''Tapai'' (also ''tapay'' or ''tape'') is a traditional fermented preparation of rice or other starchy foods, and is found throughout much of

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

, especially in Austronesian cultures, and parts of

East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea and ...

. It refers to both the alcoholic paste and the alcoholic beverage derived from it. It has a sweet or sour taste and can be eaten as is, as ingredients for traditional recipes, or fermented further to make

rice wine Rice wine is an alcoholic beverage fermented and distilled from rice, traditionally consumed in East Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia. Rice wine is made by the fermentation of rice starch that has been converted to sugars. Microbes are the so ...

(which in some cultures is also called ''tapai''). ''Tapai'' is traditionally made with white rice or

glutinous rice Glutinous rice (''Oryza sativa var. glutinosa''; also called sticky rice, sweet rice or waxy rice) is a type of rice grown mainly in Southeast and East Asia, and the northeastern regions of South Asia, which has opaque grains, very low amylose ...

, but can also be made from a variety of carbohydrate sources, including

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively ...

and potatoes. Fermentation is performed by a variety of moulds including ''

Aspergillus oryzae ''Aspergillus oryzae'', also known as , is a filamentous fungus (a mold) used in East Asia to saccharify rice, sweet potato, and barley in the making of alcoholic beverages such as ''sake'' and '' shōchū'', and also to ferment soybeans for m ...

'', ''

Rhizopus oryzae ''Rhizopus oryzae'' is a filamentous heterothallic microfungus that occurs as a saprotroph in soil, dung, and rotting vegetation. This species is very similar to ''Rhizopus stolonifer'', but it can be distinguished by its smaller sporangia and a ...

'', '' Amylomyces rouxii'' or '' Mucor''

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

, and

yeasts Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to constitut ...

including ''

Saccharomyces cerevisiae ''Saccharomyces cerevisiae'' () (brewer's yeast or baker's yeast) is a species of yeast (single-celled fungus microorganisms). The species has been instrumental in winemaking, baking, and brewing since ancient times. It is believed to have been o ...

'', and ''

Saccharomycopsis fibuliger ''Saccharomycopsis'' is a genus of fungi belonging to the family Saccharomycopsidaceae. The genus has cosmopolitan distribution. Species Species: *''Saccharomycopsis amapae'' *''Saccharomycopsis babjevae'' *''Saccharomycopsis capsularis ...

'', '' Endomycopsis burtonii'' and others, along with bacteria.

Etymology

''Tapai'' is derived from

Proto-Malayo-Polynesian Proto-Malayo-Polynesian (PMP) is the reconstructed ancestor of the Malayo-Polynesian languages, which is by far the largest branch (by current speakers) of the Austronesian language family. Proto-Malayo-Polynesian is ancestral to all Austronesi ...

*tapay ("fermented

ood The Ood are an alien species with telepathic abilities from the long-running science fiction series ''Doctor Who''. In the series' narrative, they live in the distant future (circa 42nd century). The Ood are portrayed as a slave race, natural ...

), which in turn is derived from Proto-Austronesian *tapaJ ("fermented

). Derived cognates has come to refer to a wide variety of fermented food throughout

Austronesia The Austronesian peoples, sometimes referred to as Austronesian-speaking peoples, are a large group of peoples in Taiwan, Maritime Southeast Asia, Micronesia, coastal New Guinea, Island Melanesia, Polynesia, and Madagascar that speak Austrone ...

, including

yeast Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to constitut ...

ed bread and

. Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *tapay-an also refers to large earthen jars originally used for this fermentation process. Cognates in modern Austronesian languages include '' tapayan'' ( Tagalog), ''tepayan'' (

Iban IBAN or Iban or Ibán may refer to: Banking * International Bank Account Number Ethnology * Iban culture * Iban language * Iban people Given name Cycling * Iban Iriondo (born 1984) * Iban Mayo (born 1977) * Iban Mayoz (born 1981) Football * ...

), and '' tempayan'' ( Javanese and

Malay Malay may refer to: Languages * Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore ** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century ** Indonesi ...

Starter culture

''Tapai'' is made by inoculating a

carbohydrate In organic chemistry, a carbohydrate () is a biomolecule consisting of carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) atoms, usually with a hydrogen–oxygen atom ratio of 2:1 (as in water) and thus with the empirical formula (where ''m'' may or ma ...

source with the required

microorganisms A microorganism, or microbe,, ''mikros'', "small") and ''organism'' from the el, ὀργανισμός, ''organismós'', "organism"). It is usually written as a single word but is sometimes hyphenated (''micro-organism''), especially in olde ...

in a

starter culture A fermentation starter (called simply starter within the corresponding context, sometimes called a mother) is a preparation to assist the beginning of the fermentation process in preparation of various foods and alcoholic drinks. Food groups wh ...

. This culture has different names in different regions, shown in the table below. The culture can be naturally captured from the wild, by mixing rice flour with ground spices (include garlic,

pepper Pepper or peppers may refer to: Food and spice * Piperaceae or the pepper family, a large family of flowering plant ** Black pepper * ''Capsicum'' or pepper, a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae ** Bell pepper ** Chili ...

, chili,

cinnamon Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus ''Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, breakfa ...

cane sugar Sucrose, a disaccharide, is a sugar composed of glucose and fructose subunits. It is produced naturally in plants and is the main constituent of white sugar. It has the molecular formula . For human consumption, sucrose is extracted and refined ...

coconut water Coconut water (also coconut juice) is the clear liquid inside coconuts (fruits of the coconut palm). In early development, it serves as a suspension for the endosperm of the coconut during the nuclear phase of development. As growth continue ...

, slices of

ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices ...

or ginger extract, and water to make a

dough Dough is a thick, malleable, sometimes elastic paste made from grains or from leguminous or chestnut crops. Dough is typically made by mixing flour with a small amount of water or other liquid and sometimes includes yeast or other leavening ag ...

. The dough is pressed into round cakes, about 3 cm across and 1 cm thick, and left to incubate on trays with banana leaves under and over them for two to three days. They are then dried and stored, ready for their next use.

Preparation

Traditional

Traditionally, cooked white rice or

are fermented in '' tapayan'' jars. Depending on the length of time and various processes, ''tapai'' will result in a large number of end products. These include slightly fermented dough used for

rice cakes A rice cake may be any kind of food item made from rice that has been shaped, condensed, or otherwise combined into a single object. A wide variety of rice cakes exist in many different cultures in which rice is eaten and are particularly preval ...

(Filipino ''

galapong Glutinous rice (''Oryza sativa var. glutinosa''; also called sticky rice, sweet rice or waxy rice) is a type of rice grown mainly in Southeast and East Asia, and the northeastern regions of South Asia, which has opaque grains, very low amylose ...

''); dried fermented cakes (Indonesian ''

brem Brem is traditional fermented food or fermented beverage from Indonesia. There are two types of brem, brem cake (solid) that is usually eaten as snack from Madiun and Wonogiri, and brem beverage (liquid) made of rice wine from Bali and Nusa T ...

'' cakes); fermented cooked rice (Filipino ''buro'', ''tapay'', ''inuruban'', ''binubudan'', ''binuboran''; Indonesian/Malaysian ''tapai'' or ''tape''); fermented rice with shrimp (Filipino ''buro'', ''balaobalao'', ''balobalo'', ''tag-ilo''); fermented rice with fish (Filipino ''buro''); or various rice wines (Filipino ''

tapuy ''Tapuy'', also spelled ''tapuey'' or ''tapey'', is a rice wine produced in the Philippines. It is a traditional beverage originated from Banaue and the Mountain Province, where it is used for important occasions such as weddings, rice harvestin ...

'', ''tapey'', ''bubod'', '' basi'', ''

pangasi Pangasi, also known as pangase or gasi, are various traditional Filipino rice wines from the Visayas Islands and Mindanao. They could also be made from other native cereals like millet and job's tears. Pangasi and other native Filipino alcoh ...

''; Indonesian ''

'' wine).

Modern

Fermented rice gruel/paste

In modern times, in addition to rice, different types of

carbohydrates In organic chemistry, a carbohydrate () is a biomolecule consisting of carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) atoms, usually with a hydrogen–oxygen atom ratio of 2:1 (as in water) and thus with the empirical formula (where ''m'' may or may ...

such as

or sweet potatoes can also be used. The general process is to wash and cook the target food, cool to about 30 °C, mix in some powdered starter culture, and rest in covered jars for one to two days. With cassava and sweet potato, the tubers are washed and peeled before cooking, then layered in baskets with starter culture sprinkled over each layer. The finished gruel will taste sweet with a hint of

alcohol Alcohol most commonly refers to: * Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom * Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks Alcohol may also refer to: Chemicals * Ethanol, one of sev ...

, and can be consumed as is, or left for several days more to become more sour.

Rice wine

Uses in cuisine

Indonesia

''Tapai'' and its variants are usually consumed as it is; as a sweet mildly-alcoholic snacks, to accompany tea in the afternoon. The sweet fermented ''tapai'' however, are often used as the ingredient in a recipe of certain dishes.

Sundanese Sundanese may refer to: * Sundanese people * Sundanese language * Sundanese script Standard Sundanese script (''Aksara Sunda Baku'', ) is a writing system which is used by the Sundanese people. It is built based on Old Sundanese script (' ...

cassava ''peuyeum'' is the main ingredient for ''colenak''; a roasted fermented cassava ''tapai'' served with ''kinca'' a sweet syrup made of grated coconut and liquid palm sugar. ''Colenak'' is

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsgorengan'' (assorted fritters), which is deep fried battered cassava ''tapai''. In beverages, ''tapai'', both cassava or glutinous rice, might be added into sweet iced concoction desserts, such as '' es campur'' and ''

es doger Es doger is an Indonesian coconut milk-based shaved ice beverage with pinkish color often served as a dessert. It is a specialty of Bandung, West Java. The main, or base, part is sugared sweet coconut milk-based ice in pink syrup, served with '' ...

''.

Philippines

In the Philippines, there are various ''tapay''-derived dishes and drinks. They were originally referred to by the term ''tinapay'' (literally "done through ''tapay''), as recorded by Antonio Pigafetta. But the term ''tinapay'' is now restricted to "bread" in modern Filipino languages. The most common use of fermented rice is in ''

'', a traditional Filipino viscous rice dough made by soaking (and usually fermenting) uncooked

overnight and then grinding it into a paste. It is used as a base for various ''

kakanin A rice cake may be any kind of food item made from rice that has been shaped, condensed, or otherwise combined into a single object. A wide variety of rice cakes exist in many different cultures in which rice is eaten and are particularly preval ...

'' rice cakes (notably '' puto'' and ''

bibingka ''Bibingka'' (; ) commonly refers to a type of baked rice cake from the Philippines that is traditionally cooked in a terracotta oven lined with banana leaves and is usually eaten for breakfast or as merienda (mid-afternoon snack) especially du ...

''). Fermented gruel-type ''tapay'' are also common, with various ethnic groups having their own versions like Tagalog and

Kapampangan Kapampangan, Capampañgan or Pampangan may refer to: *Kapampangan people of the Philippines *Kapampangan language Kapampangan or Pampangan is an Austronesian language, and one of the eight major languages of the Philippines. It is the primary ...

''buro'', the

Ifugao Ifugao, officially the Province of Ifugao ( ilo, Probinsia ti Ifugao; tl, Lalawigan ng Ifugao), is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is Lagawe and it borders Benguet to the wes ...

''binuburan'', and the Maranao and

Maguindanao Maguindanao (, Maguindanao language, Maguindanaon: ''Prubinsya nu Magindanaw''; Iranun language, Iranun'': Perobinsia a Magindanao''; tl, Lalawigan ng Maguindanao) was a Provinces of the Philippines, province of the Philippines located in the ...

''tapay''. These are usually traditionally fermented with or paired with fish or shrimp (similar to Japanese ''

narezushi is a Japanese dish of prepared , usually with some sugar and salt, accompanied by a variety of , such as seafood, often raw, and vegetables. Styles of sushi and its presentation vary widely, but the one key ingredient is "sushi rice," als ...

''), as in ''

burong isda ''Burong isda'' (literally "pickled fish") is a Filipino dish consisting of cooked rice and raw filleted fish fermented with salt and ''angkak'' (red yeast rice) for around a week. The dish is common in central Luzon, most notably in the provi ...

'', ''

balao-balao ''Balao-balao'', also known as ''burong hipon'' ("pickled shrimp"), is a Filipino condiment of cooked rice and whole raw shrimp (esp. ''Alamang'') fermented with salt and ''angkak'' (red yeast rice). Once stirfried, it can be eaten as is with r ...

'', or ''

tinapayan ''Tinapayan'', is a Filipino dish consisting of '' tapay'' (fermented cooked rice) and dried fish. It originates from the Maguindanao people. It is very similar to the more widespread northern dish ''burong isda'', but differs in that the fish ...

''. Rice wines derived from ''tapay'' include the '' basi'' of

Ilocos Ilocos Region ( ilo, Rehion/Deppaar ti Ilocos; pag, Sagor na Baybay na Luzon/Rehiyon Uno; tl, Rehiyon ng Ilocos) is an administrative region of the Philippines, designated as Region I, occupying the northwestern section of Luzon and part of ...

and the ''

'' of

Banaue Banaue (or alternatively spelled as Banawe), officially the Municipality of Banaue is a 4th class municipality in the province of Ifugao, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 20,652 people. It is widely known as t ...

and

Mountain Province Mountain Province is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is Bontoc. Mountain Province was formerly referred to as ''Mountain'' in some foreign references. The name is usually short ...

. ''Tapuy'' is itself the end product of ''binuburan'' allowed to ferment fully.

References

External links

Dominic Anfiteatro's page on Asian cultured foods
{{Malaysian cuisine Fermented foods Bruneian cuisine East Timorese cuisine Indonesian snack foods Malaysian snack foods Philippine cuisine Cassava dishes