Pancit: Difference between revisions

Pancit

Pancit canton, the most popular type of pancit
Alternative names	Pansit
Type	Noodle
Place of origin	Philippines
Media: Pancit

Pancit, also spelled pansit, is a general term referring to various traditional noodle dishes in Filipino cuisine. Noodles were introduced to the Philippines by Chinese immigrants over the centuries. They have been fully adopted and nativized into the local cuisine, even incorporating Spanish influences. There are numerous types of pancit, often named based on the noodles used, method of cooking, place of origin, or the ingredients.^[1][2] Most pancit dishes are characteristically served with calamansi.^[3]

Description

The term pancit (or the standardised but less common pansít) is derived from either the Philippine Hokkien Chinese: 扁食; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: pán-si̍t/pián-si̍t; lit. 'wonton (noodles)' or Philippine Hokkien Chinese: 便的食; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: piân-ê-si̍t/pân-si̍t; lit. 'convenient food'.^[4] Different kinds of noodles can be found in Filipino supermarkets which can then be cooked at home. Noodle dishes are also standard fare in local restaurants, with establishments specializing in them called panciterias.

Pancit has evolved in Filipino cuisine to combine both Chinese and Spanish techniques as well as adding using local ingredients. Pancit is most commonly cooked by sautéing them with garlic, onions, tomatoes and other vegetables, and meat or seafood (guisado in Philippine Spanish). They can also be cooked in a broth or braised. Almost all pancit dishes are also uniquely served with sliced halves of calamansi, which adds a tangy sourness. The most common garnishings are flaked smoked fish (tinapa), crumbled pork cracklings (chicharon), green onions, fish sauce (patis), and sliced hard-boiled eggs. Some regions may also add sliced bilimbi fruits (kamias).^[1][2][3]

Pancit dishes are generally named after the types of noodles used. The most commonly used noodles are canton (egg noodles, usually round), bihon (rice noodles), lomi (thick egg noodles), miki (soft yellow egg noodles, usually flat), misua or miswa (wheat vermicelli), palabok (yellow cornstarch noodles), and sotanghon (glass noodles). They can also be named after their method of cooking, their origin, and their main ingredients.^[1][5]

Nancy Reyes Lumen of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism writes that a belief originating from Chinese Filipinos holds that noodles should be eaten on one's birthday.^[4] They are therefore commonly served at birthday celebrations and Chinese restaurants nationwide often have "birthday noodles" listed on the menu. However, Lumen warns that since "noodles represent long life and good health", they must not be cut, as that would "corrupt the symbolism."^[4]

Pancit dishes

• Batchoy - a noodle soup made with pork offal, crushed pork cracklings, chicken stock, beef loin and round noodles. Its origins can be traced to the district of La Paz, Iloilo City in the Philippines
• Kinalas - a Bicol dish consisting of noodles (pancit) garnished by scraped meat from pork or beef's head and other parts, enhanced with a thick deep-brown sauce coming from the brains of a cow or pig. The dish is further flavored with spices (sili and pepper) and served in hot broth. Boiled egg added is optional.
• Maki mi – thick pork tenderloin soup originating from the Chinese-Filipino community of Binondo, Manila.
• Pancit Abra – common in Northern Luzon, particularly in the province of Abra. A variant of Pancit Miki, in either soupy or fried version.
• Pancit alanganin – A rare type found in Bulacan. Legend says the dish was created by accident when someone accidentally spilled broth on the finished pancit noodles.
• Pancit Bam-I – also known as Pancit Bisaya. A specialty originating in Cebu, with bihon (rice) and canton (wheat) noodles sautéed together.
• Pancit batchoy – Iloilo's stir-fried version of batchoy.
• Pancit Bato – is local to the Bicol Region; especially the town of Bato in Camarines Sur. The noodles are slightly toasted while it's still dry.
• Pancit bihon guisado – or simply pancit bihon (traditionally and historically also spelled as Spanish: bijon) is the type usually associated with the word "pancit", very thin rice noodles fried with soy sauce some citrus, possibly with patís, and some variation of sliced meat and chopped vegetables. The exact bihon composition depends on someone's personal recipe but usually, Chinese sausage and cabbage are the basic relish.
• Pancit Cabagan – served in Cabagan, Isabela and nearby towns. Stir-fried and served either dry with separate soup, or "wet" or soup and noodles combined.
• Pancit canton – Filipino adaptation of lo mein and chow mein. Either in instant or stir-fried versions. It is named after the type of noodle used.^[6]
• Pancit canton Ilonggo
• Pancit chami – from Lucena City, Quezon
• Pancit choca (or Pancit pusít) – a black pancit from Cavite made with squid ink and bihon.
• Pancit estacion – from Tanza, Cavite
• Pancit habhab – A Lucban, Quezon specialty. Served in banana leaves, eaten directly without utensils, the name is an onomatopoeia of eating it, like a pig snorts.
• Pancit kilawin – a variety of pancit which originated in Rosario, Cavite. In lieu of rice or wheat noodles, shredded unripe papaya fruit is used cooked with vinegar and fish. Usually partnered with dinuguan, a dish made of pig's blood.
• Pancit kinalas – Naga City, Camarines Sur's version of pancit, in soup or dried form.
• Pancit lanu – Found only along San Vicente Street in San Pedro, Laguna
• Pancit lomi – Originally from Batangas, pancit lomi is usually sold in eateries across the province. With the mobility of the Filipinos; however, other people got wind of pancit lomi and now different lomihán (eateries serving lomi), panciterias, and carinderias (eateries serving a wider variety of viands with rice) offer it.
• Pancit luglúg or Luglóg - a Kapampangan version of pancit palabok that is essentially the same dishes. The only difference is that it uses thicker constarch noodles. The name comes from its traditional method of cooking, which uses a bamboo skimmer to submerge the noodles briefly in boiling water.
• Pancit lucban – a type found in Lucban. The noodles are mixed in with generous toppings and ingredients.
• Pancit Malabon – Thick rice noodles with different toppings that originated in Malabon.
• Pancit mami – round egg noodle soup
• Pancit mayaman – found in Guinayangan, Quezon
• Pancit miki – round egg noodles, or flat yellow noodles, or dusty white noodles either stir-fried or in soupy version.
• Pancit míki-bíhon guisado – round egg noodles with bihon, a hybrid type of stir-fried noodle.
• Pancit Olongapo – pncit miki prepared with sarsa (sauce) made of thickened chicken and pork broth, darkened with a little soy sauce.
• Pancit Molo – wonton soup with wonton wrappers added to the broth, serving as its "noodles"
• Pancit moròng
• Pancit palabok – uses thinner cornstarch noodles (sometimes substituted with bihon). It is topped with a shrimp-based sauce dyed bright orange with annatto seeds, shrimp, crushed or ground chicharrón, tinapa (smoked fish) flakes, hard-boiled eggs, and green onions.
• Pancit pula – a variation of pancit miki from Batangas City
• Pancit Sotanghon – a cellophane noodle soup with a chicken broth base. It may include some kind of meat and vegetable. A typical sotanghon is made with calamansi, sliced straw mushrooms, slivered dark-meat chicken and green onion.
• Pansit sabaw – Pansit miki with soup
• Pansit Tuguegarao or Batil Patong – not commonly known outside of Tuguegarao in the province of Cagayan in Northern Luzon, Philippines. It is an unusual noodle dish with a sauce based on soy and "cara-beef" beef broth. It is served with two piquant side dishes: a cup of egg-drop soup made with the same cara-beef broth; and a dish of chopped onions, vinegar, or calamansi, chili peppers and soy sauce. The noodles are usually wheat-based and are topped with ground cara-beef, pork liver, mung bean sprouts, and poached egg from whence the name batil patong, literally "scrambled and placed on top" is thought to be derived. Sometimes, other vegetables, crushed pork-rind cracklings or chorizo are also added on top. The soup was served separately.
• Pansit sinanta – also from Tuguegarao, consists of flat egg noodles, bihon, clams and chicken, with broth colored with annatto and served with pinakufu, a variant of dango.

Gallery

• Philippine adobo variants
• 
  "Saucy" pancit canton, a common braised version
• 
  Chicken sotanghon soup
• 
  Sotanghon guisado
• 
  Pancit habhab
• 
  Pancit lomi
• 
  Pancit molo
• 
  Beef pares mami
• 
  Pancit choca

Other variants

Pancit buko

Pancit buko uniquely uses long coconut strips, instead of noodles.

Seaweed pancit

Tiwi, Albay residents created a new pancit made from seaweed, which has health benefits. It is rich in calcium and magnesium and the seaweed noodles can be cooked into pancit canton, pancit luglug, spaghetti, or carbonara.^[7][8]

See also

• Lugaw
• Goto (food)
• Filipino Chinese cuisine
• Fideuà

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pancit.

• PCIJ report on Pancit
• Different Types of Filipino Pancit Recipes