Dried Fish By: Rudolf Michael M. Lipana

Dried fish is known as "Pagkaing Masa" which means it is considered as food for the common people. Why it's called "Pagkaing Masa"? Simply because it was made by Filipinos and reflects that Filipino are resourceful. From the unsold fresh fishes in the market, Filipinos decided to make another product. They used it in dried fish production. There are different kinds of dried fish in the Philippines. It can be Daing, Danggit, Tuyo, and Tinapa and even smoked fish/ Stock fish.

Dried fish is derived from Tagalog word "tuyo" which means dry. Tuyo is the most popular dried fish in Philippines. It is totally salty yet a perfect match for champorado; Filipino cereal meal. Daing is also one of the Filipinos' favorite. It has a split form. Milkfish is usually used for daing. Smoked fish is the Filipino common term for Stock fish. Cod is the most common fish used for Smoked fish.

Iloilo is one of the dried fish suppliers in the country because of the oceanic nature that produce plenty fishes. Ilonggos are good in preserving fishes. Here are some procedures in preserving fishes. For Tuyo, put salt on the fishes and dry it under the sun. Summer season is the best time for drying the fishes. Tuyo need enough time to dry and preserve the fishes that can be stored for months. For Daing, split the fishes and marinate it with vinegar, salt and pepper. And for Smoked fish/Stock fish, salt is no longer needed. Dry the fish with the smoke on wooden racks. Enough time is also needed in drying the Smoked fish/Stock fish.

Different dried fish is available in any Public markets nationwide. But, Iloilo Public Market offers the best quality of a dried fish because they spent ample time in drying and preserving the fishes. They also considered dried fish as one of their delicacies and pride. You can also buy at the leading supermarkets near you but better to look for Ilonggos' dried fish for best quality and best taste.

Honestly, I don't really eat dried fish. But, my parents love it. They usually serve it during our breakfast. Daing is my dad's favorite while my mom is Tuyo. My dad says that the best match of Daing is fried rice while mom says that champorado is the perfect match for Tuyo. Personally, looking at them eating that food tempted me to eat that too, but, I can't because of its smell. For me, it smells bad, but, for my parents, the smell adds to their appetite. And it made me realize that maybe these food taste great.