''Pares'' (pronounced: ), also known as beef ''pares'', is a term for a serving of Filipino

braised Braising (from the French word ''braiser'') is a combination-cooking method that uses both wet and dry heats: typically, the food is first browned at a high temperature, then simmered in a covered pot in cooking liquid (such as wine, broth, c ...

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). Beef can be prepared in various ways; Cut of beef, cuts are often used for steak, which can be cooked to varying degrees of doneness, while trimmings are often Ground beef, grou ...

stew with garlic fried rice, and a bowl of clear soup. It is a popular meal particularly associated with specialty roadside diner-style establishments known as ''paresan'' (''Pares house''). In recent years, it had also become a common dish served in small eateries called '' carinderias'' that serve economical meals for locals. Informally, ''pares'' can also refer to any dish that is cooked in the manner reminiscent of the "

asado ' () is the technique and the social event of having or attending a barbecue in various South American countries: especially Argentina, Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul), Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay where it is also a traditional eve ...

-style" (i.e. stewed in a sweet-soy sauce).

Etymology

The origin of the term ''pares'' is credited to the

carinderia Carinderia (sometimes spelled as Karinderya) is a common type of eatery in the Philippines that serves affordable and locally-inspired dishes. These food establishments, also known as turo-turo (meaning "point-point" in Filipino), play a signifi ...

''Jonas'' established by Lolita Tiu and Roger Tiu in 1979 at the corner of Mayon Street and Malindang Street in

Quezon City Quezon City (, ; ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read and pronounced in Filipino language, Filipino as Kyusi), is the richest and List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 c ...

, near Calle Retiro (present-day N.S. Amoranto Sr. Street) in

. The term literally means ''pairs'' in English and comes from the practice of pairing the beef asado dish with ''

sinangag ''Sinangag'' (), also called garlic fried rice or garlic rice, is a Filipino fried rice dish cooked by stir-frying pre-cooked rice with garlic. The rice used is preferably stale, usually leftover cooked rice from the previous day, as it result ...

'' (garlic fried rice) and a light beef broth soup; thus, forming a complete meal.

Description

Beef ''pares'', or ''pares'' as it is commonly known, is a meal that consists of beef ''asado'' (beef stewed in a sweet-soy sauce), garlic fried rice, and a bowl of beef broth soup. The soup may originate from the broth in which the meat is simmered in until tender before being seasoned with the sweet-soy sauce, but it can also be prepared separately and be made with beef bouillon cubes instead. This soup is usually made and seasoned with onion, garlic, peppercorns, chives, and onion leeks. Some cooks also add

bay leaves The bay leaf is an aromatic leaf commonly used as a herb in cooking. It can be used whole, either dried or fresh, in which case it is removed from the dish before consumption, or less commonly used in ground form. The flavour that a bay leaf ...

to this broth to improve the flavor. Another variation of the dish, informally known as ''pares kariton'' (" pushcart ''pares''") or ''pares kanto'' ("street corner ''pares''") for being served on the roadside by mobile sidecar vendors, serves the beef and broth combined, usually with the broth slightly thickened by cornstarch. This variant is less sweeter and has less spices compared to the beef asado variant but is more savory due to the use of beef tendons (''litid''),

bone marrow Bone marrow is a semi-solid biological tissue, tissue found within the Spongy bone, spongy (also known as cancellous) portions of bones. In birds and mammals, bone marrow is the primary site of new blood cell production (or haematopoiesis). It i ...

(''utak ng buto''), and fatty cuts of beef. A garnish of chopped green onion and fried garlic mince is often added atop the dish before serving. Steamed rice is sometimes served instead of fried rice, depending on personal preference of the customer. Some Filipino restaurants also offer the option to serve the dish with an accompaniment of noodles instead of rice. Another common way to eat ''pares'' is as beef ''pares mami'' (or simply ''pares mami''). It combines ''pares'' with '' mami'', the Filipino egg noodle soup. Its preparation is similar to ''pares kanto'' with the main difference being the addition of noodles instead of being eaten with rice. Its taste has been described as being similar to

Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overseas Vietnamese, Vietnamese people living outside Vietna ...

'' pho''. ''Pares overload'' refers to a recent trend of serving pares kanto with fried pork lechon and chicharong bulaklak (fried pork mesentery); a variant of this served with whole stewed bone marrow is also known as ''pares putok-batok'' ("nape-exploding pares", more loosely "heart attack pares" or "high blood pressure pares") due to the unhealthy amount of fat and cholesterol contained by the toppings. It was introduced as early as 2021 and was popularized by the sidewalk eatery Diwata Pares Overload in the first quarter of 2024 with the trend having grown popularity through social media sites.

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pares (Food) Philippine beef dishes Philippine rice dishes

Etymology

Description

See also

External links

References