Alugbati / Alogbati
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
Related Articles | |
Alugbati | ■■■■■■■■ |
Alugbati (Basella alba L. Family Basellaceae) refers to a leafy green vegetables from the Philippines. . . . Read More | |
Rice | ■■■■■■■■ |
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa (Asian rice) or Oryza glaberrima (African rice). . . . Read More | |
Sorrel | ■■■■■■■■ |
Sorrel refers to a leafy vegetables /herb which is both known to be edible and medicinal. Sorrels have . . . Read More | |
Batao | ■■■■■■■■ |
In the food context, "Batao" refers to a type of bean commonly used in Filipino cuisine, also known as . . . Read More | |
Patola | ■■■■■■■ |
Patola (Luffa cylindrica) one of the edible vegetables found in the Philippines which is a well known . . . Read More | |
Vegetable | ■■■■■■■ |
Vegetable refers to any plant whose fruit, seeds, roots, tubers, bulbs, stems, leaves, or flower parts . . . Read More | |
Mohinga | ■■■■■■■ |
Mohinga refers to one of a popular dishes in Myanmar (Burma) which is a combination of rice noodles and . . . Read More | |
Iresi | ■■■■■■■ |
Iresi is the Nigerian term for "rice". Rice is cooked in several ways in Nigeria. (1) Wwhite is rice . . . Read More | |
Toge | ■■■■■■■ |
Toge is a Filipino word for Mung Bean Sprouts. Toge is usually or often used in the Philippines as an . . . Read More | |
Ham hock | ■■■■■■■ |
Ham hock refers to the lower portion of a hog's hind leg, often used to flavor soups, beans, vegetables . . . Read More |