Tapai

Tapai
	Packaged tapai paste made from cassava in Indonesia
Alternative names	Peuyeum, etc.
Type	Rice wine, alcoholic paste
Region or state	Southeast Asia, East Asia, South Asia
Main ingredients	Usually white rice, glutinous rice
	Media: Tapai ;

Last updated August 04, 2024

Dried alcoholic fermented cassava or peuyeum at Yogyakarta, Indonesia Peuyeum.jpg — Dried alcoholic fermented cassava or *peuyeum* at Yogyakarta, Indonesia

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^[1] 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.^[1]^[2] 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.^[1]^[2]

Etymology

Tapai is derived from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *tapay ("fermented [food]"), which in turn is derived from Proto-Austronesian *tapaJ ("fermented [food]"). Derived cognates has come to refer to a wide variety of fermented food throughout Austronesia, including yeasted bread and rice wine.^[3]^[4] 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), tapayan (Maguindanaon), tepayan (Iban), and tempayan (Javanese and Malay).^[3]^[4]

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.^[2] 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.

Region	China	Indonesia/Malaysia	Korea	Philippines	Thailand
Name	peh-chu, jiuyao (simplified Chinese :酒药; traditional Chinese :酒藥; pinyin :jiǔyào; Jyutping :zau2joek1)	ragi tapai	nuruk	bubod, bubur, bubud, budbud, budbod, tapay^[5]	look-paeng

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).^[5]

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.

Region	Cambodia	China	India	Indonesia	Korea	Malaysia	Philippines	Singapore	Thailand	Brunei
white rice	chao, tapai	lao-chao (Chinese :醪糟; pinyin :láozāo; Jyutping :lou4zou1), Jiuniang		tapai beras	nuruk	tapai nasi	tapay, buro, balaobalao, balobalo, galapong bigas^[5]	tapai nasi	khao-mak	tapai
glutinous rice	tapai		Bhattejaanr	tapai ketan		tapai pulut^[6]	tapay, binuburang basi, tapay basi, inuruban, binubudan, binuboran, galapong, galapong malagkit, galapong pilit, galapong salaket^[5]			pulut
cassava				tapai ketela, tapai ubi kayu (Minangkabau), tape singkong, tape telo, peuyeum (Sundanese)		tapai ubi kayu	binuburang kamoteng kahoy, binuburang balanghoy, tapay panggi, tapay a banggala

Rice wine

Uses in cuisine

Indonesia

Tapai and its variants are usually consumed as it is; as 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.^[5]

Related Research Articles

Glutinous 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 content, and is especially sticky when cooked. It is widely consumed across Asia.

Malaysian cuisine consists of cooking traditions and practices found in Malaysia, and reflects the multi-ethnic makeup of its population. The vast majority of Malaysia's population can roughly be divided among three major ethnic groups: Malays, Chinese and Indians. The remainder consists of the indigenous peoples of Sabah and Sarawak in East Malaysia, the Orang Asli of Peninsular Malaysia, the Peranakan and Eurasian creole communities, as well as a significant number of foreign workers and expatriates.

Kuih are bite-sized snack or dessert foods commonly found in Southeast Asia and China. It is a fairly broad term which may include items that would be called cakes, cookies, dumplings, pudding, biscuits, or pastries in English and are usually made from rice or glutinous rice. In China, where the term originates from, kueh or koé (粿) in the Min Nan languages refers to snacks which are typically made from rice but can occasionally be made from other grains such as wheat. The term kuih is widely used in Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore, kueh is used in Singapore and Indonesia, kue is used in Indonesia only, all three refer to sweet or savoury desserts.

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 especially during the Christmas season. It is also known as bingka in the Visayas and Mindanao islands.

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. Common variations include cakes made with rice flour, those made from ground rice, and those made from whole grains of rice compressed together or combined with some other binding substance.

Kue is an Indonesian bite-sized snack or dessert food. Kue is a fairly broad term in Indonesian to describe a wide variety of snacks including cakes, cookies, fritters, pies, scones, and patisserie. Kue are made from a variety of ingredients in various forms; some are steamed, fried or baked. They are popular snacks in Indonesia, which has the largest variety of kue. Because of the countries' historical colonial ties, Koeé (kue) is also popular in the Netherlands.

Rice flour is a form of flour made from finely milled rice. It is distinct from rice starch, which is usually produced by steeping rice in lye. Rice flour is a common substitute for wheat flour. It is also used as a thickening agent in recipes that are refrigerated or frozen since it inhibits liquid separation.

Basi is a native Ilocano fermented alcoholic beverage or wine made with sugarcane juice, particularly those produced in Northern Luzon particularly in Ilocos Region. This wine is processed in "burnay" or "tapayan".

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 Tenggara, but mostly known from Bali. Brem first appeared in Java around the year 1000, based on investigations regarding old Javanese inscriptions and literature.

Rượu nếp is a pudding or drink from northern Vietnam.

Puto is a Filipino steamed rice cake, traditionally made from slightly fermented rice dough (galapong). It is eaten as is or as an accompaniment to a number of savoury dishes. Puto is also an umbrella term for various kinds of indigenous steamed cakes, including those made without rice. It is a sub-type of kakanin.

Jiuniang is a sweet, soup- or pudding-like dish in Chinese cuisine. It is also known as sweet wine or sweet rice wine. It consists of a mixture of partially digested rice grains floating in a sweet saccharified liquid, with small amounts of alcohol (1.5–2%) and lactic acid (0.5%). It is made by fermenting glutinous rice with a starter called jiuqu containing Rhizopus oryzae or Aspergillus oryzae and often yeast and bacteria.

Tapuy, also spelled tapuey or tapey, is a rice wine produced in the Philippines. It is a traditional beverage originated from Banaue and Mountain Province, where it is used for important occasions such as weddings, rice harvesting ceremonies, fiestas and cultural fairs. It is produced from either pure glutinous rice or a combination of glutinous and non-glutinous rice together with onuad roots, ginger extract, and a powdered starter culture locally known as bubod. Tapuy is an Ilocano name. The wine is more commonly called baya or bayah in Igorot languages.

Bubur ketan hitam, bubur pulut hitam or bubur injun is an Indonesian sweet dessert made from black glutinous rice porridge with coconut milk and palm sugar or cane sugar. The black glutinous rice are boiled until soft, and sugar and coconut milk are added. It is often described as "black glutinous rice pudding" and is very similar to black rice tong sui made from black rice. It is often served as dessert or snack, for supper, for tea time, anytime of the day; however, it is a popular choice for breakfast for those who prefer sweet treat instead of its savory counterpart bubur ayam.

Kue mangkok or kue mangkuk is an Indonesian kue or traditional snack of steamed cupcake. Kue mangkok means "bowl/cup cake". It is similar to the snack bolu kukus. While both have a similar appearance, bolu kukus requires few ingredients to make, whereas kue mangkok requires more than a dozen in most recipes. The result is a different texure: bolu kukus is soft and fluffy, while kue mangkok has a rough, often chewy and sticky texture.

Philippine wine or Filipino wine are various wines produced in the Philippines. They include indigenous wines fermented from palm sap, rice, job's tears, sugarcane, and honey; as well as modern wines mostly produced from various fruit crops.

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 alcoholic beverages made from cereal grains were collectively referred to by the Spanish as pitarrillos.

Tapay can refer to:

Tapayan or tempayan are large wide-mouthed earthenware or stoneware jars found in various Austronesian cultures in island Southeast Asia. Their various functions include fermenting rice (tapai), fermenting vinegar or alcoholic beverages, storing food and water, cooking, and burial of the deceased.

Agkud is a traditional Filipino fermented rice paste or rice wine of the Manobo people from Bukidnon. Agkud specifically refers to fermented three-day-old paste made with rice, ginger, sugarcane juice, and agonan or tapey. The rice wine pangasi is made from agkud except fermented longer for at least one month. Modern versions of the agkud can use other sources of starch like cassava, sorghum, or corn. Hot peppers may also be used instead of ginger. Agkud is drunk during celebrations, rituals, and various social events.

References

1 2 3 Norman F. Haard; et al. (1999). "Fermented Cereals. A Global Perspective". United Nations FAO.
1 2 3 Indrawati Gandjar (August 2003). "TAPAI from Cassava and Cereals" (PDF). University of Indonesia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 January 2005. Retrieved 28 July 2006.
1 2 Blust, Robert; Trussel, Stephen. "Austronesian Comparative Dictionary: *t". Austronesian Comparative Dictionary. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
1 2 Fitrisia, Dohra; Widayati, Dwi (2018). "Changes in basic meanings from Proto-Austronesian to Acehnese". Studies in English Language and Education. 5 (1): 114–125. doi: 10.24815/siele.v5i1.9431 .
1 2 3 4 5 Nocheseda, Elmer. "The Invention of Happiness". Manila Speak. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
↑ Keith Steinkraus (26 March 2004). Industrialization of Indigenous Fermented Foods, Revised and Expanded. CRC Press. pp. 247–. ISBN 978-0-8247-4784-8.

External links

Dominic Anfiteatro's page on Asian cultured foods Archived 4 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine

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[FAO1-1] 1 2 3 Norman F. Haard; et al. (1999). "Fermented Cereals. A Global Perspective". United Nations FAO.

[Gandjar1-2] 1 2 3 Indrawati Gandjar (August 2003). "TAPAI from Cassava and Cereals" (PDF). University of Indonesia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 January 2005. Retrieved 28 July 2006.

[truss-3] 1 2 Blust, Robert; Trussel, Stephen. "Austronesian Comparative Dictionary: *t". Austronesian Comparative Dictionary. Retrieved 21 June 2018.

[dohra-4] 1 2 Fitrisia, Dohra; Widayati, Dwi (2018). "Changes in basic meanings from Proto-Austronesian to Acehnese". Studies in English Language and Education. 5 (1): 114–125. doi: 10.24815/siele.v5i1.9431 .

[nocheseda-5] 1 2 3 4 5 Nocheseda, Elmer. "The Invention of Happiness". Manila Speak. Retrieved 8 December 2018.

[6] Keith Steinkraus (26 March 2004). Industrialization of Indigenous Fermented Foods, Revised and Expanded. CRC Press. pp. 247–. ISBN 978-0-8247-4784-8.

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