In the Philippines you'll discover a purple treat in a jar which will have you wanting more. The Filipinos refer to it as ube jam, "ube" being the Filipino word for purple yam. This technically makes the jarred delicacy purple yam jam, which sounds much more like an amateur reggae band than a comestible.
However, "jam" may be a little bit of a misnomer. Whenever you hear jam, you think of fruit and sugar preserved inside a jar. Yam is technically not a fruit, but a root crop or tuber instead. Also, ube jam is made with milk, that will get some people arguing that it's actually more like pudding. Gastronomic terminology accuracy aside, ube jam makes a sumptuous dessert which is a favorite for many.
Two places are recognized for producing ube jam as a specialty. In the northern area of the archipelago, Baguio enjoys fame as home of the famous Mountain Maid Ube Jam made in the walls of the Good Shepherd Convent. A combination of mountain mystique, the concept of cooking nuns, and the idea that there is always an obnoxiously long line in front of the Good Shepherd store or that after suffering through the queue, you're only permitted to buy 2 jars, made Mountain Maid Ube Jam immensely coveted and highly in demand around the country.
Another locale generally known as being ube jam territory is the southern island of Bohol. They say that purple yam from Bohol is a bit more fragrant and more deeply purple. Local clans have long perfected their ube jam recipe and to be able to taste homemade ube jam made by a Boholano is certainly a special treat.
At the end of the day, whether you choose to buy the northern variety or its southern counterpart, your encounter with ube jam is certain to make you hankering for more.
However, "jam" may be a little bit of a misnomer. Whenever you hear jam, you think of fruit and sugar preserved inside a jar. Yam is technically not a fruit, but a root crop or tuber instead. Also, ube jam is made with milk, that will get some people arguing that it's actually more like pudding. Gastronomic terminology accuracy aside, ube jam makes a sumptuous dessert which is a favorite for many.
Two places are recognized for producing ube jam as a specialty. In the northern area of the archipelago, Baguio enjoys fame as home of the famous Mountain Maid Ube Jam made in the walls of the Good Shepherd Convent. A combination of mountain mystique, the concept of cooking nuns, and the idea that there is always an obnoxiously long line in front of the Good Shepherd store or that after suffering through the queue, you're only permitted to buy 2 jars, made Mountain Maid Ube Jam immensely coveted and highly in demand around the country.
Another locale generally known as being ube jam territory is the southern island of Bohol. They say that purple yam from Bohol is a bit more fragrant and more deeply purple. Local clans have long perfected their ube jam recipe and to be able to taste homemade ube jam made by a Boholano is certainly a special treat.
At the end of the day, whether you choose to buy the northern variety or its southern counterpart, your encounter with ube jam is certain to make you hankering for more.
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Want to find out more about purple yam jam, then visit Pauline Bryant's site on how to choose the best ube jam recipe for your needs.
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