and hang on a
stretched rope or clothesline, or simply spread on flat dry surface, such as on concrete structure, big
rocks, or on trellis-like frame of bamboo sticks, like those used in drying fish. It is then turned over from
hour after hour to equally dry the other side. Sun-dried tag is lighter in color compared to smoked etag
due to lack of staining. It would more likely that flies and their maggots would infest the meat if it is not
protected with screen or net while in the process of sun drying.

The etag may also be prepared using both curing processes. That is, the meat is cured first by smoking
and then sun-dried in the next few weeks or months that follow.

Nowadays, the Cordillerans (Igorot, Ifugao, Kankanay, and other ethnic tribes of Benguet and Mountain
Province) would commonly use pork from cultured or farmed pigs to make etag. In the past, when the
forest of Central Luzon was abounding with wild animals, the natives would hunt wild pigs and wild deer
and use the pork of wild pigs and venison of wild deer in making etag. The most coveted and highly
valued etag is venison.

ETAG/INNASIN PROCEDURE
Etag / Innasin
- also known as Igorot smoked meat. Some
foreigners call this as Igorot ham. It refers to salted pork
and is cooked best with pinikpikan, legumes, or plain
vegetables. It can also be deep fried and then eaten with
vinegar or hot sauce. Yum.

Panag-etag (etag making) -