Pangasi, also known as pangase or gasi, are various traditional

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

rice wines from the Visayas Islands and

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...

. They could also be made from other native cereals like millet and

job's tears Job's tears (''Coix lacryma-jobi)'', also known as Adlay or Adlay millet, is a tall grain-bearing perennial tropical plant of the family Poaceae (grass family). It is native to Southeast Asia and introduced to Northern China and India in remote ...

. Pangasi and other native Filipino alcoholic beverages made from cereal grains were collectively referred to by the Spanish as ''pitarrillos''. Aside from being consumed recreationally, pangasi figured prominently in the rituals of the ''

babaylan Filipino shamans, commonly known as (also ''Balian'' or , among many other names), were shamans of the various ethnic groups of the pre-colonial Colonialism is a practice or policy of control by one people or power over other people or a ...

'' shamans in various Filipino ethnic groups. Pangasi was mentioned by early Spanish explorers as being common in the Visayas, though it has largely disappeared throughout most of its range in modern times. It survives in some areas of Visayas and Mindanao. In

Panay Island Panay is the sixth-largest and fourth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of and has a total population of 4,542,926 as of 2020 census. Panay comprises 4.4 percent of the entire population of the country. The City ...

in the

Western Visayas Western Visayas ( hil, Kabisay-an Nakatundan; tl, Kanlurang Kabisayaan or ''Kanlurang Visayas'') is an administrative region in the Philippines, numerically designated as Region VI. It consists of six provinces (Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras ...

, pangasi is traditionally fermented with various leaves as well as sugarcane juice among the

Suludnon people The Suludnon, also known as the Panay-Bukidnon, Pan-ayanon, or Tumandok, are a culturally indigenous Visayan group of people who reside in the Capiz- Lambunao mountainous area and the Antique-Iloilo mountain area of Panay in the Visayan islands ...

. This is very similar to the pangasi (also called agkud) of the

Lumad peoples The Lumad are a group of Austronesian indigenous people in the southern Philippines. It is a Cebuano term meaning "native" or "indigenous". The term is short for Katawhang Lumad (Literally: "indigenous people"), the autonym officially adopt ...

. In the

Zamboanga Peninsula Zamboanga Peninsula ( tl, Tangway ng Zamboanga; cbk, Peninsula de Zamboanga; ceb, Lawis sa Zamboanga) is an administrative region in the Philippines, designated as Region IX. It consists of three provinces (Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibu ...

, pangasi (more commonly spelled as "pangase") refers to three different kinds of wines among the Subanen people of the

. Traditional pangase is made either from rice or

(''adlay'') fermented with a starter culture ('' tapay'') and typically spiced with ginger (in modern times, hot peppers are also used). It is fermented inside jars known as ''bandi'' or ''tibod'' for two weeks to three years. However, modern pangase are increasingly being made with

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', 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 cultivated ...

tubers, which was introduced by the Spanish to the Philippines.

References

{{Filipino cuisine Rice wine Fermented drinks Philippine alcoholic drinks Philippine cuisine

See also

References