Tapa (Philippines)

In Filipino cuisine, tapa most commonly denotes thinly sliced beef sirloin that is traditionally placed in a sweet, salty, and tangy marinade made with calamansi lemonade and soy sauce, flavored with sugar and minced garlic. Other meats used to make tapa include mutton, venison, wild boar, horse, deer, and also the meat of carabao - a swamp-type domestic water buffalo native to the Philippines. Tapa is typically either grilled or pan-fried, and it is best enjoyed when served as a part of the so-called tapsilog, which is a portmanteau of the Filipino words tapa and sinangag, meaning garlic-fried rice, and itlog, meaning eggs. Tapsilog is often accompanied by sliced tomatoes ot pickled papaya strips called atchara. Altogether, this delicious combination is popularly known as the Philippine-style breakfast of champions, and to most Filipinos, it is a favorite way to start the day.