Foodphotography entry: "etag"

Etag is the general term used in Cordillera about the native’s traditional way or preserving pork. A slab of a big slice of pork is cured in salt for about a week (or longer) then air-dried under the sun or smoked for several weeks (even months), or both. Though any kind of wood will do the smoking, the Igorots would prefer to use the wood from a tree they called alnos as it would emit pleasant smoke and add aromatic smoky flavor to the meat. If alnos is not available, wood and leaves of guava tree is said to be a good substitute.

For the locals, the longer the etag is cured in salt and air-dried, the more it is tasty, flavorful, and expensive when sold in the market. The meat would turn darker and darker in color over long time of aging process.

Etag may not be appealing to the uninitiated because it has a foul odor and most often has maggots after several days of air-drying the meat, probably because of its exposure to flies. As it undergoes the aging process, etag is often covered on the surface with a thin layer of milky-white molds similar to when aging a cheese. The molds are rinsed off and etag is safe and ready to cook
Ref:

http://pinoyfoodillustrated.blogspot.com/2016/09/etag.html?m=1

Once i tried etag it's nice to try new things with different cultures it's like ,they open your eyes to a new world that you never seen. putting your feet to their shoes exciting! Try it once you go to Cordillera!!

Thankyou @juliank for the contest!