Lumlom (or Lumlum) of Bulacan is a precolonial dish made from floating dead fish which is buried under mud and made to ferment for 1 to 3 days then cooked in pure vinegar, simple aromatics, and coconut cream.
Lumlom came to be as a way to address food wastage caused by rising water temperatures. Many fish would die in the local fishponds during the summer which become useless for the business owners.
Instead of it being thrown away however, the community surrounding these fishponds take advantage of the situation, creating a dish that still makes use of the dead fish.
The creation of the Lumlom dish reflects the resiliency and ingenuity of the people of Bulacan. No matter the challenge, the Filipino spirit triumphs.
Want to know more about Lumlom? Check out the video below!
