A passion for ube

Published 2022-11-20
The purple yam, a staple and rising export from the Philippines, is a feast for the eyes when used in cakes, pies, drinks or ice cream. Correspondent Elaine Quijano checks out the ube, the vivid violet tuber that's taking root in America.
#ube #ubi #yam

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All Comments (21)
  • @StickyKeys187
    FYI, the ube that's commonly sold in supermarkets abroad is often not the real thing, but actually a type of sweet potato called the Okinawan purple yam. The real ube, has a very deep purple hue and once you see it, you will see the difference between the two.
  • Ube is similar to taro but under the family of real yams. It is different to the purple sweet potato often showed. You know you have the real yam from Aetas farming it up the slope of a mountain to grandmas and grandpas that traditionally plant it in their backyard and only harvest it mid-year, May to June, for Weddings and Christenings. The last time I have seen Aunties helping each other stir a big Kawa or wok like witches in the middle of the day was during the year 2000s for the christening of a cousin. The woman is right, it is not a fad, it's already embedded in our culture and life and I am nostalgic and sad about that, reminds me of my great grandmother who died age 99 years old. I can already feel the turn of a century these days.
  • I've a Filipina wife and when she introduced me to ube I didn't know what that was at first but when I tasted ube cake,it blew me away and fell in love with it ever since.
  • It may be a fad in the US but definitely not a fad in The Philippines. Ube in its more convenient form called "ube halaya" from the Spanish "jalea" is a foundation for various Filipino desserts. From cakes to native rice cakes.
  • @alroberts193
    Just a few days ago, I watched a Filipino French blogger who made some research about Ube. During his research, he found out that Ube farmers are having a harder time trying to harvest these root crops because of climate change. Climate change has affected the growth of these crops. Ube plants grow well in shaded areas of the farm but with trees being cut down, there are not enough shaded areas for these plants to grow well. Thus, according to one farmer interviewed, they don't have plenty of crops to harvest like before.
  • @Nezermondez
    Some people thought purple sweet potato are the same with UBE but its not. UBE/UBI has a unique flavor that you cannot find in any food. If its not from the Philippines, its not Ube 😊
  • When I was still a kid the province in the Philippines. We usually plant ube every year at our backyard, we harvest it during "fiesta". It was so exciting to dig the very big ube from the ground. My mom used to make "halaya" or ube jam/dessert. She put it on a large tray and paint it with margarine and peanuts, and put in the fridge afterwards. The margarine will become the crunchy crust....the only problem is, it's so hard to cook/grate ube.
  • @lex.o
    There has been a shortage of Ube in PH market recently because most of the produce are being exported and already have buyers even before they get harvested. The best variety of Ube/Ubi is 'Kinampay' from Bohol island, but also the most expensive one.
  • Nothing beats Selecta Ube premium ice cream. Heavenly! Ube-rrrrr!!
  • @CBD7069..
    Please update the ube root photo being used. That’s Okinawan sweet potato. Love ube and how common it is becoming in the US.
  • This crop is definitely a representative of all Filipino cultures. From farming it since time forgotten to it's renaissance in the mid 1900's. Now it's making it's way to the international market. Hopefully this will pave the way on further research and development on the crop's yield so we can keep up with the demand.
  • Ube is definitely not a fad. It's embedded in us Filipinos and part of our cuisine
  • Finally Ube 🍠 is getting the respect. đŸ‡”đŸ‡­
  • @hiuyutang5476
    It’s crazy how popular ube is now, and I have had this since I was little lol
  • @xofmetleh6618
    Actually thats not the exact Ube that is local here in Philippines. That a sweet potato thats is purple in color. The real ube is way more bigger normal size can be big as the pumpkin that is used in Halloween. But in taste almost identical.
  • Amazing. finally getting the world attention..Ube is my favorite ..
  • @maquipax
    Ube wasn’t my favorite when I was growing up. I never realized how special it was not until when I first moved to the US! ❀❀❀
  • This makes me take a trip down memory lane when my Mother used to sell "merienda" afternoon snack back in the Philippines, she taught me how to make "UBE HALAYA" and made me do the stirring, she used to make it in a huge wok, oooh boy it was exhausting. đŸ„°đŸ„°đŸ„°
  • I remember we would bring Ube cakes to non-Filipino parties and people didn't want to understand it or take the time. It's not until people included into Trader Joe's and well known companies then they started to open up to it.