Tape (Indonesian cuisine)

''Tapai'' (also ''tapay'' or ''tape'') is a traditional fermented preparation of rice or other starchy foods, and is found throughout much of Southeast Asia, especially in Austronesian cultures, and parts of East Asia. 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 (which in some cultures is also called ''tapai''). ''Tapai'' is traditionally made with white rice or glutinous rice, but can also be made from a variety of carbohydrate sources, including cassava and potatoes. Fermentation is performed by a variety of moulds including ''Aspergillus oryzae'', ''Rhizopus oryzae'', '' Amylomyces rouxii'' or '' Mucor'' species, and yeasts including '' Saccharomyces cerevisiae'', and ''Saccharomycopsis fibuliger'', '' Endomycopsis burtonii'' and others, along with bacteria.

Etymology

''Tapai'' is derived from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *tapay ("fermented ood), which in turn is derived from Proto-Austronesian *tapaJ ("fermented ood). Derived cognates has come to refer to a wide variety of fermented food throughout Austronesia, including yeasted bread and rice wine. 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), and '' tempayan'' ( Javanese and Malay).

Starter culture

''Tapai'' is made by inoculating a carbohydrate source with the required microorganisms in a starter culture. 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, chili, cinnamon), cane sugar or coconut water, slices of ginger or ginger extract, and water to make a dough. 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 glutinous rice 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 (Filipino ''galapong''); dried fermented cakes (Indonesian '' brem'' 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'', ''tapey'', ''bubod'', '' basi'', ''pangasi''; Indonesian '' brem'' wine).

Modern

Fermented rice gruel/paste

In modern times, in addition to rice, different types of carbohydrates such as cassava 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, 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 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 Sundanese portmanteau of ''dicocol enak'' which translates to "tasty dip". ''Tapai uli'' is a roasted block of bland-tasted ''ketan'' or ''pulut'' (glutinous rice) served with sweet ''tapai ketan'' or ''tapai pulut''. The ''peuyeum goreng'' or ''tapai goreng'', or known in Javanese as ''rondho royal'' is another example of Indonesian '' gorengan'' (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''.

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 ''galapong'', a traditional Filipino viscous rice dough made by soaking (and usually fermenting) uncooked glutinous rice overnight and then grinding it into a paste. It is used as a base for various ''kakanin'' rice cakes (notably '' puto'' and '' bibingka''). Fermented gruel-type ''tapay'' are also common, with various ethnic groups having their own versions like Tagalog and Kapampangan ''buro'', the Ifugao ''binuburan'', and the Maranao and Maguindanao ''tapay''. These are usually traditionally fermented with or paired with fish or shrimp (similar to Japanese ''narezushi''), as in '' burong isda'', '' balao-balao'', or ''tinapayan''. Rice wines derived from ''tapay'' include the '' basi'' of Ilocos and the ''tapuy'' of Banaue and Mountain Province. ''Tapuy'' is itself the end product of ''binuburan'' allowed to ferment fully.

See also

* Amazake
* Cơm rượu
* Jiuniang
* Rượu nếp
* Sake
* Tapayan
* Tapuy

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