Some of the oldest surviving kinilaw variants are from the southern
Visayas and
Northern Mindanao, like
Cagayan de Oro's kinilaw (sometimes stylized as
kinilaw de Oro) and
Dumaguete's
binakhaw. Both are direct descendants of ancient
Visayan preparation methods as displayed in the Butuan archeological finds. These are the original versions that use tabon-tabon and dungon fruits respectively. Several regions of the Philippines have local specialties or names of
kinilaw dishes. In
Northern Luzon, particularly among the
Ilocano people,
kinilaw is commonly referred to as
kilawin or
kilawen. Among Ilocanos, however, the term
kilawen is understood as a method of food preparation that encompasses a variety of raw, lightly cooked, or cured dishes, including those traditionally classified as
kinilaw. These dishes are typically prepared using raw, lightly grilled, or boiled meat or seafood, marinated in
sugarcane vinegar (sukang Iloko) or citrus juices such as
calamansi or
dayap. The most commonly used ingredients include fish,
shrimp,
carabao, beef, goat, and pork, which are seasoned with ginger, chili, salt, and other spices to enhance their flavor. Notable examples of
kilawin or
kilawen dishes include
Kilawen nga Ipon (baby
anchovies or small fish), Jumping Salad (live shrimp),
Kilawen a Kalding (grilled goat meat),
Insarabasab (a dish similar to
dinakdakan but without pig brain), Ata-ata or
Kappukan (rare beef or carabao meat) and
Kudil or
Caliente (boiled carabao or cow skin). These dishes are integral to Ilocano cuisine and are highly regarded for their tangy and robust flavors. Among the
Ivatan people of the
Batanes islands refer to kinilaw as
lataven. Fish lataven is known as
lataven a among (also spelled
lataven a amung). Among the
Sama-Bajau people, it is known as
kilau or
kinilau and sometimes includes unripe mangoes as a souring agent. Among the
Maranao people of southwestern
Mindanao,
biyaring is a type of kinilaw made with tiny shrimp. It is a regional favorite and is notable because it is ideally prepared while the shrimp are still alive. A common way of serving kinilaw in the islands of
Visayas and
Mindanao is
sinuglaw, which combines fish kinilaw (usually tuna) and charcoal-grilled
pork belly (
sinugba). ==Gallery==