Kilawin

Kilawen kalding
Alternative names	Kilawen, kinilaw, ata ata, kappukan
Course	Appetizer
Place of origin	Philippines
Region or state	Ilocos region
Serving temperature	Room temperature, cold
Main ingredients	Meat, palm vinegar, calamansi, onion, ginger, salt, black pepper
Variations	Goat, beef, carabao, pork, fish
Similar dishes	Dinakdakan, pinapaitan, sisig

Kilawin is a Filipino dish of chopped or sliced meats, poultry, seafood, or vegetables typically eaten as an appetizer before a meal, or as finger food with alcoholic drinks. ^[1]

Kilawin is commonly associated with the Ilocano dish "kilawen a kalding" ( Tagalog: kilawing kambing), lightly grilled goat meat traditionally eaten with papaít, a bittering agent usually of bile or chyme extracted from the internal organs of the animal. ^{[2] [3] [4]}

However, for Ilocanos "kilawen" is an intransitive verb for food preparation that encompasses all raw and lightly cooked or cured foods including dishes that would be described as kinilaw. ^[5] Meanwhile, non-Ilocano Filipinos often refer to kilawin only to meats those that are cooked similar to adobo or paksiw. ^{[1] [6]}

Etymology

The Ilocano term kilawen is a cognate to other dishes of similar origin. Filipino: "kilaw" (or "quilao") and Hiligaynon: "hilao" meaning "to eat (raw)" also include cognates such as kinilaw, kilayen, kinilnat, kulao, kulawo, kelaguen. ^[6]

Pre-colonial Filipinos often ate their foods raw or rare. Meats, including fish, were typically rinsed or cured in vinegar. ^[7] Later, the Spanish compared these kilaw dishes similar to adobo. Pedro de San Buenaventura selected the word “adobo” in the 16th century for kilaw which was a mixture of salt, palm vinegar, and chili pepper into which was put meat until it was tenderized. ^[8]

Variations

Beef, carabao, chicken, fish, goat, pork (or boar), shellfish, and venison are used for kilawin. ^{[8] [9]} Historically, the meats were cured in vinegar prior to consumption. ^[10] In contemporary times, the meats can be lightly cooked, typically grilled, before dressing it with vinegar. ^[11] In place of vinegar, citrus juice from lemons, limes, calamansi can also be used. Onions (or shallots) and ginger are some other popular additions. It may additionally be spiced with pepper or chili. ^{[8] [12]}

Dinakdakan has similar preparations to other cooked kilawin. ^[13] Insarabsab is similar to dinakdakan sans pork brain. ^[14] Another Ilocano kilawin dish is known as ata-ata or kappukan made with rare beef or carabao according to the Glossary of Filipino Food.

Among the Kapampangan people, kilayin uses fully cooked pork, heart, liver, and tripe. ^[15] A similar dish in Cavite uses fully boiled pig ears known as kulao or kilawin na tainga ng baboy, or tokwa't baboy when mixed with fried tofu cubes. ^[16] Modern variants of this dish use soy sauce in addition to the other ingredients. ^[17]

Risks

In the late 1960s, kilawin consumption of the gudgeon fish contributed to the intestinal capillariasis epidemic where there were 1,884 cases and 110 deaths. ^[18]

See also

• Dinakdakan – Filipino dish that consists of boiled and grilled pork parts
• Kelaguen – Chamorro dish of meat and green onions in an acidic marinade
• Kinilaw – Filipino seafood dish
• Kinilnat – Ilocano-Filipino salad dish
• Kulawo – Filipino eggplant salad
• Pinapaitan – Filipino-Ilocano stew of goat meat and offal flavored with bile
• Tataki – Food preparation methods in Japanese cuisine

References

• Glossary of Filipino Food