To many Filipinos and the outside world, Pampanga, Luzon is the foodie capital of the Philippines. Pampanga is best known as the birthplace of the world famous sisig dish. Sisig is chopped meat, fat and skin from pig head sautéed in sizzling margarine with onion and vinegar.
Whereas sisig was invented recently in 1974 by Aling Lucing, burong isda is at least one thousand years old.
The burong isda recipe is faithfully passed down from generation to generation through mothers and grandmothers.
Gutted, cleaned fish is salted and packed with boiled rice in a sealed container to ferment in a cool dark place for around ten days. The resulting pungent smelling sourish gruel is sautéed with diced aromatics such as ginger, onion, garlic, and tomatoes, etc.
The served dish is umami savoury, and tart. It is eaten as a dip with vegetables and fried dishes such as fish, as a thick sauce over boiled rice, or simply on its own.
It is like a form of namanare sushi from medieval Japan, the precursor of modern sushi which conquered the culinary world.
Origin of Burong Isda
Jars of fermented fish with rice and salt travel well. In the days of sail and before refrigeration, food security and safety on sailing ships were matters of life and death. Sea voyagers risked dying of starvation, malnutrition or food poisoning.
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| Bekasam |
On Srivijayan ships, bekasam was a life saver. Bekasam ensured that people on board had carbohydrates (rice), and protein (fish) which were eaten with locally procured greens for vitamins for a nourishing, complete meal.
Sailing was a hard physical endeavour, so strength and good health of people onboard were critical for a successful voyage.
Everywhere Srivijayan ships went, voyagers brought bekasam with them. It's the life force, fuel for the ship crew.
So, did Srivijayan voyagers come to the Philippines? There is evidence that they did.
Even earlier, a copper plate with Pallava inscriptions dated 900AD was found in Laguna de Bay in Luzon. Pallava was the common language of India and the Srivijayan empire.
Written by Tony Boey on 26 Jan 2025
References
lIocano Dish | Burong Isda Recipe. This recipe calls for salt, boiled rice and chopped ginger with fish
"The country of Mai [today's Mindoro] is to the north of Borneo. The natives live in large villages on the opposite banks of a stream and cover themselves with a cloth like a sheet or hide their bodies with a loin cloth. There are metal images (Buddhas) of unknown origin scattered about in the tangled wilds."
"Prehispanic Source Materials: for the study of Philippine History" (Published by New Day Publishers, Copyright 1984) Written by William Henry Scott, Page 68
Sulat sa Tantos. The Laguna Copperplate Inscription A Philippine Document from 900 A.D.
Fermented fish products in South and Southeast Asian cuisine: indigenous technology processes, nutrient composition, and cultural significance
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