Binignit is a Visayas dessert soup from the central Philippines. The dish is traditionally made with glutinous rice cooked in coconut milk with various slices of Saba banana, taro, purple yam, and sweet potato, among other ingredients. It is comparable to various dessert ginataan (coconut milk-based) dishes found in other regions, such as bilo-bilo. Among the Visayan people, the dish is traditionally served on Good Friday of Holy Week.
Names
Binignit is also called
giná-tan in Bikolano,
tabirák in Mindanao Cebuano,
alpahor in
Chavacano,
wit-wit in Hiligaynon,
ginettaán, tambo-tambong, and paradusdos in
Ilokano language,
ginat-an (or
ginat-ang lugaw) in Waray and Hiligaynon/Ilonggo,
kamlo in western
Iloilo,
scramble in
Tuguegarao City,
linugaw in
Bacolod, and
eangkuga by Akeanons in Aklan. It is also sometimes called
tabirak in Cagayan de Oro and Misamis Oriental.
Binignit is considered a type of lugaw (rice gruel) and guinataán (dishes cooked in coconut milk).
Preparation
The meat of a mature coconut is grated and the "thick" milk (
coconut cream) is extracted. Two cups of water are then added to the grated coconut, and a second extraction is made. This becomes the "thin" milk. This "thin" coconut milk extract is added to cubed
kamote (
sweet potato),
gabi (
taro) and
ube (
purple yam), sliced ripe
saba banana,
langka (
jack fruit), and
tapioca pearls. Sometimes, young coconut meat strips are also added. This is simmered on low to medium heat, to prevent the coconut milk from curdling.
Glutinous rice (
pilit) is added once the root crops have sufficiently softened and the mixture is brought to a boil; being stirred occasionally until done. Just before removal from the flame, the "thick" coconut milk is added.
The people of the neighboring island of Leyte use ingredients such as landang (palm flour jelly balls), jackfruit, and anise, and thicken it with milled glutinous rice. The vegetables and the pearl sago are cooked in a mixture of water, coconut milk and landang, and sweetened by muscovado or brown sugar.
For the people of Panay, their version contains balls made of glutinous flour, as well as jackfruit. The balls are formed and boiled until they float, indicating that they are cooked. These are then added to the linugaw or eangkuga. This is similar to the preparation of bilo-bilo but the locals call it by eangkuga or linugaw.
Cultural significance
A popular afternoon snack, it is best served when hot. Others serve it chilled or even frozen, eating the dessert much like
ice cream. Among the
Visayan people, the soup is also widely cooked and eaten for the Holy Week, especially during
Good Friday when observant Catholics fast and avoid meat.
See also