The Philippines is a country in Southeast Asia with a tropical climate that grows a wide variety of vegetables and fruits, almost all of which find their way into the dishes of Filipino cuisine. Fruits and vegetables are prepared in a wide variety of ways depending on the dish and the region, but frying, boiling, steaming and pickling are favorite methods of preparation. There are also a few dishes that include the vegetables and fruits raw. Regardless of the cooking method used, Filipino cooks take great care to maximize the flavor and nutritional value of the food that is prepared.
Mung Beans
Called munggo by Filipinos, mung beans are often made into a savory, thick soup that is a staple companion to various fish dishes. Mung beans are a good source of magnesium, a mineral that activates enzymes, helps produce energy and regulates levels of numerous nutrients, the University of Maryland Medical Center states. The sprouts of the mung bean, called togue by Filipinos, are another favorite vegetable and are usually prepared stir-fried or rolled up in a thin dough wrapping and fried as egg rolls, or lumpia, as Filipinos call them.
Horseradish Tree
The Moringa oleifera, or horseradish tree, is better known to Filipinos as malunggáy, and is an essential part of many favorite native dishes, one being tinola, a broth dish containing chicken, unripe papaya, ginger and leaves from both the chili plant and the malunggáy. Filipinos use the leaves of the malunggáy as both food and medicine. One of the many nutrients the leaves contain is beta-carotene, a substance essential for vision, MayoClinic.com states.
Bitter Melon
Bitter melon is better known in the Philippines as ampalayá and is noted for its flavor. It is one of the vegetables of pinakbet, a dish from the north of the country that includes eggplant, okra, string beans, tomatoes, lima beans, and other regional vegetables stewed in a broth flavored with shrimp paste. Ampalayá is high in vitamin C, which is essential for the production of collagen, which in turn is used to make skin, scar tissue, tendons, ligaments and blood vessels, MedlinePlus states.
Sugar Apple
In the Philippines the sugar apple or sweet sop is more commonly known as the atis and is a favorite dessert and snack fruit. Though it has a lumpy appearance, the fruit has a sweet smelling fragrance and the flesh that covers its many seeds is very soft and sweet. The sugar apple is a good source of iron, an essential mineral that is found in your red blood cells and helps carry oxygen to every cell in your body, the University of Maryland Medical Center states. Your body also uses iron to produce adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, which your body uses for energy.
References
- MayoClinic; Beta-Carotene; April 2011 http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/beta-carotene/NS_patient-betacarotene
- MedlinePlus; Vitamin C; David Zieve, et al.; December 2009
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Iron; Steven D. Ehrlich; June 2009
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Magnesium; Steven D. Ehrlich; June 2009
Member Comments