Ubi Festival
“INDUSTRIYA SA UBI PALAMBUON, KATAMBAYAYONG SA PAG-ABANTE SA MGA BOL-ANON”
Despite the heavy rains the past two months, Bohol remains festive, undaunted as January marks the harvest season of its famed and revered root crop, the Ubi or Purple Yam (Dioscorea alata).
This year, the Ubi Festival has 14 participating towns from all over the province. The 5-day festivities at the Old Tagbilaran Airport kicked off last Thursday and will culminate on Monday, January 30, 2023.
Endowed with rich agricultural lands, Boholanos cultivate varieties of ubi such as the baligonhon, binanag, binato, binugas, gimnay, iniling, kabus-ok, and tam-isan. A sought-after variety for its distinct aroma and taste is the kinampay, grown and harvested with round, smooth roots. Cultivation is ideal at the start or after the wet season. Adequate moisture within six to eight months is vital.
Ubi, as a multifunctional food ingredient, can be prepared in several ways. There is the Ube Jam or ube halaya which has become a popular delicacy of Bohol. Ubi is also used as an ingredient for ice cream, cakes and pastries, chips and flakes, cooking powder, and even liquor. Its tuber is edible and can be served boiled, baked, or roasted while its peeling is used as raw material for food coloring. All these make the root crop highly valuable, essential, and healthy.
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