Lugaw not just food but part of Filipino culture, NCCA says

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) said the food is also part of the country's culture.

"Ang lugaw ay hindi lang basta pagkain, Sagisag Kultura rin!" NCCA wrote on Facebook as the country will mark Filipino Food Month in April. (The rice porridge is not only food, it's also part of our culture.)

Rice porridge, which is prepared by steaming rice with plenty of water, according to the NCCA post is cooked with much love as this dish is served for children and for those who are sick.

"Sapat ang umuusok sa init na isang mangkok na lúgaw para umampat ng gútom at para pawisan at gisawan ng lagnat ang maysakít."

(A steaming bowl of lugaw is enough to stave off hunger pangs and as balm for the fever for those who do not feel well.)

Rice porridge as soup or kaldo, which is derived from the Spanish caldo, is prepared with sauteed garlic, onions and ginger. Leeks as well as dried kasubha flowers may be added to make the dish yellow.

In another Facebook post, the National Quincentennial Committee said rice porridge is the "earliest documented food of our ancestors."

The committee also cited the 1613 Vocabulario de la Lengua Tagala written by Fr. Pedro de San Buenaventura, which defined lugaw as rice mixed with milk or water or of both (porridge).

"Indeed, #Lugawisessential. ????" the committee, which prepares Philippines in commemorating Philippines' part in the first circumnavigation of the world, said in a Facebook post.

It was in 2018 that President Rodrigo Roa Duterte issued Presidential Proclamation No. 469, declaring the month of April as ‘Filipino Food Month.'

The annual celebration aims to boost and promote the Philippines’ culinary traditions and treasures as part of the nation’s rich cultural heritage.  It is a month-long event that also supports various industries, local farmers and agri-communities across the country. -- BAP, GMA News