Alugbati / Alogbati

English: Malabar Spinach / Deutsch: Malabarspinat / Español: Espinaca de Malabar / Português: Espinafre de Malabar / Français: Épinard de Malabar / Italiano: Spinacio di Malabar /

Alugbati called in English as Malabar spinach refers to a red-stemmed vine that has dark green, edible leaves. It is easy to grown and whose leaves and young stems are eaten and have a taste like spinach. Moreover, Alugbati is commonly grown for its young shoots which make an excellent succulent, slightly mucilaginous vegetable which are used as a pot herb in stews or soup; eaten boiled, fried in oil or sometimes as a green salad.

The young leaves are used in many dishes in the Philippines, like as an ingredient for Ginisang Munggo (sauteed mung beans) and Bulanglang (boiled assorted vegetables) Other common names of Alugbati are: English: Malabar nightshage; Spinach vine; Ceylon spinach; Indian Spinach Spanish: Hierba buena Bicol: Arogbati Ilocano: Ilaibakir Tagalog: Grana, Libato, Dundula Visaya: Alugbati Scientific Name: Basella alba Linn.; Basella Rubra Personal Note: my mom never used Alugbati as it is not eaten in the province where she comes from and never knows its value, until we were already grown up and we all found out how tasty the leaves are. For me, they can even substiture for lack of meat or fish. I love this vegetable. When I see Alugbati, I always remember my childhood days when I had summer vacations with my younger cousins, we played with the small violet fruits of this vine because of its violet color when pressed, we make it like a juice and sell it in our play store.