Pares (pronounced: PAH-ress), also known as beef pares, is a term for a serving of Filipino braised beef stew with garlic fried rice, and a bowl of clear soup. It is a popular meal particularly associated with specialty roadside diner-style establishments known as paresan (Pares house). In recent years, it had also become a common dish served in small eateries called carinderias that serve economical meals for locals.[1]

Pares
Top: Beef asado pares, Bottom: Pares kanto
Place of originPhilippines
Region or stateQuezon City
Created byLolita Tiu
Invented1979
Serving temperatureHot
Main ingredientsClear Soup (commonly beef-based broth)
Sinangag
Beef Asado (or any other viand)
VariationsPares Kanto or Pares Kariton, Pares Mami, Pares Overload

Informally, pares can also refer to any dish that is cooked in the manner reminiscent of the "asado-style" (i.e. stewed in a sweet-soy sauce).[2][3][4]

Etymology

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The origin of the term pares is credited to the carinderia Jonas established by Lolita Tiu and Roger Tiu in 1979 near the then named Calle Retiro (present-day N.S. Amoranto Sr. Street) in Quezon City.[5][6] The term literally means pairs in English and comes from the practice of pairing the beef asado dish with sinangag (garlic fried rice) and a light beef broth soup; thus, forming a complete meal.

Description

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Beef pares mami
 
Pares Retiro, a franchise of restaurants selling beef pares.
 
A beef pares mami stall in Quezon City.

Beef pares, or pares as it is commonly known, is a meal that consists of beef asado (beef stewed in a sweet-soy sauce), garlic fried rice, and a bowl of beef broth soup. The soup may originate from the broth in which the meat is simmered in until tender before being seasoned with the sweet-soy sauce, but it can also be prepared separately and be made with beef bouillon cubes instead. This soup is usually made and seasoned with onion, garlic, peppercorns, chives, and onion leeks. Some cooks also add bay leaves to this broth to improve the flavor.[7][8]

Another variation of the dish, informally known as pares kariton ("pushcart pares") or pares kanto ("street corner pares") for being served on the roadside by mobile sidecar vendors, serves the beef and broth combined, usually with the broth slightly thickened by cornstarch.[9] This variant is less sweeter and has less spices compared to the beef asado variant but is more savory due to the use of beef tendons (litid), bone marrow (utak ng buto), and fatty cuts of beef.[10]

A garnish of chopped green onion and fried garlic mince is often added atop the dish before serving. Steamed rice is sometimes served instead of fried rice, depending on personal preference of the customer. Some Filipino restaurants also offer the option to serve the dish with an accompaniment of noodles instead of rice.[1]

Another common way to eat pares is as beef pares mami (or simply pares mami). It combines pares with mami, the Filipino egg noodle soup. Its preparation is similar to pares kanto with the main difference being the addition of noodles instead of being eaten with rice.[11][12] Its taste has been described as being similar to Vietnamese pho.[13][14]

Pares overload refers to a recent trend of serving pares kanto with fried pork lechon and chicharong bulaklak (fried pork mesentery); a variant of this served with whole stewed bone marrow is also known as pares putok batok due to the unhealthy amount of fat and cholesterol contained by the toppings. It was introduced as early as 2021 and was popularized by the sidewalk eatery Diwata Pares Overload in the first quarter of 2024 with the trend having grown popularity through social media sites.[15][16][17][18]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "What Is Pares? (with pictures)". Wisegeek.com. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  2. ^ "Pork Pares Recipe". Retrieved 2024-04-04.
  3. ^ "4 Different Ways To Make Pares". Retrieved 2024-04-04.
  4. ^ "Log in or sign up to view". m.facebook.com. Retrieved 2024-04-04.
  5. ^ Diaz, Anton (24 July 2008). "Jonas' Pares". Awesome!. Retrieved 19 May 2021. Jonas is credited for inventing the term "Pares" which means the pairing of beef and rice.. It also refers to the value meal of beef, rice and soup. It was founded by Lolly Tiu in 1979 who envisioned a restaurant providing fine-dining quality food at a price affordable to masses.
  6. ^ "Jonas Pares: From carinderia to BGC". ABSCBN News. ABSCBN. 24 July 2008. Retrieved 19 May 2021. "Kombinasyon 'yan ng beef stew na Chinese-style, together with greaseless na fried rice," said Tiu, who is known to have been the one to coin the term "pares" in the late 70s.
  7. ^ https://panlasangpinoy.com/filipino-food-how-to-cook-beef-pares-recipe/
  8. ^ https://www.foxyfolksy.com/beef-pares/
  9. ^ ""Kanto" or street style beef pares". cookpad.com. 9 November 2020. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  10. ^ "Easy Beef Pares Recipe". KusinaNiTeds.com. 25 February 2019. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  11. ^ "Beef Pares Mami Recipe (Camto)". Mama's Guide Recipes. 10 February 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  12. ^ Angeles, Mira (30 May 2016). "Beef Pares Recipe". Yummy.ph. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  13. ^ "Beef Pares Mami (Filipino Beef Noodle Soup)". Manila Spoon. 10 November 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  14. ^ "Filipino Soup (Beef Pares Mami)". Foodie with Family. 29 September 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  15. ^ Cruz, Hazel Jane. "This trending pares store serves 'sulit' meals and customers are loving it". GMA Network. Archived from the original on 2024-04-15. Retrieved 2024-06-17.
  16. ^ "Meet Diwata, nag-trending sa presinto noon, asensado na ngayon". Philippine Entertainment Portal (in Filipino). February 2, 2024. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  17. ^ Santiago, Ervin (5 February 2024). "LGBTQ member na nag-viral matapos rumampa sa presinto, asensado na ngayon". Bandera (in Filipino).
  18. ^ GMA Integrated News (February 17, 2024). "'Diwata' na dating nasangkot sa rambulan, may-ari na ngayon ng pinipilahang paresan | Balitambayan". GMA Network (in Filipino).