Isaw

Isaw

Grilled chicken isaw in foreground, grilled pork isaw in background along with grilled coagulated pork or chicken blood (betamax).
Place of origin	Philippines
Serving temperature	Hot, warm
Main ingredients	Intestines
Similar dishes	Inihaw, Proben
Media: Isaw

Isaw is a Tagalog or Filipino language word for intestines in a culinary context and prepared as food. In contrast the generic word for intestines is bituka.

Isaw is most commonly consumed in the Philippines as a popular street food made from barbecued pig or chicken intestines, and thus a type of inihaw, the generic term for grilled or roasted food.¹ The intestines are cleaned several times and are then boiled and grilled on sticks. For presentability, the intestines are usually applied with orange food coloring. Once cooked, it is usually dipped in vinegar or sukang pinakurat (vinegar with onions, peppers, and other spices). They are usually sold by vendors on street corners during the afternoons. Grilled chicken isaw is sometimes colloquially called "IUD", due to the resemblance.

Isaw is also used as a main protein ingredient in dishes such as a type of Philippine adobo, adobong isaw, and as protein filler in other dishes like the rice porridge family of lugaw/arroz caldo/goto. Goto itself is a word for tripe derived from Chinese, but the etymology of isaw is unclear.