Ginisang Upo refers to  sauteed Bottle Gourd in English. Upo is sliced into small cubes and sauteed  with onions and garlic,  and sometimes with a bit of ground pork or small pieces of shrimps. Sometimes, housewives also saute Upo with canned sardines. Upo can also be sauteed plain with just chopped onions and garlic and it will still taste good.  

Ginisa means saute in the Philippines using onions (sibuyas), garlic (bawang), tomatoes (kamatis) and/or ginger (luya). Ginger is especially used by some cookes in the Philippines when cooking fish or chicken to remove the fishy taste. 

Almost all kinds of vegetables are used in the Philippines for Ginisa or sauteed dishes, such as Eggplant (Talong), Ampalaya (Bitter gourd), Sitaw (snake beans), Kalabas (Squash/Pumpkin), and many more.

In small food shops and food stalls along the streets in the Philippines called Karinderia or Turo-Turo ,  Ginisang Upo and other sauteed vegetables are always a part of the many dishes being offered most especially for lunch.  These Sauteed vegetables are sold cheap for the masses who want cheap and affordable, but nutrious foods 

Below are pictures of Ginisang Upo sold in a small food shop (Karinderia)in the Philippines during lunchtime.