{{Short description|Filipino sour soup}} {{Italic title}}{{Distinguish|Sinangag}} {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2022}} {{Use Philippine English|date=September 2022}} {{Infobox food | name = Sinigang | image = The Best Sinigang Cuisine.jpg | image_size = 270px | caption = Shrimp Sinigang (Sinigang na Hipon) | alternate_name = | country = Philippines | region = Tagalog region | creator = | course = Main course | type = Soup or stew | served = Hot | main_ingredient = Meat, vegetables, tamarind, fish sauce, onions, siling mahaba, tomatoes | variations = Pork, beef, shrimp, fish, chicken | similar_dish = ''Pinangat na isda'', ''paksiw'', ''kansi'', ''kadyos, baboy, kag langka'' | calories = ~120 | other = Can be served in many different forms }} '''''Sinigang''''', sometimes anglicized as '''sour broth''', is a Filipino soup or stew characterized by its sour and savory taste. It is most often associated with tamarind (Filipino: ''sampalok''), although it can use other sour fruits and leaves as the souring agent such as unripe mangoes or rice vinegar. It is one of the more popular dishes in Filipino cuisine. This soup, like most Filipino dishes, is usually accompanied by rice. Fish sauce is a common condiment for this stew.
==Origin== ''Sinigáng'' means "stewed [dish]"; it is nominalized in the form of the Tagalog verb ''sigáng'', "to stew".<ref>{{cite web |title=sigang |url=https://www.tagalog-dictionary.com/search?word=sigang |website=Tagalog-Dictionary.com |access-date=December 16, 2018}}</ref> While present nationwide, ''sinigáng'' is seen to be culturally Tagalog in origin. Thus the similar sour stews and soups found in the Visayas and Mindanao (like ''linarang'') and in Pampanga (''bulanglang'') are regarded as different dishes and differ in the ingredients used.
==Ingredients== thumbnail|Fish ''sinigang'' Sinigang is most often associated with tamarind in modern times, but it originally referred to any meat or seafood cooked in a sour and acidic broth, similar to but differentiated from ''paksiw'' (which uses vinegar).<ref name="pamaran">{{cite news |last1=Pamaran |first1=Maan D'Asis |title=The Filipino-Spanish food connection |url=https://www.pressreader.com/philippines/philippine-daily-inquirer/20161012/282437053635905 |access-date=December 16, 2018 |newspaper=Philippine Daily Inquirer |date=October 12, 2016}}</ref> Other variations of the dish derive their sourness from native ingredients. These souring agents include unripe mangoes, rice vinegar, butterfly tree leaves (''alibangbang''), citruses (including the native calamansi and ''biasong''), santol, bilimbi (''kamias'' or ''iba''), gooseberry tree fruits (''karmay''), binukaw fruits (also ''batuan''), and ''libas'' fruits, among others.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Souring Agents of Sinigang |url=https://pinoytrees.blogspot.com/2009/09/souring-agents-of-sinigang.html |website=Our Philippine Trees |date=September 25, 2009 |access-date=April 17, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Sinigang na Salmon at Bauhinia Filipino Cuisine |url=https://flavoursofiloilo.blogspot.com/2014/03/sinigang-na-salmon-at-bauhinia-filipino.html |website=Flavours of Iloilo |access-date=April 17, 2019}}</ref> Guava, introduced to the Philippines via the Manila galleons, is also used.<ref>[https://pinoytrees.blogspot.com/2009/09/souring-agents-of-sinigang.html The Souring Agents of Sinigang]</ref> Seasoning powder or bouillon cubes with a tamarind base are commercial alternatives to using natural fruits.<ref>[http://www.filipinofoodrecipes.net/sinigang.htm Sinigang Recipe]</ref><ref>[https://recipenijuan.com/sinigang-baboy-recipe/ Sinigang na Baboy Recipe]</ref>
Sinigang typically uses meat or seafood (e.g., fish, pork, beef, shrimp, or chicken) stewed with tamarind, tomatoes, garlic, and onions. Other vegetables commonly used in the making of sinigang include okra, taro corms (''gabi'', which serves as a starchy broth thickener<ref>{{Cite web|date=January 27, 2013|title=Sinigang na Baboy|url=https://www.kawalingpinoy.com/sinigang-na-baboy/|access-date=August 29, 2021|website=Kawaling Pinoy|language=en-US}}</ref>), white radish (''labanós''), water spinach (''kangkóng''), yardlong beans (''sitaw'') and eggplant (''talóng''). Most Filipinos like to cook sinigang with long green peppers (''siling haba'') to enhance the taste and add a little spice to the dish. Another variation includes adding locally made miso.
==Sinigang variations== [[File:Fely J's Sinigang with Guava.jpg|thumb|''Sinigang na hipon'' (shrimp) with unripe guavas]] [[File:Sinigang na bangus at santol (sinigang with milkfish and santol).jpg|thumb|''Sinigang na isda'' with milkfish (''bangus'') and santol]] [[File:Bule_Baluga_king_Pata.jpg|217x217px|thumbnail|right|"Bule Baluga king Pata"]] thumb|Sinigang na Baboy (pork) *''Sinigáng na baboy'' - Pork Sinigang *''Sinigáng sa misô'' - Sinigang with miso added to the soup as the umami element, usually with a tamarind base *''Sinigáng sa bayabas'' - Sinigang that uses guava as the sour soup base *''Sinigang sa mangga'' - Sinigang that uses unripe mango as the sour soup base *''Sinigang sa kalamansi'' - Sinigang that uses calamansi or lemon as the sour soup base *''Sinigáng na isdâ'' - Fish sinigang *''Sinigang sa pakwan'' - Sinigang that uses watermelon together with tamarind as the sour soup base *''Sinigáng na hipon'' - Shrimp or prawn sinigang<ref>[https://www.pinoyrecipe.net/sinigang-na-hipon-recipe-pinoy-style-shrimp-in-sour-soup/ Sinigang na Hipon Recipe - Pinoy Recipe at Iba pa. Retrieved March 30, 2019]</ref> *''Sinigang na baka'' - Beef sinigang * Seafood ''sinigang'' - Fish, shrimp, squid, seashells are combined in this soup<ref>[https://www.pinoyrecipe.net/filipino-seafood-sinigang-recipe/ Seafood Sinigang Recipe - Pinoy Recipe at Iba pa. Retrieved March 30, 2019]</ref> *''Bule'' - A variant of sinigang from the Aeta people of Pampanga that uses lima beans (''bule'') and is soured with ''alibangbang'' (butterfly tree) leaves. Formerly called as ''bule baluga'', the dish is now known mostly as ''bule'' due to the controversial term ''baluga'', a derogatory and racist word towards Aetas.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bule |url=https://steamybainmarie.blogspot.com/2006/02/bule.html |website=Steamy Bain Marie |date=February 23, 2006 |access-date=November 29, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite episode | title =Saksi: Bule baluga, sinigang na pinasarap ng patani | url =https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXEVbWCmI9I | access-date =November 29, 2019 | series =Saksi | first =Mikael | last =Daez | network =GMA | date =November 3, 2013 | language =en, tl}}</ref>
==Similar dishes== {{Main|Sinampalukan|Pinangat na isda|Linarang}} ''Sinampalukang manók'' or ''sinampalukan'' is technically not a variation of sinigang, as the chicken has to be sautéed in ginger first instead of all the ingredients being placed simultaneously into the pot and brought to a boil. ''Sinampalukan'' is also distinguished by its use of shredded tamarind leaves, and is usually made together with ginger, onions, tomatoes, eggplant and other vegetables.<ref name="kp">{{cite web |first1=Lalaine|last1=Manalo|title=Sinampalukang Manok |url=https://www.kawalingpinoy.com/sinampalukang-manok/ |website=Kawaling Pinoy |date=August 14, 2013 |access-date=April 13, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Sinampalukan Manok (Tamarind'd Chicken) |url=http://80breakfasts.com/sinampalukan-manok-tamarindd-chicken/ |website=80 Breakfasts |date=February 16, 2009 |access-date=April 13, 2019}}</ref>
Other Filipino dishes that are similar to ''sinigang'' but distinct include ''pinangat na isda'' from Southern Luzon and ''linarang'' from Cebu. Both of which also use sour fruits but are restricted to fish or seafood and differ in the other ingredients used.<ref name="ffr">{{cite web |title=Pinangat na Isda Fish Poached in Kamias and Tomatoes |url=https://www.filipino-food-recipes.com/pinangat-na-isda.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130402153941/http://www.filipino-food-recipes.com/pinangat-na-isda.html |url-status=usurped |archive-date=April 2, 2013 |website=Filipino-food-recipes.com |access-date=January 10, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Belen |first1=Jun |title=How to Make Fish Pinangat (Fish Soured in Calamansi and Tomatoes) |url=http://blog.junbelen.com/2011/06/15/how-to-make-fish-pinangat-fish-soured-in-calamansi-and-tomatoes/ |website=Junblog |date=June 15, 2011 |access-date=January 10, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Fenix |first1=Michaela |title=Country Cooking: Philippine Regional Cuisines |date=2017 |publisher=Anvil Publishing, Incorporated |isbn=9789712730443 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qI04DwAAQBAJ&q=linarang+bakasi&pg=PT91}}</ref>
Another similar dish is ''inalseman,'' an Ilocano vegetable soup that is a sour variation of dinengdeng. It is typically composed of long beans, jute mallow (''saluyot''), yam beans, taro, green papaya and young tamarind fruits and leaves, seasoned with ''bugguóng'' (fermented fish sauce).<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Crejado |first=Nida |date=2019-12-18 |title=The Food Beliefs and Practices of the Ilocanos: Then and Now |url=https://ojs.aaresearchindex.com/index.php/AAJMRA/article/view/2849 |journal=Ascendens Asia Journal of Multidisciplinary Research Abstracts |language=en |volume=3 |issue=7 |issn=2591-7064}}</ref>
There are also similar soured beef stews. They include the ''cansi'' from the Western Visayas islands which use beef and breadfruit and is soured with batuan or bilimbi fruits. Because it resembles a cross between ''bulalo'' and ''sinigang'' it is sometimes known as ''sinigang na bulalo''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Reyes |first1=Gladys |title=Ilonggo Food: Bacolod Cansi Recipe |url=https://www.experiencenegros.com/ilonggo-food-bacolod-cansi-recipe/ |website=Experience Negros |date=July 31, 2014 |access-date=October 23, 2019}}</ref> Another soured beef stew is ''sinanglaw'' from Ilocos which is soured with bilimbi or tamarind, but is unique in that it also includes bitter ingredients like bitter gourd or bile, as is common in Ilocano cuisine.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sinanglaw |url=https://www.angsarap.net/2012/03/06/sinanglaw/ |website=Ang Sarap |date=March 6, 2012 |access-date=October 17, 2020}}</ref>
===Malaysia=== thumbnail|Beef ''sinigang'' Around the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, particularly in the states of Kelantan and Terengganu, there is a dish called ''singgang'' that is considered a close relative of ''sinigang''.<ref>{{cite news |title=NCCA's 'Sinigang versus Adobo' poll divides the nation|url=https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/food/566753/ncca-s-sinigang-versus-adobo-poll-divides-the-nation/story/ |work=GMA News Online|date=May 18, 2016|access-date=January 15, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title='Sinigang' and 'asocena' aren't exclusive to Filipinos|newspaper=Philippine Daily Inquirer|date=October 8, 2009|access-date=January 17, 2022|author=Reggie Aspiras|url=https://www.pressreader.com/philippines/philippine-daily-inquirer-1109/20091008/282368330700218}}</ref> The common ingredients found in singgang are lemongrass, galangal, garlic, chili and asam gelugur as a souring agent. Either ''budu'' or ''tempoyak'' would also sometimes be added to further flavourize the dish.<ref name=Singgang>{{cite news |title=Khasiat ikan singgang dari sudut saintifik yang sangat wow|url=https://sinarplus.sinarharian.com.my/fyi/khasiat-ikan-singgang-dari-sudut-saintifik-yang-sangat-wow/|work=sinarplus+|access-date=January 15, 2022|language=ms}}</ref><ref name=Singgang1>{{cite web |title=Singgang Ikan Tongkol Terengganu, Lauk Lejen Kesukaan Ramai|url=https://www.rasa.my/singgang-ikan-tongkol-terengganu-lauk-lejen-kesukaan-ramai/|work=rasa|date=November 18, 2021 |access-date=January 15, 2022|language=ms}}</ref> Terengganu's singgang and Kelantan's singgang differ through an addition of turmeric into the former.<ref name=Singgang1/>
Meanwhile, on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia, another dish that is thought to be similar to singgang is called ''pindang''.<ref name=Singgang/> ==Awards== The TasteAtlas 2021 Awards named "Sinigang" the best soup. It bested the Romanian cuisine Ciorbă de fasole cu afumătură and shōyu ("soy sauce") ramen of Japan.<ref>{{cite news |last1= Basco|first1=Karl Cedrick|title='Sinigang' is world's best soup in TasteAtlas Awards 2021|url=https://www.abs-cbn.com/life/01/29/22/sinigang-is-worlds-best-soup-in-tasteatlas-awards |access-date=July 26, 2024 |publisher=ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs |date=January 2022}}</ref> TasteAtlas 2023 chose the dish as one of the Best Dishes in the World, defeating żurek, steak au poivre, and pho bo.<ref>{{cite news |last1= |first1= |title=Sinigang is one of the Best Dishes in the World|url= https://www.rappler.com/life-and-style/food-drinks/sinigang-best-dishes-world-taste-atlas-2023/|accessdate=July 26, 2024 |publisher=Rappler |date=December 19, 2023}}</ref> ==See also== * Cansi *Canh chua * Hot and sour soup * Sayur asem * Pindang * Puchero * Tom yum * List of soups * List of stews * Filipino cuisine
==References== {{Reflist}}
==Further reading== {{Cookbook|Sinigang}} {{Refbegin}}
* Eckhardt, Robyn and David Hagerman. (2007-02-15). [http://eatingasia.typepad.com/eatingasia/2007/02/why_not_sinigan.html Why Not Sinigang?]. Retrieved 2010-08-02 from the EatingAsia food blog. * Fernandez, Doreen. (1976). Why Sinigang?. In Gilda Cordero-Fernando. ''The Culinary Culture of the Philippines''. Manila: Bancom Audiovision Corporation. pp. 24–29. * Perez, Irene C. (2010-07-01). [https://web.archive.org/web/20100705145316/http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/food/food/view/20100701-278455/Why-piping-hot-sinigang-is-the-national-dish Why piping-hot ‘sinigang’ is the national dish]. ''Philippine Daily Inquirer''. Retrieved 2010-08-02. {{Refend}}
{{Filipino food}} {{Philippine soups}} {{Symbols of the Philippines}}
Category:Philippine soups Category:Philippine stews Category:National dishes Category:Tamarind dishes Category:Philippine meat dishes