UHI

"Yam is the common name for some species in the genus Dioscorea (family Dioscoreaceae). They are cultivated for the consumption of their starchy tubers in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Oceania. They are used in a similar fashion to potatoes and sweet potatoes. There are hundreds of cultivars among the cultivated species.

The word yam comes from Portuguese inhame or Spanish ñame, which both ultimately derive from the Wolof word nyam, meaning 'to sample' or 'taste'.

Yam tubers can grow up to 2.5 metres in length (Huxley 1992) and weigh up to 70 kg (150 pounds). The yam has a rough skin which is difficult to peel, but which softens after heating. Yam skins vary in color from dark brown to light pink. The majority of the yam is composed of a much softer substance known as the 'meat'. This substance ranges in color from white to bright orange in ripe yams.

Yams are a primary agricultural commodity in West Africa and New Guinea. They were first cultivated in Africa and Asia about 8000 B.C. To this day, the yams are important for survival in these regions. Yam tubers can be stored for four to six months without refrigeration, which makes them a valuable resource for the yearly period of food scarcity at the beginning of the wet season."

"Dioscorea alata, called water yam, winged yam, and purple yam, was first cultivated somewhere in Southeast Asia. Although it is not grown in the same quantities as the African yams it has the largest distribution world-wide of any cultivated yam, being grown in Asia, the Pacific islands, Africa, and the West Indies (Mignouna 2003). In the United States it has become an invasive species in some Southern states.

In the Philippines it is known as ube (or ubi) and is used as an ingredient in many sweet desserts. In India, it is known as ratalu or violet yam or the Moraga Surprise.

In Hawaii it is known as uhi. Uhi was brought to Hawaii by the early Polynesian settlers and became a major crop in the 1800s when the tubers were sold to visiting ships as an easily stored food supply for their voyages (White 2003)." (Internet)

Clearly uhi is a word derived from the Philippine ubi and purple is the colour par préference for kings.

"Ube in general refers to all varieties, while ubi is a specific vernacular applied to the aromatic dark-purpled 'kinampay' found in Bohol.

Essentially, ubi is a carbohydrate food from which starch is the main component, which is needed mostly in processing in the world market today. The sweet taste of ubi is due to the sugar content such as sucrose and glucose. It is also contains protein, carbohydrates, calcium and phosphorus as well as moisture and energy - thus, ubi is better compared to cassava and sweet potato.

The historical significance of the ubi crop to the Boholanos is described by a Jesuit missionary  Father Ignacio Alcina ... in his Historia de las Islas e indios de Bisayas (Madrid, 1668) wrote: '... the so-called ubi, which are numerous in kind, color and shape. The larger ones are called quinampay and are mulberry in color. The ubi are the chief staple on the island of Bohol and other islands (Dauis/Panglao island) where they yield abundantly and very well.'

Bohol province boasts of being the bread basket as the biggest rice producer in the Central Visayas. There is more to this, however. Bohol is recognized as the source of the rare kinampay variety, an aromatic and velvet-colored variety, scientifically named Dioscorea Alata Linn. Hence, that Boholanos venerate and consider the root crop holy has a more or less decent basis." (Internet)

Ubi is connected with a legend about a female sun:

"... there was a beautiful royal princess in the island of Bohol named Bugbung Humasanun, so secluded (binokotan) in her chamber where she could only be found spinning, weaving or embroidering. She was adored for her coiffured panta or talabhok, a great mass of hair accented with artificial switches which is of great offense for a man to even touch. Her appearance to the public was like the first ray of the sun that gives joy and delight, or like a sudden flash of lightning that causes fear and respect ...

A great, brave and just chief named Datung Sumanga married her after several pangngagad and going through ordeals to prove his love to the princess. He ruled his subjects, settled their disputes, protect them from the enemies, and lead them in battle. There was peace in Bohol during his rule. From this couple and the barangays and communities they led, grew the population of the Boholanos." (Internet)

 

The Dioscorea vegetables known elsewhere as yams are generally very uncommon in these countries. Yams are commonly confused with Sweet potatoes, although they are not closely related. In New Zealand Sweet potatoes are commonly referred to by their Māori name of kūmara.

Oca is one of the important staple crops of the Andean highlands, second only to the potato due to its easy propagation, and tolerance for poor soil, high altitude and harsh climates.Outside of the Andean region Oxalis tuberosa is cultivated commercially in Mexico and New Zealand. Compared to potatoes, which are now cultivated in 130 countries around the world, these tubers are essentially still unknown outside of the Andean region.

Oca is usually propagated vegetatively by planting of whole tubers. Further is propagation by planting of cuttings, which is sometimes applied, or by seed propagation, which is never used possible.

Oca need a long growing season, and are day length dependent, forming tubers when the day length shortens in autumn. In areas with harsh winter climates, early frosts may cut back the foliage before the tubers have a chance to form. In tropical areas where the days are unchanging in length, oca will not set a crop successfully.

Oxalis tuberosa is an annual plant that overwinters as underground stem tubers. These tubers are known as oca , oka, or New Zealand Yam.

The plant was brought into cultivation in the central and southern Andes for its tubers, which are used as a root vegetable. The plant is not known in the wild, but populations of wild Oxalis species that bear smaller tubers are known from four areas of the central Andean region. Introduced to Europe in 1830 as a competitor to the potato and to New Zealand as early as 1860, it has become popular in that country under the name New Zealand yam and is now a common table vegetable.

(Wikipedia)

 

"Oxalis tuberosa (Oxalidaceae) is a perennial herbaceous plant that overwinters as underground stem tubers. These tubers are known as uqa in Quechua, hispanicized oca, as New Zealand yam and a number of other alternative names. The plant was brought into cultivation in the central and southern Andes for its tubers, which are used as a root vegetable. The plant is not known in the wild, but populations of wild Oxalis species that bear smaller tubers are known from four areas of the central Andean region. Oca was introduced to Europe in 1830 as a competitor to the potato, and to New Zealand as early as 1860.

In New Zealand, oca has become a popular table vegetable and is simply called yam or New Zealand yam (although not a true yam). It is now available in a range of colours, including yellow, orange, pink, apricot, and the traditional red.

... Grown primarily by Quechua and Aymara farmers, oca has been a staple of rural Andean diets for centuries. Of all Andean root and tuber crops, oca is presently second only to potato in area planted within the Central Andean region. Oca is important to local food security because of its role in crop rotations and its high nutritional content."

(Wikipedia)