Gulaman

''Gulaman'', in Filipino cuisine, is a bar, or powdered form, of dried agar or carrageenan extracted from edible seaweed used to make jelly-like desserts. In common usage, it also usually refers to the refreshment '' sago't gulaman'', sometimes referred to as '' samalamig'', sold at roadside stalls and vendors.

History

'' Gracilaria'', which produces agar, is known as , , , or in Tagalog and in other languages in the northern Philippines. It has been harvested and used as food for centuries, eaten both fresh or sun-dried and turned into jellies. The earliest historical attestation is from the '' Vocabulario de la lengua tagala'' (1754) by the Jesuit priests Juan de Noceda and Pedro de Sanlucar, where ''golaman'' or ''gulaman'' was defined as ''"una yerva, de que se haze conserva a modo de Halea, naze en la mar"'' (modern Spanish orthography: “''una hierva, de que se hace conserva a modo de jalea, nace en la mar''”; “an herb, from which a jam-like preserve is made, grows in the sea"), with an additional entry for ''guinolaman'' to refer to food made with the jelly.

''Gulaman'' can also be made from '' Eucheuma'' spp., which produces the similarly jelly-like carrageenan. '' Eucheuma'' is known as '' gusô'' or ''tambalang'' in Visayan languages. Use of ''gusô'' to make jellies among the Visayans has been recorded in the even earlier ''Diccionario De La Lengua Bisaya, Hiligueina y Haraia de la isla de Panay y Sugbu y para las demas islas'' () of the Augustinian missionary Alonso de Méntrida . In the book, Méntrida describes ''gusô'' as being cooked until it melts, and then allowed to congeal into a sour dish.

Description

''Gulaman'' is now the chief Filipino culinary use of agar, which is made of processed '' Gracilaria'' seaweed (around 18 species occur naturally in the Philippines); or carrageenan derived from other farmed seaweed species like '' Eucheuma'' and ''Kappaphycus alvarezii'', which were first cultivated commercially in the Philippines. Aside from ''Gracilaria'' and ''Eucheuma'', they were also traditionally made from other species of edible seaweeds including '' Betaphycus gelatinus'', '' Gracilariopsis longissima'', '' Gelidiella acerosa'', and members of the genus '' Agardhiella''.

It is usually sold dehydrated and formed into foot-long dry bars, which are either plain or coloured. It is also available in powder form.

Uses

''Gulaman'' bars are used in the various Filipino refreshments or desserts such as '' sago at gulaman'', '' buko pandan'', agar flan, '' halo-halo'', ''fruit cocktail jelly'', different varieties of Filipino fruit salads, black ''gulaman'', and red ''gulaman''.

Differences from gelatine

The term gelatine (or "jelly") and ''gulaman'' are used synonymously in the Philippines, although they are very different products. While gelatine is an animal-derived protein, ''gulaman'' is a plant-derived carbohydrate made from seaweed. This distinction makes ''gulaman'' suitable for those whose dietary restrictions exclude gelatine, such as Muslims or vegans.

Gelatine dissolves in hot water, but boiling water is necessary to dissolve ''gulaman''. Unlike gelatine which sets at cold temperatures, ''gulaman'' sets at room temperature. While gelatine can melt at room temperature, it is uniquely thermo-reversible to its previous shape and form.

See also

* List of Philippine desserts
* ''Chondrus crispus''
* Kaong
* Nata de coco
* Sago
* Tapioca balls

References

{{Philippine cuisine

Philippine desserts
Edible thickening agents
Algal food ingredients
Vegan cuisine
Vegetarian dishes of the Philippines