Pinikpikan
Pinikpikan is a chicken or duck dish from the mountains of the Cordillera region in the Philippines. As a tradition of the indigenous Igorot people, pinikpikan is prepared by beating a live chicken to death with a stick prior to cooking. The beating bruises the chicken's flesh by bringing blood to its surface, which is said to improve the flavour after cooking. The act of beating the chicken, while done in preparation of the dish, violates the Philippine Animal Welfare Act 1998, which includes the following provision:
It shall be unlawful for any person to torture any animal, to neglect to provide adequate care, sustenance or shelter, or maltreat any animal or to subject any dog or horse to dogfights or horsefights, kill or cause or procure to be tortured or deprived of adequate care, sustenance or shelter, or maltreat or use the same in research or experiments not expressly authorized by the Committee on Animal Welfare.
Despite this, pinikpikan is still prepared, both in what some consider a more humane way, involving slitting the neck of the chicken or other fowl, and in the traditional way. For the Cordillerans, however, the exotic cuisine is a reminder and rite of cherished past, heritage, community, spirituality, and culture.
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