''Lugaw'', also spelled ''lugao'', is a Filipino

glutinous rice Domestication syndrome refers to two sets of phenotypic traits that are common to either domesticated plants or domesticated animals. Domesticated animals tend to be smaller and less aggressive than their wild counterparts; they may also hav ...

dish or

porridge Porridge is a food made by heating, soaking or boiling ground, crushed or chopped starchy plants, typically grain, in milk or water. It is often cooked or served with added flavourings such as sugar, honey, fruit, or syrup to make a sweet cereal ...

. Lugaw may refer to various dishes, both savory and sweet. In Visayan regions, savory ''lugaw'' are collectively referred to as ''pospas''. ''Lugaw'' is widely regarded as a

comfort food Comfort food is food that provides a nostalgic or sentimental value to someone and may be characterized by its high caloric nature associated with childhood or home cooking. The nostalgia may be specific to an individual or it may apply to a ...

in the Philippines.

History

According to the

National Commission for Culture and the Arts The National Commission for Culture and the Arts of the Philippines (NCCA; , ) is the official government agency for culture in the Philippines. It is the overall policy making body, coordinating, and grants giving agency for the preservation, d ...

, ''lugaw'' is one of the earliest historically-documented dishes in the Philippines. The '' Vocabulario de la lengua tagala'' (1613) by Fr. Pedro de San Buenaventura, defines ''"logao"'' (Hispanized as ''"aroz guisado"'') as "rice mixed with oconutmilk or water or of both (porridge)."

Description

''Lugaw'' is traditionally made by boiling

( Ilocano: ''diket ''; Tagalog: ''malagkit''; Visayan: ''pilit''). Regular

white rice White rice is milled rice that has had the husk, bran, and germ removed. This alters the flavor, texture and appearance of the seed; helps prevent spoilage (extends its storage life); and makes it easier to digest. After brown rice is milled ...

may also be used if boiled with excess water. The basic version is sparsely spiced, usually only using

salt In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to central and south Asia, str ...

, and

ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is an herbaceous perennial that grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of l ...

; or alternatively,

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...

. Heartier versions are cooked in chicken, fish, pork or beef broth. It is regarded as a comforting and easy-to-digest food, typically prepared for breakfast and during cold and rainy weather. It is also commonly served to people who are sick or bedridden, and to very young children and the elderly. ''Lugaw'' is usually eaten hot or warm, since the gruel congeals if left to cool. It can be reheated by adding a little bit of water. Dessert versions can be eaten cold or even partly frozen.

Variants

''Lugaw'' can be paired or augmented with numerous other dishes and ingredients.

Savory

Most savory versions of ''lugaw'' are derived from or influenced by Chinese-style

congee Congee ( , derived from Tamil language, Tamil ), is a form of savoury rice porridge made by boiling rice in a large amount of water until the rice softens. Depending on rice–water ratio, the thickness of congee varies from a Western oatmeal ...

, introduced by

Chinese-Filipino Chinese Filipinos (sometimes referred as Filipino Chinese or Chinoy/Tsinoy in the Philippines) are Filipinos of Chinese descent with ancestry mainly from Fujian, but are typically born and raised in the Philippines. Chinese Filipinos are one ...

migrants. It has diverged over the centuries to use Filipino ingredients and suit the local tastes. Filipino savory ''lugaw'' are typically thicker than other Asian congees because they use glutinous rice. They are traditionally served with

calamansi Calamansi (''Citrus'' × ''microcarpa''), also known as calamondin, Philippine lime, or Philippine lemon, is a citrus hybrid cultivated predominantly in the Philippines. It is native to the Philippines, parts of Indonesia (Borneo, Sumatra, and ...

soy sauce Soy sauce (sometimes called soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of China, Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermentation (food), fermented paste of soybeans, roasted cereal, grain, brine, and ''Aspergillus oryzae'' or ''A ...

(''toyo''), or

fish sauce Fish sauce is a liquid condiment made from fish or krill that have been coated in salt and fermented for up to two years. It is used as a staple seasoning in East Asian cuisine and Southeast Asian cuisine, particularly Myanmar, Cambodia, L ...

(''patis'') as

condiment A condiment is a preparation that is added to food, typically after cooking, to enhance the Flavoring, flavour, to complement the dish or to impart a specific flavor. Such specific flavors generally add sweetness or pungency, or sharp or piquant ...

s Savory ''lugaw'' are usually paired with meat or seafood dishes. The most common being '' tokwa't baboy'' (cubed

tofu or bean curd is a food prepared by Coagulation (milk), coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into solid white blocks of varying softness: ''silken'', ''soft'', ''firm'', and ''extra (or super) firm''. It originated in Chin ...

and

pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig animal husbandry, husbandry dating back to 8000–9000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooke ...

). *''

Arroz caldo ''Arroz caldo'' is a Spanish language, Spanish term meaning "broth rice". It is derived from the Spanish dish arroz caldoso. In Philippine cuisine, it is made of rice and chicken gruel heavily infused with ginger and garnished with toasted ga ...

'' – ''lugaw'' heavily infused with

and garnished with toasted

scallion Scallions (also known as green onions and spring onions) are edible vegetables of various species in the genus ''Allium''. Scallions generally have a milder taste than most onions. Their close relatives include garlic, shallots, leeks, chive ...

s, and

black pepper Black pepper (''Piper nigrum'') is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit (the peppercorn), which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit is a drupe (stonefruit) which is about in diameter ...

with a

hard-boiled egg Boiled eggs are typically from a chicken, and are cooked with their shells unbroken, usually by immersion in boiling water. Hard-boiled or hard-cooked eggs are cooked so that the egg white and egg yolk both solidify, while soft-boiled eggs may l ...

. Most versions also add

safflower Safflower (''Carthamus tinctorius'') is a highly branched, herbaceous, thistle-like annual plant in the family Asteraceae. It is one of the world's oldest crops; today, it is commercially cultivated for vegetable oil extracted from the seeds. ...

(''kasubha'') which turns the dish characteristically yellow. *'' Goto'' – ''lugaw'' made with ''goto'' (

tripe Tripe is a type of edible lining from the stomachs of various farm animals. Most tripe is from cattle and sheep. Types Beef Beef tripe is made from the muscle wall (the interior mucosal lining is removed) of a cow's stomach chambers: th ...

) and

. It is garnished with toasted

s, and

. Best served with

egg An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the ...

, toasted garlic, and chicharon.

Dessert

Sweet versions of ''lugaw'' are more characteristically Filipino. They include: *'' Binignit'' – ''lugaw'' made with

coconut milk Coconut milk is a plant milk extracted from the grated pulp of mature coconuts. The opacity and rich taste of the milky-white liquid are due to its high oil content, most of which is saturated fat. Coconut milk is a traditional food ingred ...

(''gata'') and various slices of fruit, jelly desserts (like ''

sago Sago () is a starch extracted from the pith, or spongy core tissue, of various tropical palm stems, especially those of ''Metroxylon sagu''. It is a major staple food for the lowland peoples of New Guinea and the Maluku Islands, where it is c ...

'',

tapioca pearls A tapioca pearl, also known as tapioca ball, is an edible translucent sphere produced from tapioca, a starch made from the cassava root . They originated as a cheaper alternative to sago in Southeast Asian cuisine. When used as an ingredient in ...

, '' kaong'', etc.), and root crops (like

sweet potato The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant in the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its sizeable, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a root vegetable, which is a staple food in parts of ...

taro Taro (; ''Colocasia esculenta'') is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, stems and Petiole (botany), petioles. Taro corms are a ...

, and '' ube''). It is known by many other regional names, like ''giná-tan'', ''tabirák'', ''alpahor'', ''ginettaán'', ''ginat-ang lugaw'', and ''kamlo.'' *'' Champorado'' – ''lugaw'' with home-made

chocolate Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cocoa beans that can be a liquid, solid, or paste, either by itself or to flavoring, flavor other foods. Cocoa beans are the processed seeds of the cacao tree (''Theobroma cacao''); unprocesse ...

and

milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of lactating mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfeeding, breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. ...

. It is a native adaptation of the Mexican drink ''

champurrado Champurrado is a chocolate-based ''atole'', a warm and thick Mexican cuisine, Mexican beverage. It is prepared with either a ''masa'' (Limewater#Food Preparation, lime-treated corn dough),'' masa harina'' (a dried version of this dough), or maize ...

''. It is traditionally paired with dried fish ('' tuyo''), but can be eaten as is as a dessert. *''

Ginataang mais ''Ginataang mais'' is a Filipino sweet corn and rice gruel. It is also known as ''lugaw na mais'' ( Kapampangan: ''lelut mais''). It is a type of dessert '' lugaw'' and '' ginataan''. It is eaten warm in colder months, but may be eaten cold ...

'' – ''lugaw'' made with coconut milk and

sweet corn Sweet corn (''Zea mays'' convar. ''saccharata'' var. ''rugosa''), also called sweetcorn, sugar corn and pole corn, is a variety of maize grown for human consumption with a high sugar content. Sweet corn is the result of a naturally occurring rec ...

. *'' Ginataang munggo'' – ''lugaw'' with toasted

mung bean The mung bean or green gram (''Vigna radiata'') is a plant species in the legume family.Brief Introduction of Mung Bean. Vigna Radiata Extract Green Mung Bean Extract Powder Phaseolus aureus Roxb Vigna radiata L R Wilczek. MDidea-Extracts P ...

s, sugar, and coconut milk. Corn may also be added.

Use as a political symbol

The ''lugaw'' has been widely associated with the political camp of Philippine Vice President

Leni Robredo Maria Leonor "Leni" Gerona Robredo (; Gerona; born April 23, 1965) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 14th vice president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. She is the mayor-elect of Naga, Camarines Sur, having won the ...

, originating from her 2016 election campaign during which Robredo's supporters sold the rice porridge as part of a fundraising effort. Robredo's detractors and

internet trolls In slang, a troll is a person who posts deliberately offensive or provocative messages online (such as in social media, a newsgroup, a forum, a chat room, an online video game) or who performs similar behaviors in real life. The methods and m ...

have pejoratively used the tags "Leni Lugaw" or the "Lugaw Queen" after photos of her serving ''lugaw'' circulated online. In response, Robredo has since adopted the tag during political events and campaigns, including serving ''lugaw'' to attendees of her

2022 Philippine presidential election Presidential elections in the Philippines were held on May 9, 2022, as part of the 2022 Philippine general election, 2022 general election. This was the 17th direct presidential election and 15th vice presidential election in the country since 19 ...

bid announcement.

References

{{Filipino food Glutinous rice dishes Philippine desserts Philippine rice dishes