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''Gulaman'', in
''Gulaman'' is the Filipino culinary use of agar, which is made of processed ''
Filipino cuisine
Filipino cuisine ( fil, lutong Pilipino/pagkaing Pilipino) is composed of the cuisines of more than a hundred distinct ethnolinguistic groups found throughout the Philippine archipelago. A majority of mainstream Filipino dishes that compose Fi ...
, is a bar, or powdered form, of dried agar or carrageenan
Carrageenans or carrageenins ( ; ) are a family of natural linear sulfated polysaccharides that are extracted from red edible seaweeds. Carrageenans are widely used in the food industry, for their gelling, thickening, and stabilizing properties. T ...
used to make jelly-like desserts. In common usage, it also usually refers to the refreshment ''sago't gulaman
Samalamig, also known as palamig, is a collective term for various Filipino sweet chilled beverages that usually include jelly-like ingredients. They come in various flavors, and are commonly sold by street vendors as refreshments. Typical ing ...
'', sometimes referred to as ''samalamig
Samalamig, also known as palamig, is a collective term for various Filipino sweet chilled beverages that usually include jelly-like ingredients. They come in various flavors, and are commonly sold by street vendors as refreshments. Typical in ...
'', sold at roadside stalls and vendors.
Description
''Gulaman'' is the Filipino culinary use of agar, which is made of processed ''Gracilaria
''Gracilaria'' is a genus of red algae (Rhodophyta) notable for its economic importance as an agarophyte, as well as its use as a food for humans and various species of shellfish. Various species within the genus are cultivated among Asia, South ...
'' seaweed; or carrageenan
Carrageenans or carrageenins ( ; ) are a family of natural linear sulfated polysaccharides that are extracted from red edible seaweeds. Carrageenans are widely used in the food industry, for their gelling, thickening, and stabilizing properties. T ...
derived from other farmed seaweed species like '' Eucheuma'' and '' Kappaphycus alvarezii'' which were first cultivated commercially in the Philippines.
It is usually sold dehydrated and formed into foot-long dry bars which are either plain or coloured. It is also commonly sold in powder form.
Uses
''Gulaman'' bars are used in the various Filipino refreshments or desserts such as '' sago at gulaman'', ''buko pandan
Buko salad, usually anglicized as young coconut salad, is a Filipino fruit salad dessert made from strips of fresh young coconut (''buko'') with sweetened milk or cream and various other ingredients. It is one of the most popular and ubiquitous F ...
'', agar flan, ''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 ...
'', ''fruit cocktail jelly'', different varieties of Filipino fruit salads, black ''gulaman'', and red ''gulaman''.
Differences between gelatine and gulaman
The termgelatine
Gelatin or gelatine (from la, gelatus meaning "stiff" or "frozen") is a translucent, colorless, flavorless food ingredient, commonly derived from collagen taken from animal body parts. It is brittle when dry and rubbery when moist. It may also ...
(or "jelly") and ''gulaman'' are used synonymously 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 ...
, although they are very different products. While gelatine is an animal-derived protein
Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, res ...
, ''gulaman'' is a plant-derived carbohydrate
In organic chemistry, a carbohydrate () is a biomolecule consisting of carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) atoms, usually with a hydrogen–oxygen atom ratio of 2:1 (as in water) and thus with the empirical formula (where ''m'' may or m ...
made from seaweed. This distinction makes ''gulaman'' suitable for those who may not eat gelatine for religious or cultural reasons, such as for Muslims
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
or vegans
Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. D ...
.
Gelatine dissolves in hot water but boiling water is necessary to dissolve ''gulaman''. Unlike gelatine which sets at refrigerator temperature, ''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
*'' Chondrus crispus'' *Kaong
''Arenga pinnata'' (syn. ''Arenga saccharifera'') is an economically important Arecaceae, feather palm native to tropical Asia, from eastern India east to Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines in the east. Common names include sugar palm, aren ...
*List of Philippine desserts
This is a list of Filipino desserts. Filipino cuisine consists of the food, preparation methods and eating customs found in the Philippines. The style of cooking and the food associated with it have evolved over many centuries from its Austron ...
*Nata de coco
''Nata de coco'', also marketed as coconut gel, is a chewy, translucent, jelly-like food produced by the fermentation of coconut water, which gels through the production of microbial cellulose by '' Komagataeibacter xylinus''.
Originating ...
*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 balls
Tapioca pearls, also known as tapioca balls, are edible translucent spheres 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 b ...
References
{{Philippine cuisine Philippine desserts Edible thickening agents Algal food ingredients Vegan cuisine Vegetarian dishes of the Philippines