Pako salad
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Read for freePako salad (aka paco) is also called fiddlehead fern salad, and it’s a healthy salad made from edible fern.
The salad is comprised of paco leaves, salted eggs, tomatoes, and red onions. The dressing is made of black pepper, vinegar, sugar, and salt. This gives it a subtle sour flavor.
Fiddlehead fern salad is prepared in minutes and doesn’t require much cooking or prep time, so it’s one of the best healthy salad recipes for those in a rush.
In the Philippines, pako is a common plant that frequently grows on gravel bars along the banks of rivers and streams. It’s widely distributed across the country because of its abundance.
Young fern fronds, often known as “fiddleheads,” are consumed as a green vegetable, either raw or cooked, and are also used as a seasoning in salads and stews.
When pako is readily available in the market, we often saute it with sotanghon or vermicelli, or make pako salad or ensaladang pako, one of our favorite vegetable salads.
Pako is a common component in recipes in the province of Aurora (located in the eastern portion of Central Luzon), and is sometimes used as a stand-in for other vegetables that are unavailable there.
When you visit Aurora, you can enjoy their pako dishes, which are accessible at neighborhood restaurants and eateries, particularly in the town of Baler.
The flavor of ensaladang pako is best described as a cross between asparagus and artichoke, with a slightly bitter aftertaste.
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Origin
The ensaladang pako salad recipe originates from the Philippines. It’s a popular Filipino dish that can be found in many restaurants across the country.
The dish is also popular in other Southeast Asian countries, such as Thailand and Vietnam.
This recipe is very old, and pako has been cultivated for centuries in the Philippines. It’s believed to have originated in the country’s mountainous regions.
Locals have probably been making pako salad for centuries.
Check out our new cookbook
Bitemybun's family recipes with complete meal planner and recipe guide.
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Joost Nusselder, the founder of Bite My Bun is a content marketer, dad and loves trying out new food with Japanese food at the heart of his passion, and together with his team he's been creating in-depth blog articles since 2016 to help loyal readers with recipes and cooking tips.
