''Piutu'', also known as ''piyutu'' or ''putu'', is a 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 ...

dish that is the staple food of the

Sama-Bajau people The Sama-Bajau include several Austronesian ethnic groups of Maritime Southeast Asia. The name collectively refers to related people who usually call themselves the Sama or Samah (formally A'a Sama, "Sama people"); or are known by the exo ...

of the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

and the east coast of

Sabah Sabah () is a state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indonesia to the south. The Federal Territory o ...

. It is made from steamed

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 ...

(''panggi'') that is mashed and shaped into cylinders or disks. They were traditionally wrapped in banana or palm leaves, but are commonly sold wrapped in clear plastic today. It is typically torn or cut into small disks for eating. It is not flavored and thus need to be eaten with another accompanying dish, usually seafood. The most popular accompaniments include '' latô'' salads, ''kima'' (

giant clam The giant clams are the members of the clam genus '' Tridacna'' that are the largest living bivalve mollusks. There are actually several species of "giant clams" in the genus '' Tridacna'', which are often misidentified for ''Tridacna gigas'', ...

s), and '' siagol'' (a stew made from shark meat and

turmeric Turmeric () is a flowering plant, ''Curcuma longa'' (), of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, the rhizomes of which are used in cooking. The plant is a perennial, rhizomatous, herbaceous plant native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast ...

). It serves as a replacement for rice, after the introduction of

to the Philippines from

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

by the Spanish during the colonial period. Similar and related staple dishes are ''biamban'' and ''sianglag''. ''Biamban'' (or ''bamban'') is made from steamed

tapioca flour Tapioca (; ) is a starch extracted from the storage roots of the cassava plant (''Manihot esculenta,'' also known as manioc), a species native to the North and Northeast regions of Brazil, but whose use is now spread throughout South America. ...

cylinders wrapped in banana or palm leaves. ''Sianglag'' (also known as ''tompe'', ''tompek'', ''tinompeh'', or ''anggang'') is made from grated cassava that is fried until yellowish. Both also replace rice as an accompaniment to savory dishes.

References

{{Filipino food Philippine cuisine

See also

References