Gulaman, in Filipino, traditionally refers to the bars of dried seaweed used to make jellies or flan (bars of agar-agar or carageenan), as well as the flavored jelly dessert end-product (although the Jell-O-type dessert is better known as alsa gulaman, named after a popular brand of packaged gelatin). Gulaman is sold as foot-long dry bars, usually already treated with natural food coloring (typically red, although yellow, green or unflavored bars are also available).
It has also come to refer to the cold drink sold at roadside stalls and vendors (sometimes also referred to as palamig or gulaman at sago). This drink consists of gulaman cubes and/or sago (tapioca pearls) suspended in either milk, fruit juice or brown-sugar water (flavored with pandan leaves). It is most likely a cheaper local derivation of the Chinese conjac jelly (which is served floating in cold tea).
A recent (2000) marketing blitz by various enterpreneurs has marketed this traditional drink as "pearl shakes", most notably Orbitz and Zagu, aimed at the upper- and middle-class consumer. While small franchises have sprouted all over the country, the less-commercialized variety can still be bought for around PhP5 a glass (US$0.10), almost half the price of a 12-ounce bottle of Coke or Pepsi.
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