''Paksiw'' () is a Filipino style of cooking, whose name means "to cook and simmer in vinegar". Common dishes bearing the term, however, can vary substantially depending on what is being cooked. ''

Pinangat na isda ''Pinangat na isda'', also called ''pangat na isda'', is a Filipino dish from Southern Luzon consisting of fish and tomatoes stewed in a broth soured with fruits like calamansi, bilimbi, tamarind, or santol. It can also be used to cook shrimp. ...

'' may sometimes also be referred to as ''paksiw'', though it is a different but related dish that uses sour fruits like

calamansi Calamansi (''Citrus'' × ''microcarpa''), also known as calamondin, Philippine lime, or Philippine lemon, is an economically important citrus hybrid predominantly cultivated in the Philippines. It is native to the Philippines, Borneo, Sumatra, ...

, ''kamias'' (

bilimbi ''Averrhoa bilimbi'' (commonly known as bilimbi, cucumber tree, or tree sorrel) is a fruit-bearing tree of the genus ''Averrhoa'', family Oxalidaceae. It is a close relative of the carambola tree. Description ''Averrhoa bilimbi'' is a small ...

) or ''sampalok'' (

tamarind Tamarind (''Tamarindus indica'') is a leguminous tree bearing edible fruit that is probably indigenous to tropical Africa. The genus ''Tamarindus'' is monotypic, meaning that it contains only this species. It belongs to the family Fabaceae ...

) to sour the broth rather than vinegar.

Types

''Paksiw'' refers to a wide range of very different dishes that are cooked in a vinegar broth. They include the following:

''Ginataang paksiw na isda''

A common variant of ''

ginataang isda ''Ginataang isda'' is a Filipino fish stew made from fish and leafy vegetables in coconut milk with garlic, ginger, onion, '' patis'' (fish sauce) or ''bagoong alamang'' (shrimp paste), and salt and pepper. It is a type of '' ginataan''. A com ...

'' (fish in coconut milk) that adds

vinegar Vinegar is an aqueous solution of acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains 5–8% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting simple sugars to eth ...

to sour the broth. This variant combines the ''

ginataan ''Ginataan'' (pronounced: ), alternatively spelled ''guinataan'', is a Filipino term which refers to food cooked with ''gatâ'' ( coconut milk). Literally translated, ''ginataan'' means "done with coconut milk". Due to the general nature of the ...

'' and ''paksiw'' methods of cooking in

Filipino cuisine Filipino cuisine ( fil, lutong Pilipino/pagkaing Pilipino) is composed of the cuisines of more than a hundred distinct ethnolinguistic groups found throughout the Philippine archipelago. A majority of mainstream Filipino dishes that compose Fi ...

''Inun-unan''

''Inun-unan'' or ''inun-onan'' is a notable

Visayan Visayans ( Visayan: ''mga Bisaya''; ) or Visayan people are a Philippine ethnolinguistic group or metaethnicity native to the Visayas, the southernmost islands of Luzon and a significant portion of Mindanao. When taken as a single ethnic group ...

version of the fish ''paksiw'' dish spiced primarily with ginger, as well as onions, shallots, pepper, salt, and sometimes

siling haba ''Siling haba'' ("long chili"), ''espada'' ("sword" in Spanish), ''siling mahaba'', ''siling pangsigang'' ("chili for ''sinigang''"), ''siling Tagalog'' ("Tagalog chili"), and sometimes called green chili, finger chili or long pepper, is one of ...

chilis. Unlike northern ''paksiw na isda'', it does not include vegetables and very little or no water is added to the broth. It is sometimes anglicized as "boiled pickled fish". The name comes from the

verb A verb () is a word ( part of speech) that in syntax generally conveys an action (''bring'', ''read'', ''walk'', ''run'', ''learn''), an occurrence (''happen'', ''become''), or a state of being (''be'', ''exist'', ''stand''). In the usual descr ...

''un-un'' or ''un-on'', meaning to "stew with vinegar, salt, and spices."

''Paksiw na baboy''

''Paksiw na baboy'', which is pork, usually hock or shank (''paksiw na pata'' for

pig's trotters A pig's trotter, also known as a pettitoe, or sometimes known as a pig's foot, is the culinary term for the foot of a pig. The cuts are used in various dishes around the world, and experienced a resurgence in the late 2000s. Description Pigs' ...

), cooked in ingredients similar to those in

adobo or (Spanish: marinade, sauce, or seasoning) is the immersion of cooked food in a stock (or sauce) composed variously of paprika, oregano, salt, garlic, and vinegar to preserve and enhance its flavor. The Portuguese variant is known as . ...

but with the addition of sugar and banana blossoms (or pineapples) to make it sweeter and water to keep the meat moist and to yield a rich sauce.

''Paksiw na dilis''

A unique variant of fish ''paksiw'' made with

anchovies An anchovy is a small, common forage fish of the family Engraulidae. Most species are found in marine waters, but several will enter brackish water, and some in South America are restricted to fresh water. More than 140 species are placed in 1 ...

(known as ''dilis'' in Tagalog and ''bolinaw'' in

Visayan languages The Bisayan languages or Visayan languages are a subgroup of the Austronesian languages spoken in the Philippines. They are most closely related to Tagalog and the Bikol languages, all of which are part of the Central Philippine languages. M ...

) that is then wrapped in a

banana leaf The banana leaf is the leaf of the banana plant, which may produce up to 40 leaves in a growing cycle. The leaves have a wide range of applications because they are large, flexible, waterproof and decorative. They are used for cooking, wrappin ...

. It is also known as ''inun-unan na bolinaw'' or ''pinais na bolinaw'' in Visayan-speaking regions.

''Paksiw na isda''

''Paksiw na isda'' is fish poached in a vinegar broth usually seasoned with fish sauce and spiced with

siling mahaba ''Siling haba'' ("long chili"), ''espada'' ("sword" in Spanish), ''siling mahaba'', ''siling pangsigang'' ("chili for ''sinigang''"), ''siling Tagalog'' ("Tagalog chili"), and sometimes called green chili, finger chili or long pepper, is one of ...

. It also usually includes vegetables, commonly ''ampalaya'' (

bitter melon ''Momordica charantia'' (commonly called bitter melon; Goya; bitter apple; bitter gourd; bitter squash; balsam-pear; with many more names listed below) is a tropical and subtropical vine of the family Cucurbitaceae, widely grown in Asia, Afr ...

''Paksiw na lechon''

''Paksiw na lechon'', which is left-over spit-roasted pork (

lechon A suckling pig is a piglet fed on its mother's milk (i.e., a piglet which is still a " suckling"). In culinary contexts, a suckling pig is slaughtered between the ages of two and six weeks. It is traditionally cooked whole, often roasted, ...

) meat cooked in vinegar, garlic, onions, and black pepper and some water. The

Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...

version adds ground liver or

liver spread Liver spread is a Filipino canned spread product made from pureed pork, beef, or chicken liver mixed with cereal and/or offal similar to the French pâté and German liverwurst. Liver spread is usually eaten as a filling for sandwich bread and ...

("lechon sauce"), while the

versions do not.

References

{{Filipino food Philippine cuisine