Lihiya is from the Spanish word Lejía, meaning lye. Lihiya is a Filipino word which also means lye. Lye is used in both Western / European and Asian cooking. It is used in baking and making Lutefisk in Europe, while Asians use lye water in dessert making, such as the Filipino rice cake Suman sa Lihiya. Lye is also known as Caustic soda.