DINARDARAAN: Ilocano Version of Dinuguan

By: Pauline Saballo

Kuripot. They say Ilocanos are like that. But they're not that type of people. The truth is they are only the practical type of people. They do not spend money lavishly. Instead, they only purchase the things that they need. This trait proves that Ilocanos are just efficient people who put anything into use as long as it's still working or effective. With those, I can say that wasting seems not to be a part of the Ilocano's identity.

This particular trait of Ilocanos has become part of their culture. It was even adapted when it comes to food. For instance, when a pig is slaughtered, some pig parts like the brain, intestines, feet and blood is going to be put on waste. This is probably the scenario in some parts of the Philippines or even in the world. But in Ilocos, every part has its use and every part can be a main ingredient of a particular Ilocano delicacy.

Dinardaraan is one of the delicacies in which the main ingredient is pork blood. Foreign tourists would probably find this unusual. Why would they even taste pork blood? It's disgusting right? Well to those tourists who really find this dish weird,, I must say, "Wait until you taste it."

Filipinos, like me, would surely know what dinardaraan is. It is because dinardaraan is simply dinuguan in FIlipino terms. We are all familiar with this right? It's simply pork blood stew. Some folks even call it "chocolate meat". But what is the difference between the dinadaraan of Ilocos and the usual pork blood stew (dinuguan) that FIlipinos, like me, is familiar with?

Just like any other dishes, Ilocanos managed to make dinardaraan distinct from any other dinuguan variants. DInardaraan is usually dry when you compare it to the common dinuguan. For this dish, Ilocanos prefer thick broth. It is also sometimes oily. The people of Laoag CIty even serve their dinuguan with fried pork intestines on top (see the picture on the left). Dinardaraan, being drier than the common dinuguan, managed to give off a different taste compared to the dinuguan that I'm used to. Before tasting this, I thought that it will just be the same but then it's not. It is different but in a good way.

Through dinardaraan, Ilocanos have proved everyone how practical they are. Not only when it comes to necessities but also in cooking. I personally love how Ilocanos are resourceful in cooking but still managed ot make every dish delicious. Indeed, being efficient in every way is something that Ilocanos are proud of.