Contrary to the popular (non Ilonggo) knowledge, inasal is not only chicken but also applicable to other meats as well.
Besides I have this notion that inasal cannot be translated directly as barbecue as I grew up knowing that any food item cooked "on a stick" can be termed as inasal.
Pork cutlets, fish and other seafood, chicken legs, processed meats, livers and other innards, cubed pig's blood, etc. The list goes on, as long as it can be placed on a stick it is still inasal.
Even fruits like bananas when served on a stick are always inasal to me. (Banana cue is inasal nga saging). In Boracay years ago, I was surprised that a vendor, aside from the usual meat on sticks, was offering hotdog bun inasal. They grilled on sticks and also basted with sauce too.
Mr. Webster defines barbecue as
1.) To roast or broil on a rack or revolving spit over or before a source of heat.
2.) To cook using highly season vinegar .
The second definition probably is the one that made inasal synonymous as barbecue as the former mainly utilizes sinamak, a local term for spicy vinegar.
Here are some locals terms: - asal; verb - to cook food items on a stick
- inasal; noun - food items cooked on a stick
- arasalan; noun - anything that would hold the meat when cooked; bamboo sticks are almost synonymous with the term
- arasalon, inug-asal; noun - food items prepared to be cooked
- manug-inasal, manug asal; noun - the person making the inasal
An inasal stand in Jaro Plaza situated between Andok's and Mang Inasal
Whatever the definitions say, one really cannot deviate from what he has grown up with or easily correct what has become familiar to many.It’s just accepting it and eventually enjoying it (gastronomically) beyond definitions.
I visited more than half a dozen native restaurants for this blog's quest for the best chicken inasal in the city.
And here's another inasal feature I found online.