Almost any meat cured with salt, fish sauce, and other spices is a typical Filipino favorite, which is why it isn’t baffling that Tapa is also often deemed a gastronomical delight. It satisfies the Pinoy taste for flavorful foods, so it quickly became a popular viand since its debut here in the Philippines. When served with fried egg, fried rice, and pickled papaya strips, it seems too impossible to resist. Add a cup of warm coffee and you have the ideal Filipino breakfast in front of you. But other than being delicious, do you know more about it?
Here are 4 facts about Tapa:
- The Philippine tapa is actually not related to the Spanish Tapa, which is meant to be consumed as a snack or appetizer. In the Philippines, tapa is known a breakfast fare that is very easy to prepare.
- The origins of Tapa are not very clear although it is believed that Filipinos started to marinate beef in soy sauce after Chinese Traders introduced the condiment to us. It is said that the word tapa may have had Sanskrit origins. It may have been derived from the Sanskrit word “tapas” which means “heat”, which is a reference to how pre-Hispanic Filipinos dried meat under the heat of the sun to preserve it.
- In the Philippines, it is believed that it was in Marikina City that Tapa first became widely popular. According to food lovers as well as reports from locals in Marikina, it was Tapsi Ni Vivian, a small restaurant situated in Barangay San Roque where Filipinos first experienced the Pinoy tapa taste. The store is established as a sole proprietorship of Mrs. Vivian del Rosario under the name Tapsi Ni Vivian at Bulaluhan. Since its operation in 1986, it was successfully patronized by the locals and has expanded from a turo-turo to a much fancier restaurant with several branches in the city and one in Metro Manila.
- Tapa can be made with fish meat. Though it’s often made with beef as well as mutton or venison, there are tapa lovers who prefer tapa made from fish. As fish meat is said to have more health benefits, other people have devised a plan to use it as substitute.
Now that the 4 facts about tapa are no longer a mystery, why not start getting a serving of the flavorful Filipino favorite? We assure you that this meat tastes like no other.