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Pastil
	; Top: Maguindanaon chicken pastil;; Bottom: Maranao chicken pater with kuning (turmeric rice) and palapa
Alternative names	pastel, patil, patel, patir, pater, paster
Course	Main dish
Place of origin	Philippines
Region or state	Maguindanao
Main ingredients	white rice, glutinous rice, shredded beef/chicken/fish
Similar dishes	binalot, piyoso & nasi dagang
	Media: Pastil;

Pastil is a Filipino dish made with steamed rice wrapped in banana leaves with dry shredded beef, chicken, or fish. It originates from the Maguindanao people and is a popular, cheap breakfast meal in Mindanao, especially among Muslim Filipinos.^[1] Pastil is also known as patil, patel, patir, or pater in Maranao; and paster in Iranun.^[2]^[3]

Description

The meat or fish component of the dish is known as the kagikit. It is usually shredded beef or chicken. The meat is cooked similarly to adobo (but without the vinegar). It is boiled and then shredded. Garlic and onions are sautéed in a pan and the shredded meat is added. Soy sauce (or oyster sauce), black pepper, and salt to taste are added and allowed to simmer until they evaporate. Palapa or chili pastes are also traditionally added since Muslim Filipino dishes are almost always spicy.^[4] Shredded grilled fish can also be used; usually katipa (walking catfish) or dalag (common snakehead) mixed with coconut meat.^[1]^[5]

The white rice is mixed with a little glutinous rice, steamed, placed on oiled banana leaves and wrapped as a thick cylinder with a strip of the meat filling extending along the length of the rice or covering one side of the rice. The leaf is then wrapped around the mixture with the ends tucked inside.^[6]^[7]^[8] The Maranao version of the dish, pater, is usually made with turmeric-infused rice (kuning) which gives it a bright yellow color.^[9] Pastil is halal food, and thus pork is never used.^[9]

Pastil is traditionally served with vegetables soaked in vinegar as a side dish, like cucumber or togue (mung bean sprouts), to neutralize the saltiness of the kagikit. A hard-boiled egg may also be included to complement the meal. It is usually eaten with coffee or Tsokolate (hot chocolate) for breakfast or merienda.^[2]^[1]^[10] Pastil are commonly sold by restaurants and street vendors in Muslim communities in Mindanao and throughout the islands, for example, General Santos hosts several restaurants serving this with side dishes. It is also sold as a cheap snack or breakfast in Metro Manila's Muslim areas like Maharlika Village in Taguig and Quiapo in Manila.^[2]^[1] In Lanao del Sur, Lanao del Norte, and Northern Mindanao, restaurants or food stalls that specialize in the Maranao version (pater) are called pateran.^[3]^[9]

Similar dishes

Pastil resembles northern Filipino wrapped meat dishes like binalot, but it diverges by incorporating shredded meat or fish fillings instead of conventional meat options.^[2]^[1]

Its popularity has led to different versions of pastil being made outside of Mindanao, causing controversy over some versions that have culturally appropriated the dish, such as by placing the pastil in bottles and versions that used pork (which is considered as haram (forbidden) in Islam) and marketing them as pastil.^[11] The controversy also prompted an investigation from the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos into pork pastil and other non-halal dishes being sold under misleading labels, such as palapork, pork biryani, and pork shawarma.^[12] A Bangsamoro official has also appealed to the public to refrain from calling any wrapped meat dishes that use pork as pastil.^[13]

External links

Media related to Pastil at Wikimedia Commons

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Dela Cruz, Mikee (September 5, 2016). "Craving for 'pastil'". Mindanaw. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Polistico, Edgie (December 22, 2010). "Pastil". Philippine Food Illustrated. Archived from the original on October 26, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
^ ^a ^b "Halal goodness and more in Oro". SunStar. November 5, 2016. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
^ Punzalan, Noel (December 20, 2017). "Pastil: Maguindanaon food on Christmas". Philippine News Agency. Republic of the Philippines. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
^ Melendres, Arianne Joy; Pontejos, Laurence (September 6, 2022). "Eat and go: Pastil unwraps the Moro food culture". The LaSallian. De La Salle University. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
^ "Maguindanao's Pastil: Adobo & Rice Wrapped in Banana Leaf". Choose Philippines. Archived from the original on April 21, 2018. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
^ "Chicken Pastil". Asian Food Channel. Discovery International. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
^ "Chicken Pastil Recipe". Pinoy Recipe At Iba Pa. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c Mamasainged, Datu Norhamidin Dilangalen (October 12, 2017). "PATER: A taste of Maranao delicacy". Development Communication Xavier University. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
^ "Pastil of Zamboanga". Join The World Travel Blog. October 13, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
^ Uson, Melanie (September 23, 2024). "Why is Pork Pastil getting flak? Experts explain". PhilSTAR L!fe. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
^ "Actress Queenie Padilla meets with Bureau of Muslim Economic Affairs to tackle halal standard violations". Bureau of Muslim Economic Affairs. September 26, 2024. Retrieved September 29, 2024 – via Facebook.
^ Cordero, Ted (September 28, 2024). "BARMM exec calls pork pastil 'culturally insensitive'". GMA Integrated News. Retrieved September 29, 2024.