 A dessert made fromleche flan andgulaman fromBaliuag, Bulacan | |
| Course | Dessert |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Philippines |
| Serving temperature | Cold |
| Main ingredients | Agar |
Gulaman, inFilipino cuisine, is a bar, or powdered form, of driedagar orcarrageenan extracted fromedible seaweed used to makejelly-like desserts. In common usage, it also usually refers to the refreshmentsago't gulaman, sometimes referred to assamalamig, sold at roadside stalls and vendors.[1]
Gracilaria, which producesagar, is known asgulaman,guraman,gulaman dagat, orgar-garao inTagalog and in other languages in the northern Philippines.[2][3] 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 theVocabulario de la lengua tagala (1754) by theJesuit priests Juan de Noceda and Pedro de Sanlucar, wheregolaman orgulaman was defined as"una yerva, de que se haze conserva a modo de Halea, naze en la mar" (modernSpanish 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 forguinolaman to refer to food made with the jelly.[4][5]
Gulaman can also be made fromEucheuma spp., which produces the similarly jelly-likecarrageenan.Eucheuma is known asgusô ortambalang inVisayan languages. Use ofgusô to make jellies among theVisayans has been recorded in the even earlierDiccionario De La Lengua Bisaya, Hiligueina y Haraia de la isla de Panay y Sugbu y para las demas islas (c. 1637) of theAugustinian missionaryAlonso de Méntrida(in Spanish). In the book, Méntrida describesgusô as being cooked until it melts, and then allowed to congeal into a sour dish.[6]
Gulaman is now the chief Filipino culinary use ofagar, which is made of processedGracilaria seaweed (around 18 species occur naturally in the Philippines);[2][7] orcarrageenan derived from otherfarmed seaweed species likeEucheuma andKappaphycus alvarezii, which were first cultivated commercially in the Philippines.[1][8][9][10] Aside fromGracilaria andEucheuma, they were also traditionally made from other species ofedible seaweeds includingBetaphycus gelatinus,Gracilariopsis longissima,Gelidiella acerosa, and members of the genusAgardhiella.[3][11]
It is usually sold dehydrated and formed into foot-long dry bars, which are either plain or coloured.[12] It is also available in powder form.[13]
Gulaman bars are used in the various Filipino refreshments or desserts such assago at gulaman,buko pandan, agar flan,halo-halo,fruit cocktail jelly, different varieties of Filipino fruit salads, blackgulaman, and redgulaman.
The termgelatine (or "jelly") andgulaman are used synonymously in thePhilippines, although they are very different products. While gelatine is an animal-derivedprotein,gulaman is a plant-derivedcarbohydrate[14] made from seaweed. This distinction makesgulaman suitable for those whose dietary restrictions exclude gelatine, such asMuslims orvegans.
Gelatine dissolves in hot water, but boiling water is necessary to dissolvegulaman. Unlike gelatine which sets at cold temperatures,gulaman sets at room temperature. While gelatine can melt at room temperature,gulaman is uniquely thermo-reversible[14] to its previous shape and form.
