CREEPING CAMOTE IS NOT THAT LOWLY

Camote, the plant of life

Yesterday, after watching the University of the Philippines, Baguio Film Productions by the 3^rd year Com. Arts students, we walk to SM for lunch.  My daughter made a comment about the special rice flavor. I noticed that camote is mixed with it.  I started telling her about camote  that grows almost everywhere in Besao, my home town.

In the past, social classes in our town and the rest of the Cordilleras are classified according to the size of  their rice fields, the numbers of cows, carabaos and other animals they own.  Rice is food for the Kadangyans (upper class) and the camote for the lower classes. So if one eats camote, they are suppose to be poor. Often times “camote is even used derogatorily.  Like for example if one is not smart in school or fail on something, they will say better go plant camote.  Even the rich in Vitamins camote tops are considered to be a dish for the poor socially.  They are not served on the dinning tables during parties. I suppose that is why the camote earned its concept as “low.”  I can also recall when I was younger, sliced and sun dried camote were mixed with rice during weddings of the so called lower classes. That is suppose to distinguish the status of someone.

Camote is widely grown in the Cordilleras. It is a root crop, sweet potato in English.  It can be compared to the Coconut tree known as the” tree of life” because every part can be used for something.  The camote tops are used as vegetable, the root (the tuber) can be used as staple food, dessert and as ingredients for pies, cakes and other delicacies, even Chips for snacks.  The stalks and leaves are great food for hogs also the tubers.  Some  grow them for this purpose, food for their pigs, cooked and mixed with feeds or raw.

I grew up in a farm, we plant camote in our gardens, kaingins or in the rice paddies.  During summer, we also plant them on the rice fields that are only rain irrigated. To preserve the tubers after harvest, they are peeled, sliced and sun dried before they are stored.  The dried camote can be grind and made as camote cakes or mixed ungrinded with rice.  I think that is what the restaurant where we ate did to add a special flavor on their rice.  There is also a variety that the roots or tuber can be ripen by simply keeping them in a well ventilated room for many days even months.  We call it in Besao, “Pinakpit ay obi.”  They are normally cooked plain boiled without peeling.  The flavor get sweeter the longer they are ripen.

I still raise camote in our back yard because I enjoy fresh camote tops when am cooking Sinigang or simply steam it and eat it with calamansi and soy sauce.  It also keeps my garden from weeds and the flowers are lovely too (like the morning glory flower).  Does not need much care except weeding and watering it once in awhile. Very organic because it does not require much fertilizer and no insecticide.

Camote Feast

 Here are some articles on the health benefits of Camote:

Today, camote should be part of diet even if you have more money to buy or prepare expensive dishes. Camote is the world’s healthiest food, this is according to statement of North Athlantic Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging. The tuber is indeed healthy due to following reasons.

1) An energy food because of high carbohydrate contents. It can replace rice in diet. But Filipinos cannot do the switch because we are rice eating country. For me and others, a  bread breakfast will not suffice.

2) Good for diabetics. It helps stabilize blood sugar levels by increasing adiponectin, an important factor of insulin metabolism. It has moderate glycemic index of 50.

3) High in dietary fiber and low fat content. Good for the heart and tummy. Fibers help reduce bad cholesterol and ease bowel movement.

4) Deep colored yellow camote contains lutein and beta carotene. Antioxidants to prevent rapid aging and maintain good eyesight. Eat yellow camote instead of taking eye supplement.

5) Have lots of essential minerals and vitamins. Manganese, copper, potassium, iron, Vitamin – E, C, B6, B2, and A. Its like a combination of  rice and vegetables in a single package.  But eating camote repeatedly is boring, have an alternate or try to mix it with other healthy foods.

6) An effective detoxifying agent. It adsorb heavy metals and take it out of the system. Metals such as lead, arsenic and mercury accumulate in our body due to consumption of commercially processed foods. They should be taken out before harming any tissues.

The health benefits of camote tops might convince you to eat such leaves.

Camote tops have the highest content of total polyphenolics among other commercial vegetables studied.

Contain protein, dietary fiber, lipid, and essential minerals and nutrients such as calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, sodium, potassium, sulfur, iron, copper, zinc, manganese, aluminum and boron.

Important sources of vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and ascorbic acid.”

Excellent sources of antioxidative compounds, mainly polyphenolics, which may protect the human body from oxidative stress that is associated with many diseases including cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

Would you believe  that camote tops can cure dengue? Some  say its true but it is not yet proven by research study according to Department  of Health.

To use as treatment, prepare by boiling leaves for five minutes and enjoy as tea or juice.  They did not mention the water to leaves proportion. Sorry! Source- http://www.foodrecap.net/health/camote-healthiest/

Here is another article  from the Manila Bulletin which I find its  Title amusing:

Lowly camote goes 'sosyal'

By ZAC B. SARIAN

February 24, 2011, 12:44am

 MANILA, Philippines – Dr. Bart Lapus and wife Clara of Mama Sita fame are advocates of healthy eating. And one of their advocacies is the consumption of camote shoots as well as roots.

At a dinner last Monday for a group of exporters, members of academe and a few media people, they served a wide array of camote preparations.

The vegetable soup consisting of Zacamote tops and a few other vegetables was a delight to partake. Zacamote, by the way, is a variety that was introduced from Taiwan which was developed purposely for shoot production. The tops are very tender and can be made into a salad with tomatoes and other garnishing. It could be simply steamed and eaten with a dressing of hot sauce or some other popularly used dressings.

One very nice preparation is the crispy young camote leaves deep-fried ala tempura. Then there are the roots prepared in different ways. What was very new to us was the ‘ukoy’ camote. There were two preparations of sweets, roasted roots that were presented in various ways. For one, Chit Pedrosa who writes a column for the Philippine Star was ecstatic about the preparations she had tasted for the first time. She was also excited all the more when she was given some planting materials that she will plant in her organic garden in Lipa City. The planting materials were brought to the meeting by Dr. Benito S. Vergara of Los Banos who has been giving free planting materials to his neighbors. In fact, he has put up a bed of Zacamote plants at the roadside outside his home where he is inviting whoever is interested to help himself with the shoots.

The Zacamote is very easy to multiply. And one can already start harvesting the shoots as early as two weeks from planting. Of course, Zacamote will also produce roots. Dr. Vergara was able to harvest one root that weighed 1.8 kilos. The root is white.

By the way, those who would like to have free planting materials of Zacamote could visit the Teresa Orchard & Nursery in Teresa, Rizal. The place is along the road, about 30 meters before the Teresa-Morong boundary.


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