Bahay Kubo

Written by BPNews Team | 04 August 2011

{A song that has nothing to do with Philippine architecture but everything to do with the country's sought after state of nutrition (which is quite far from reality). With August being Nutrition month, let us exhaust everything there is to know about it with the limited space we have for four issues.}

Bahay Kubo

The Philippines' ubiquitous form of shelter, extolled for its airy ambience, perfect for the country's tropical climate known for its hot and humid atmosphere, is also a bane amid the country's tropical climate known for its strong typhoons that seem to fall in line for a chance to flatten it to the ground. Bahay kubo may be every bit Filipino, but would you believe the name was coined by the Americans? They were so amused by its box-like shape without any internal partitions. Hence the term "cubed house" or Bahay Kubo.

Kahit Munti

Reflects the Filipino's penchant for everything small, calling everything big: "american size". An extension of this is the Filipino's inclination to degrade himself labeling products of poor quality as "local" even if it's made in China, in the "hamak" mentality as in "hamak na magsasaka lamang", and in owning the habit of tardiness as "Filipino time".

Ang Halaman Doon ay Sari-sari

Our grandparents used to dream of endless rows of food crops (today's youth dream of endless rows of flat screen monitors and keyboards) that would keep our families healthy and illness free (today's families dream of lower prices and higher wages).

Singkamas

Pachyrhizus erosus, commonly known as Jícama. Brought to the Philippines from Mexico by the Spanish conquistadores, Singkamas is high in carbohydrates in the form of dietary fiber. It is composed of 86-90% water; it contains only trace amounts of protein and lipids. Its sweet flavor comes from the oligofructose inulin (also called fructo-oligosaccharide) which is a prebiotic.

At Talong

Solanum melongena, commonly known as "nightshade", is closely related to the tomato and potato and is native to India. It helps block the formation of free radicals and is also a source of folic acid and potassium. It is richer in nicotine than any other edible plant with a concentration of 100ng nicotine/g of eggplant. But you would have to eat 9kg of talong to get the equivalent of smoking one cigarette.

Sigarilyas

Psophocarpus tetragonolobus, also known as the Goa bean, Asparagus Pea, Winged Pea or in the Bicol dialect, "Purupagulong", is a tropical legume plant native to New Guinea. It grows abundantly in hot, humid equatorial countries, from the Philippines and Indonesia to India, Burma, Thailand and Sri Lanka. It does well in humid tropics with high rainfall. The dried seeds can be useful as flour and also to make a coffee-like drink. Each of the parts of the winged bean provide a source of vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, iron, and other vitamins. The seeds contain 35% protein and 18% oil.

At Mani

Arachis hypogaea, a favorite among beer drinkers, has gained renewed fame thanks to Manny, Efren et.al., by way of the now household name "roasted highland legumes". First cultivated by the Mayas and Aztecs of South America, these were brought to the Philippines by the Spanish conquistadores and spread to other southeast asian countries. Peanuts are rich in nutrients, providing over 30 essential nutrients and phytonutrients. Peanuts are a good source of niacin (contributing to brain health and blood flow), folate, fiber, magnesium, vitamin E, manganese and phosphorus. They also are naturally free of trans-fats and sodium (except of course when it's "salted"), and contain about 25% protein (a higher proportion than in any true nut). Recent research on peanuts and nuts in general has found antioxidants and other chemicals that may provide health benefits. Peanuts are a significant source of resveratrol, a chemical associated with but not proven to cause a reduction in risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer. The average amount of resveratrol in one ounce of commonly eaten peanuts (15 whole peanut kernels) is 73µg.

Sitaw

Phaseolus vulgaris, comonly called string beans or yard long beans, its pods are eaten fresh or cooked but are best when young and slender. It is a good source of protein, vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, iron, phosphorus and potassium, vitamin C, folate, magnesium and manganese. 100 gm give 47 calories, 0 fat, 0 cholesterol, 8 gms of carbohydrates and 3 gm of protein. In vitro studies showed anti-hepatoma (liver cancer) and anti-leukemia properties.

Bataw

Dolichos lablab. Bataw has been used by our grandparents as an emmenagogue (to increase menstruation) and antispasmodic (anti-colic). Young leaves and pods are good sources of calcium, iron, vitaminn C, and other minerals and has been shown to lower cholesterol in the blood.

Patani

Phaseolus lunatus. The cultivated patani is a popular vegetable; the white variety considered the best. The colored variety should be boiled in several changes of water. A dark-colored variety may be poisonous with dangerous amounts of phaseolunatin, a toxin that is not present in the cultivated variety. It has also been shown to have cholesterol lowering properties. (Source: StuartXChange)

(Next issue: Kundol, patola...)