''Ginataan'' (pronounced: ), alternatively spelled ''guinataan'', is a

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

term which refers to food cooked with ''gatâ'' ( coconut milk). Literally translated, ''ginataan'' means "done with coconut milk". Due to the general nature of the term, it can refer to a number of different dishes, each called ''ginataan'', but distinct from one another. During the Spanish colonial era, the ''ginataan'' was brought to Mexico through the

Manila galleons fil, Galyon ng Maynila , english_name = Manila Galleon , duration = From 1565 to 1815 (250 years) , venue = Between Manila and Acapulco , location = New Spain (Spanish Empire) ...

that docked in Acapulco. Today, it has become naturalized on the

Guerrero Guerrero is one of the 32 states that comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 81 municipalities and its capital city is Chilpancingo and its largest city is Acapulcocopied from article, GuerreroAs of 2020, Guerrero the pop ...

coast, like the ''zambaripao'' or the ''

tuba The tuba (; ) is the lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece. It first appeared in the mid-19th century, making it one of the ne ...

''. In Spanish it is called ''guinatán''.

Terminology

''Ginataan'' usually refers to dishes which are eaten with rice during the major meals of the day. It normally follows the form "''ginataan na/ginataang'' + (whatever it is cooked with)" or "(dish name) + ''sa gatâ''". For example, ''ginataang hipon'' refers to shrimp cooked in coconut milk, ''ginataang gulay'' to an assortment of vegetables cooked in coconut milk, ''ginataang alimango'' is

mud crab Mud crab may refer to any crab that lives in or near mud, such as: *'' Scylla serrata'' *'' Scylla tranquebarica'' *'' Scylla paramamosain'' *'' Scylla olivacea'' *Members of the family Panopeidae, such as '' Panopeus herbstii'' *Members of the ...

s cooked in coconut milk, while ''ginataang manok'' is

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adu ...

cooked in coconut milk. Coconut milk can also be added to existing dishes, as in ''ginataang

adobo or (Spanish: marinade, sauce, or seasoning) is the immersion of cooked food in a stock (or sauce) composed variously of paprika, oregano, salt, garlic, and vinegar to preserve and enhance its flavor. The Portuguese variant is known as . ...

'' (known more commonly in Tagalog as ''adobo sa gatâ''). There are other dishes that are known by their own unique names, such as Bicol Express, '' laing'' and variants of ''

pinakbet Pinakbet (also called pakbet or pinak bet) is an indigenous Filipino dish from the northern regions of the Philippines. Pinakbet is made from mixed vegetables sautéed in fish or shrimp sauce. The word is the contracted from the Ilokano wo ...

'', which nonetheless fall under the ''ginataan'' category because they use coconut milk as one of the main ingredients.

Sweet variants

Various sweet desserts may also simply be called ''ginataan'', especially in the northern Philippines. For example, the

Visayan Visayans ( Visayan: ''mga Bisaya''; ) or Visayan people are a Philippine ethnolinguistic group or metaethnicity native to the Visayas, the southernmost islands of Luzon and a significant portion of Mindanao. When taken as a single ethnic group ...

binignit Binignit is a Visayan dessert soup from the central Philippines. The dish is traditionally made with glutinous rice cooked in coconut milk with various slices of sabá bananas, taro, ube, and sweet potato, among other ingredients. It is compar ...

'', a soup made with coconut milk, glutinous rice,

tuber Tubers are a type of enlarged structure used as storage organs for nutrients in some plants. They are used for the plant's perennation (survival of the winter or dry months), to provide energy and nutrients for regrowth during the next growin ...

tapioca Tapioca (; ) is a starch extracted from the storage roots of the cassava plant (''Manihot esculenta,'' also known as manioc), a species native to the North and Northeast regions of Brazil, but whose use is now spread throughout South America ...

pearls, and

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 ...

is simply called ''ginataan'' in Tagalog (a shortened form of the proper name, ''ginataang

halo-halo Halo-halo, correctly spelled ''haluhalo'', Tagalog for "mixed" (the more common spelling instead literally equating to "mix-mix") is a popular cold dessert in the Philippines made up of crushed ice, evaporated milk or coconut milk, and vari ...

''). This soup is also called ''"giná-tan"'' in Bikolano, ''"ginettaán"'' in Ilokano, and ''"ginat-ang lugaw"'' in Hiligaynon. If gummy balls made of pounded glutinous rice are used instead of plain glutinous rice, it becomes a dish called ''ginataang bilo-bilo'' or simply ''

bilo-bilo Bilo-bilo is a Filipino dessert made of small glutinous balls (sticky rice flour rounded up by adding water) in coconut milk and sugar. Then jackfruit, saba bananas, various tubers, and tapioca pearls are added. Bilo bilo's origin is in Luzon (Tugu ...

''. ''

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 can also be eaten co ...

'' is another example of a dessert soup; a warm, sweet, thick gruel made with coconut milk, sweet corn and glutinous rice.

List of ''ginataan'' dishes

Dishes considered under the ''ginataan'' category include the following:

Main dishes

Adobo sa gata Philippine ''adobo'' (from Spanish ''adobar'': "marinade," "sauce" or "seasoning" / ) is a popular Filipino dish and cooking process in Philippine cuisine that involves meat, seafood, or vegetables marinated in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, bay ...

* Curacha Alavar * Ginataang ampalaya *

Ginataang isda ''Ginataang isda'' is a Filipino fish stew made from fish and leafy vegetables in coconut milk with garlic, ginger, onion, '' patis'' (fish sauce) or ''bagoong alamang'' (shrimp paste), and salt and pepper. It is a type of '' ginataan''. A com ...

* Ginataang kalabasa * Ginataang kuhol * Ginataang labong * Ginataang langka * Ginataang manok * Ginataang ubod * Ginisang munggo sa gata * Gising-gising (Ginataang sigarilyas) * Inubarang manok * Inulukan *

Kinilaw ''Kinilaw'' ( or , literally "eaten raw") is a raw seafood dish and preparation method native to the Philippines. It is also referred to as Philippine ceviche due to its similarity to the Latin American dish ceviche. It is more accurately a co ...

Kulawo ''Kulawo'' is a Filipino salad made with either minced banana blossoms (''kulawong puso ng saging'') or grilled eggplants (''kulawong talong'') cooked in coconut milk that is distinctively extracted from grated coconut meat toasted on live co ...

* Laing * Linarang * Piaparan * Pininyahang hipon * Pininyahang manok * Piyanggang manok * Sinanglay * Sinantolan * Sinilihan (Bicol Express) *

Sorol Sorol is a coral atoll of nine islands in the central Caroline Islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district in Yap State in the Federated States of Micronesia. Sorol is located approximately south of Ulithi and southeast of th ...

* Tinumok * Tiyula itum

Dessert

Bilo-bilo Bilo-bilo is a Filipino dessert made of small glutinous balls (sticky rice flour rounded up by adding water) in coconut milk and sugar. Then jackfruit, saba bananas, various tubers, and tapioca pearls are added. Bilo bilo's origin is in Luzon (Tugu ...

Binignit Binignit is a Visayan dessert soup from the central Philippines. The dish is traditionally made with glutinous rice cooked in coconut milk with various slices of sabá bananas, taro, ube, and sweet potato, among other ingredients. It is compar ...

* Ginataang munggo * Ginataang saba * Pinakro

References