Suman or budbud is a

rice cake A rice cake may be any kind of food item made from rice that has been shaped, condensed, or otherwise combined into a single object. A wide variety of rice cakes exist in many different cultures in which rice is eaten and are particularly preval ...

originating in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. It is made from

glutinous rice Glutinous rice (''Oryza sativa var. glutinosa''; also called sticky rice, sweet rice or waxy rice) is a type of rice grown mainly in Southeast and East Asia, and the northeastern regions of South Asia, which has opaque grains, very low amylose ...

cooked in

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

, often wrapped in

banana leaves The banana leaf is the leaf of the banana plant, which may produce up to 40 leaves in a growing cycle. The leaves have a wide range of applications because they are large, flexible, waterproof and decorative. They are used for cooking, wrapping ...

, coconut leaves, or ''buli'' or ''buri'' palm (''

Corypha ''Corypha'' (gebang palm, buri palm or talipot palm) is a genus of palms (family Arecaceae), native to India, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, New Guinea and northeastern Australia (Cape York Peninsula, Queensland). They are fan palms (sub ...

'') leaves for

steaming Steaming is a method of cooking using steam. This is often done with a food steamer, a kitchen appliance made specifically to cook food with steam, but food can also be steamed in a wok. In the American southwest, steam pits used for cooking ha ...

. It is usually eaten sprinkled with

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, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...

or laden with

latik ''Latík'' () refers to two different coconut-based ingredients in Filipino cuisine. In the Visayan region it refers to a syrupy caramelized coconut cream (coconut caramel) used as a dessert sauce. In the northern Philippines, it refers to s ...

. A widespread variant of ''suman'' uses

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively ...

instead of glutinous rice.

Varieties

There are numerous varieties of suman, with almost every town or locality having its speciality. Some are described below: *''Binuo'' (or ''Suman sa Binuo'') – A rare variety of suman, the

is soaked, milled, mixed with

and sugar, wrapped in the leaves of the Tagbak plant, and steamed. The leaves give this variety of suman a uniquely balmy, minty flavor, and the suman itself is chewier than the whole-rice varieties. *''Kurukod'' or ''kurukud'' - A type of cassava suman with a filling of sweetened grated coconut (''

bukayo ''Bukayo'' is a Filipino dessert made from sweetened coconut strips. It is traditionally made by simmering strips or shredded bits of young, gelatinous coconut (''buko'') in water and ''sinuklob'', which is sugarcane muscovado sugar melted into ...

''). *''Suman sa Ibus'' (or simply ''Ibus'') – A ubiquitous variety of suman in the Philippines, the glutinous rice is washed, and is then mixed with salt and coconut milk. The mixture is poured over pre-made coil containers of young palm leaves called ''Ibus'' or ''Ibos'', and fixed with the leaf's central shaft. This is then steamed using water mixed with "luyang dilaw" (

turmeric Turmeric () is a flowering plant, ''Curcuma longa'' (), of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, the rhizomes of which are used in cooking. The plant is a perennial, rhizomatous, herbaceous plant native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asi ...

)—giving it that distinctly yellow colour—and served either with a mixture of shredded coconut and sugar, or latik (reduce coconut milk until white lumps form and simmer until golden brown). *''Sumang Inantala'' – The ingredients are similar to the Ibus variety, but the Inantala differs in that the mixture itself is cooked, and then poured over a small square mat cut from

banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", distinguis ...

leaves. *''Sumang Kamoteng Kahoy'' –

Cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively ...

is finely ground, mixed with coconut milk, sugar, wrapped in banana leaves, and steamed. *''Suman sa Lihiya'' – Soaked glutinous rice mixed with coconut milk is treated with

lye A lye is a metal hydroxide traditionally obtained by leaching wood ashes, or a strong alkali which is highly soluble in water producing caustic basic solutions. "Lye" most commonly refers to sodium hydroxide (NaOH), but historically has been u ...

, wrapped in banana leaves, and boiled for two hours. It is served especially with either of two varieties of latik—the brown one which has been darkened with extended cooking, and has a stronger

coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family ( Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the ...

flavor or the white one which is more delicate. Also known as ''Akap-akap'' from the way it is bundled and sold; it is usually sold in pairs, hence the name. *''Sumang Inilonggo'' – Refers to '' Biko'' in Hiligaynon/Ilonggo as opposed to the traditional suman.

Other names

It is known as ''marcha'' in India, Nepal and Bhutan, ''benh men'' in Vietnam, ''chiu'', ''chu'' or ''daque'' in China and Taiwan, ''loogpang'' in Thailand, ''ragi'' in Indonesia and ''nuruk'' in Korea.Jyoti Prakash Tamang, Patricia Lappe-Oliveras and Baltasar Mayo (editors)

Suman wrapping

Suman wrapping is a unique art in itself, and can be traced to pre-colonial roots which have had contact with Indian traditions. Wrappers utilize a wide variety of indigenous materials such as palm,

anahaw ''Saribus rotundifolius'', also known as the footstool palm, is a common fan palm found in Southeast Asia. It is a member of the genus ''Saribus''. Common names It is called ''anáhaw'' or ''luyong'' in Filipino. In Malay the palm is known as ' ...

and

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, bu ...

leaves,

shells, and others. Some wrappings are simple folds such as those found in the and the , resulting in rectangular ''suman''. Others are in vertical coils like the ''inantala'', giving it a tubular form. Still others are in pyramid-like shapes, like the ''balisungsong''. Some forms of ''suman'' are eaten like ice cream–with cones made from banana leaves, and still others are in very complex geometric patterns like the ''pusu'' ("heart"). Some are woven into the shape of a banana blossom (which in the Philippines is referred to as the banana plant's "heart"), or the ''pinagi'' (from the word ''pagi'', meaning

stingray Stingrays are a group of sea rays, which are cartilaginous fish related to sharks. They are classified in the suborder Myliobatoidei of the order Myliobatiformes and consist of eight families: Hexatrygonidae (sixgill stingray), Plesiobatidae ( ...

), a complex octahedral star. Suman dishes (as well as savory variants like ''

binalot Binalot is a method of wrapping and serving food in the Philippines using banana leaves and alike. The term is derived from the root word ''balot'' (wrap) + -''in''- meaning "wrapped". See also *Pastil * Pusô * Suman *Bibingka *Puto Bumbong ...

'' and '' pastil'') are differentiated from ''

pusô ''Pusô'' or ''tamu'', sometimes known in Philippine English as "hanging rice", is a Filipino rice cake made by boiling rice in a woven pouch of palm leaves. It is most commonly found in octahedral, diamond, or rectangular shapes, but it can ...

'' (or ''patupat''), in that the latter use woven palm leaves.

Gallery

File:Two varieties of suman (glutinous rice and cassava).jpg, Two varieties of ''suman'' (

and

) File:Suman with latik.jpg, ''Sumang kamoteng kahoy'' (

''suman'') smothered in

latík ''Latík'' () refers to two different coconut-based ingredients in Filipino cuisine. In the Visayan region it refers to a syrupy caramelized coconut cream (coconut caramel) used as a dessert sauce. In the northern Philippines, it refers to s ...

File:4413Birds_Foods_Goods_displayed_for_sale_and_trade_12.jpg, ''Suman sa Ibus'' File:4413Birds_Foods_Goods_displayed_for_sale_and_trade_38.jpg, ''Suman sa Lihiya''

References

{{Filipino food Philippine rice dishes Thai rice dishes Vietnamese rice dishes Indonesian rice dishes Indian rice dishes Nepalese cuisine Bhutanese cuisine Taiwanese rice dishes Chinese rice dishes Korean rice dishes Foods containing coconut Philippine desserts Glutinous rice dishes Steamed foods Rice cakes