Before taste became the most important component of a dish, food preservation was the necessity of the ancient people. So that when certain food are not in season, they have something to eat. Two of the oldest methods known to be used in the past and are still being employed today are the sun- or air- drying and salting.1
Drying works when water is taken out of the food, since water is a factor for microorganisms to multiply rapidly; while salting is used to absorb the water content out of the food. These preservation methods are commonly used for sea food such as fish, mollusks, mackerel, herring, and shrimp. Sea food have a fast rate of food spoilage due to the breakdown of amino acids into biogenic amines and ammonia, thus giving off a foul fishy smell. 2
Like sea food, Dinailan also gives off a foul smell — only greater. Dinailan’s main ingredient is krill (alamang) or a seasonal tiny shrimp. Occasionally, ground with taro (gabi), preservatives, and salt are mixed with krill for it to increase in volume, but the shelf life of the Dinailan will shorten. 3
Dinailan (or shrimp paste or shrimp sauce) is also used as an additive in Southeast Asian and Southern Chinese cuisine. In Indonesian cuisine, it is known as terasi; ngapi in Burma; kapi in Thai, Khmer and Lao; belacan in Malaysian, mắm ruốc, mắm tép and mắm tôm in Vietnamese (the name depends on the shrimp used); bagoong alamang in other parts of the Philippines; ham ha or ha jeung in Cantonese Chinese; and hom ha/hae ko in Min Nan Chinese. Unlike Bicolanos, they do not use it as a viand; rather, as a dipping sauce for fish or vegetables. 4
In Indonesia, shrimp paste is used as bait for fishing. It is mixed with duck egg, boiled potato, and boiled mackerel fish. In United States, krill paste is mixed with petroleum jelly and used to lure Steelhead. 5
1
http://www.scienceclarified.com/Ex-Ga/Food-Preservation.html
2 Robson, A.
(2006). "Shellfish view of omega-3 and sustainable fisheries". Nature
444 (7122): 1002. doi:10.1038/4441002d
3 Personal
interview: Jacinto Norte; San Roque, Mercedes, Camarines Norte
4 "Mam Ruoc
- what is this Vietnamese sauce?". Retrieved July 11, 2011.
5
http://borneofishing.blogspot.com/2011/06/bait-with-shrimp-paste.html,
http://www.ifish.net/board/archive/index.php/t-40851.html
6. Personal interview: Efren
Tagala; San Rooque, Mercedes, Camarines Norte
