BAHAY KUBO EDUCATION

I practically just revived a childhood curiosity when I was having a discussion with some of my friends last night about how I hated LABONG. It took us almost half an hour to figure out what was the name of that "white vegetable like bamboo shoot" that I hated to the point that I had to ask Mr. Manong guard that was just standing there. He figured what the name was, So thanks to him I wouldn't lose sleep that night. But it actually got me to thinking about that song "Bahay Kubo". I don't know that just started it.

The folk song has been a part of my childhood, I remember singing it while going through the vegetables when I was a little child with my mom in the local wet and dry market. But then I would only know SOME of the vegetables in the song. I know that deep down inside me I wanted to learn what the other one's that I didn't know were. I really wanted to know, I tried to ask people but they can't seem to find the English equivalent of BATAW, KUNDOL, SIGARILYAS and then the others. I realized the sad reality that most Filipino's are not familiar with the native names of not only our vegetables, but most of the things here in the country. Maybe it was the education system, maybe it was the lack of learning materials, maybe It just sounded better calling it "Green Beans" instead of "Sitaw". So for the sake of my own curiosity and education of the general population, I google-wiki'd all of them and created this post.

The song starts:


Bahay kubo, kahit munti,
ang halaman duon ay sari-sari....



Singkamas

Singkamas is the Mexican Turnip, No it's not a Turnip



































at talong,

Talong is the eggplant... nuff said





Sigarilyas at mani.

Sigarillas, Sigadillas or Sigarilyas is the Winged Bean

















Mani is the peanut... And yeah... ok it's the peanut





Sitaw, bataw, patani.

Sitaw is the string bean, most of the time we purchase the Chinese long bean type in the market



Bataw is the Hyacinth Bean... Yeah, I know, wtf is that? It's from a flower!



Patani is the Lima Bean



Kundol, patola, upo't kalabasa.

Kundol is the winter melon, but I think we are more familiar with the candy version




Patola is the Ridged Gourd or may be called "Luffa"



Upo is the Bottle Gourd



Kalabasa is the Squash




At saka meron pa,
Labanos, mustasa.

Labanos is the White Radish



Mustasa is the Mustard, and yes, that's where they get the sauce




Sibuyas, kamatis,

Sibuyas is the Onion, we normally use the Indian Type



Kamatis is the Tomato




Bawang at luya.


Bawang is the Garlic





Luya is the Ginger








Sa paligid-ligid ay puno ng linga.

Linga is the Sesame, but we normally only use the seeds