 _28.jpg) Top: Lengua estofado in a tomato-based sauce, with olives, bell peppers, and mushrooms Bottom: Lengua estofado in a cream-based white sauce, with potatoes, mushrooms, andVienna sausages | |
| Alternative names | Lengua estofada, lengua |
|---|---|
| Course | Main course |
| Place of origin | Philippines |
| Main ingredients | beef tongue |
| Similar dishes | Estofado de lengua |
Lengua estofado (lit. "tongue stew" inSpanish), sometimes known aslengua estofada or simplylengua, is aFilipino dish consisting ofbraisedbeef tongue in a sweet sauce withsaba bananas,potatoes, ormushrooms. It originates from the similarSpanish andLatin American dishestofado de lengua but differs significantly in the ingredients. The dish is prominent in the regional cuisines of theKapampangan,Ilonggo, andNegrense people. It is usually prepared forChristmas dinner and other special occasions.[1]
Recipes of lengua estofado are extremely variable, ranging from preparations very similar to the originalestofado de lengua to versions which use ingredients unique to the Philippines. A unifying similarity between the different lengua estofado recipes in the Philippines is that they usesoy sauce,vinegar, andsugar for the sauce, which are absent in the Spanish versions.[2][3]
The most distinctive variant of lengua estofado is found inIlonggo cuisine in theWestern Visayas islands. It typically uses a sauce made withmuscovado orbrown sugar,coconut vinegar (or palm wine,tubâ), black pepper, soy sauce,bay leaves,anisado wine, onion, and garlic. Its ingredients, other than beef tongue, typically includes potatoes,pineapple slices, and uniquely,saba bananas.[4] Other lengua estofado recipes are closer to the Spanish version. Instead of bananas, they typically addmushrooms, as well as carrots, olives, paprika, and optionally,white wine. The sauce can optionally be tomato-based, in which case its preparation becomes very similar to other Filipino dishes likeestofadong baboy andcaldereta. The beef tongue component can be switched with meat, including beef, goat, pork, or even chicken.[2][5][6][7][8]
Lengua pastel fromPampanga is a variant that is cooked in a creamy white sauce withbutton mushrooms and young corn kernels.[9][10] InBulacan,lengua Sevillana orlengua a la Sevillana is a variant which addssherry orred wine to the sauce and is typically eaten withbringhe.[9][11]
