''Tapai'' (also ''tapay'' or ''tape'') is a traditional

fermented Fermentation is a metabolic process that produces chemical changes in organic substrates through the action of enzymes. In biochemistry, it is narrowly defined as the extraction of energy from carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen. In food p ...

preparation of rice or other starchy foods, and is found throughout much of

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...

, especially in Austronesian cultures, and parts of

East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both Geography, geographical and culture, ethno-cultural terms. The modern State (polity), states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. ...

. 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 ''Manihot esculenta'', commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively cultivated ...

and potatoes. Fermentation is performed by a variety of moulds including '' Aspergillus oryzae'', '' Rhizopus oryzae'', '' Amylomyces rouxii'' or ''

Mucor ''Mucor'' is a microbial genus of approximately 40 species of molds in the family Mucoraceae. Species are commonly found in soil, digestive systems, plant surfaces, some cheeses like Tomme de Savoie, rotten vegetable matter and iron oxide re ...

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

, and

yeasts Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to constitut ...

including ''

Saccharomyces cerevisiae ''Saccharomyces cerevisiae'' () (brewer's yeast or baker's yeast) is a species of yeast (single-celled fungus microorganisms). The species has been instrumental in winemaking, baking, and brewing since ancient times. It is believed to have b ...

'', and '' Saccharomycopsis fibuliger'', '' Endomycopsis burtonii'' and others, along with bacteria.

Etymology

''Tapai'' is derived from

Proto-Malayo-Polynesian Proto-Malayo-Polynesian (PMP) is the reconstructed ancestor of the Malayo-Polynesian languages, which is by far the largest branch (by current speakers) of the Austronesian language family. Proto-Malayo-Polynesian is ancestral to all Austronesi ...

*tapay ("fermented ood), which in turn is derived from

Proto-Austronesian Proto-Austronesian (commonly abbreviated as PAN or PAn) is a proto-language. It is the reconstructed ancestor of the Austronesian languages, one of the world's major language families. Proto-Austronesian is assumed to have begun to diversify ...

*tapaJ ("fermented ood). Derived cognates has come to refer to a wide variety of fermented food throughout

Austronesia The Austronesian peoples, sometimes referred to as Austronesian-speaking peoples, are a large group of peoples in Taiwan, Maritime Southeast Asia, Micronesia, coastal New Guinea, Island Melanesia, Polynesia, and Madagascar that speak Austrone ...

, including

yeast Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to constit ...

ed 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 ''Tapayan'' or ''tempayan'' (also known as ''balanga'', ''belanga'', or ''banga'') are large wide-mouthed earthenware or stoneware jars found in various Austronesian cultures in island Southeast Asia. Their various functions include fermenting ...

'' ( Tagalog), ''tepayan'' (

Iban IBAN or Iban or Ibán may refer to: Banking * International Bank Account Number Ethnology * Iban culture The Ibans or Sea Dayaks are a branch of the Dayak people, Dayak people on the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. It is believed that the ...

), and ''

tempayan ''Tapayan'' or ''tempayan'' (also known as ''balanga'', ''belanga'', or ''banga'') are large wide-mouthed earthenware or stoneware jars found in various Austronesian cultures in island Southeast Asia. Their various functions include fermenting ...

'' ( Javanese and Malay).

Starter culture

''Tapai'' is made by inoculating a

carbohydrate In organic chemistry, a carbohydrate () is a biomolecule consisting of carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) atoms, usually with a hydrogen–oxygen atom ratio of 2:1 (as in water) and thus with the empirical formula (where ''m'' may or m ...

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 Pepper or peppers may refer to: Food and spice * Piperaceae or the pepper family, a large family of flowering plant ** Black pepper * ''Capsicum'' or pepper, a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae ** Bell pepper ** Chili ...

, chili, cinnamon),

cane sugar Sucrose, a disaccharide, is a sugar composed of glucose and fructose subunits. It is produced naturally in plants and is the main constituent of white sugar. It has the molecular formula . For human consumption, sucrose is extracted and refine ...

coconut water Coconut water (also coconut juice) is the clear liquid inside coconuts (fruits of the coconut palm). In early development, it serves as a suspension for the endosperm of the coconut during the nuclear phase of development. As growth conti ...

, slices of ginger or ginger extract, and water to make a

dough Dough is a thick, malleable, sometimes elastic paste made from grains or from leguminous or chestnut crops. Dough is typically made by mixing flour with a small amount of water or other liquid and sometimes includes yeast or other leavenin ...

. 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 ''

'' 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 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 and are particularly preval ...

(Filipino '' galapong''); dried fermented cakes (Indonesian ''

brem 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 T ...

'' 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 ''Basi'' is a native ''Ilocano'' fermented alcoholic beverage or wine made with sugarcane juice, particularly those produced in the region of ''Northern Luzon'' particularly in ''Ilocos Region''. This wine is processed in ''“burnay”'' ( ...

'', '' pangasi''; Indonesian ''

'' wine).

Modern

Fermented rice gruel/paste

In modern times, in addition to rice, different types of carbohydrates such as

sweet potatoes The sweet potato or sweetpotato ('' Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the bindweed or morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a root vegetable. The young sho ...

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 Tubers are a type of enlarged structure used as storage organs for nutrients in some plants. They are used for the plant's perennation (survival of the winter or dry months), to provide energy and nutrients for regrowth during the next growing s ...

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 The gustatory system or sense of taste is the sensory system that is partially responsible for the perception of taste (flavor). Taste is the perception produced or stimulated when a substance in the mouth reacts chemically with taste receptor ...

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 A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsgorengan A fritter is a portion of meat, seafood, fruit, vegetables or other ingredients which have been battered or breaded, or just a portion of dough without further ingredients, that is deep-fried. Fritters are prepared in both sweet and savory va ...

'' (assorted fritters), which is

deep fried Deep frying (also referred to as deep fat frying) is a cooking method in which food is submerged in hot fat, traditionally lard but today most commonly oil, as opposed to the shallow oil used in conventional frying done in a frying pan. Norma ...

battered cassava ''tapai''. In beverages, ''tapai'', both cassava or glutinous rice, might be added into sweet iced concoction desserts, such as ''

es campur Es campur (Indonesian for "mixed ice") is an Indonesian cold and sweet dessert concoction of fruit cocktails, coconut, tapioca pearls, grass jellies, etc. served in shaved ice, syrup and condensed milk. In Indonesia, es campur is sold from hum ...

'' and ''

es doger Es doger is an Indonesian coconut milk-based shaved ice beverage with pinkish color often served as a dessert. It is a specialty of Bandung, West Java. The main, or base, part is sugared sweet coconut milk-based ice in pink syrup, served with ...

''.

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 Antonio Pigafetta (; – c. 1531) was an Venetian scholar and explorer. He joined the expedition to the Spice Islands led by explorer Ferdinand Magellan under the flag of the emperor Charles V and after Magellan's death in the Philippine Islands, ...

. 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 ''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 (mid-afternoon snack) especially du ...

''). Fermented gruel-type ''tapay'' are also common, with various ethnic groups having their own versions like Tagalog and Kapampangan ''buro'', the

Ifugao Ifugao, officially the Province of Ifugao ( ilo, Probinsia ti Ifugao; tl, Lalawigan ng Ifugao), is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is Lagawe and it borders Benguet to the ...

''binuburan'', and the

Maranao The Maranao people (Maranao: mәranaw Filipino: ''Maranaw''), also spelled Meranao, Maranaw, and Mëranaw, is the term used by the Philippine government to refer to the southern indigenous people who are the "people of the lake", a predomi ...

and Maguindanao ''tapay''. These are usually traditionally fermented with or paired with fish or shrimp (similar to Japanese '' narezushi''), as in ''

burong isda ''Burong isda'' (literally "pickled fish") is a Filipino dish consisting of cooked rice and raw filleted fish fermented with salt and '' angkak'' (red yeast rice) for around a week. The dish is common in central Luzon, most notably in the pr ...

'', ''

balao-balao ''Balao-balao'', also known as ''burong hipon'' ("pickled shrimp"), is a Filipino condiment of cooked rice and whole raw shrimp (esp. ''Alamang'') fermented with salt and ''angkak'' (red yeast rice). Once stirfried, it can be eaten as is with r ...

'', or '' tinapayan''. Rice wines derived from ''tapay'' include the ''

'' of

Ilocos Ilocos Region ( ilo, Rehion/Deppaar ti Ilocos; pag, Sagor na Baybay na Luzon/Rehiyon Uno; tl, Rehiyon ng Ilocos) is an administrative region of the Philippines, designated as Region I, occupying the northwestern section of Luzon and part of ...

and the '' tapuy'' of Banaue and Mountain Province. ''Tapuy'' is itself the end product of ''binuburan'' allowed to ferment fully.

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