''Ube halaya'' or ''halayang ube'' (variant spellings ''halea'', ''haleya''; from the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

''jalea'', "jam") is a

Philippine The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

dessert Dessert is a course (food), course that concludes a meal. The course consists of sweet foods, such as confections, and possibly a beverage such as dessert wine and liqueur. In some parts of the world, such as much of Greece and West Africa, and ...

made from boiled and mashed purple yam (''

Dioscorea alata ''Dioscorea alata'', also known as purple yam, ube (, ), or greater yam, among many other names, is a species of yam (a tuber). The tubers are usually a vivid violet-purple to bright lavender in color (hence the common name), but some range in ...

'', locally known as ''ube''). Ube halaya is the main base in ube/purple yam flavored-pastries and ice cream. It can also be incorporated in other desserts such as ''

halo-halo Halo-halo, correctly spelled ''haluhalo'', Tagalog for "mixed" (the more common spelling instead literally equating to "mix-mix") is a popular cold dessert in the Philippines made up of crushed ice, evaporated milk or coconut milk, and vario ...

''. It is also commonly anglicized as ube jam, or called by its original native name, ''nilupak na ube''.

History

The

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

shows the highest

phenotypic In genetics, the phenotype () is the set of observable characteristics or traits of an organism. The term covers the organism's morphology or physical form and structure, its developmental processes, its biochemical and physiological proper ...

diversity of ube (''

''), making it one of the likely

centers of origin A center of origin is a geographical area where a group of organisms, either domesticated or wild, first developed its distinctive properties. They are also considered centers of diversity. Centers of origin were first identified in 1924 by Ni ...

of ube

domestication Domestication is a sustained multi-generational relationship in which humans assume a significant degree of control over the reproduction and care of another group of organisms to secure a more predictable supply of resources from that group. ...

. Remains of ube have been recovered from the Ille Cave archaeological site of Palawan (c. 11,000 BP).

Preparation

The main ingredient is peeled and boiled

purple yam ''Dioscorea alata'', also known as purple yam, ube (, ), or greater yam, among many other names, is a species of yam (a tuber). The tubers are usually a vivid violet-purple to bright lavender in color (hence the common name), but some range in ...

which is grated and mashed. The mashed yam, with

condensed milk Condensed milk is cow's milk from which water has been removed (roughly 60% of it). It is most often found with sugar added, in the form of ''sweetened condensed milk'' (SCM), to the extent that the terms "condensed milk" and "sweetened condens ...

(originally sweetened

coconut milk Coconut milk is an opaque, milky-white liquid extracted from the grated pulp of mature coconuts. The opacity and rich taste of coconut milk are due to its high oil content, most of which is saturated fat. Coconut milk is a traditional food i ...

), are added to a saucepan where butter or

margarine Margarine (, also , ) is a spread used for flavoring, baking, and cooking. It is most often used as a substitute for butter. Although originally made from animal fats, most margarine consumed today is made from vegetable oil. The spread was orig ...

had been melted. The mixture is stirred until thickened. Once thickened, the mixture is cooled down and placed on a platter or into containers of various shapes. ''Ube halaya'' is typically served cold, after refrigeration. Optional topping includes browned grated coconut,

latik ''Latík'' () refers to two different coconut-based ingredients in Filipino cuisine. In the Visayan region it refers to a syrupy caramelized coconut cream (coconut caramel) used as a dessert sauce. In the northern Philippines, it refers to s ...

, or condensed milk.

Variations

''Ube halaya'' is a type of ''

nilupak Nilupak is a class of traditional Filipino delicacies made from mashed or pounded starchy foods mixed with coconut milk (or condensed milk and butter) and sugar. They are molded into various shapes and traditionally served on banana leaves with t ...

'' (mashed/pounded starchy food with coconut milk and sugar) which has several variants that use other types of starchy root crops or fruits. Generally, the term ''halaya'' is reserved for ''nilupak'' made with ube and

calabaza Calabaza is the generic name in the Spanish language for any type of winter squash. Within an English-language context it specifically refers to what is also known as the West Indian pumpkin, a winter squash typically grown in the West Indies, t ...

, while ''nilupak'' is more commonly used for variants made with mashed

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively ...

saba banana Saba banana (pron. or ), is a triploid hybrid (ABB) banana cultivar originating from the Philippines. It is primarily a cooking banana, though it can also be eaten raw. It is one of the most important banana varieties in Philippine cuisine. It ...

s. Variants made from

sweet potato The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the Convolvulus, bindweed or morning glory family (biology), family, Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a r ...

and

taro Taro () (''Colocasia esculenta)'' is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, and petioles. Taro corms are a food staple in Africa ...

can be known as either ''halaya'' or ''nilupak''. ''Ube halaya'' also superficially resembles ''

kalamay ube ''Kalamay'' (also spelled ''Calamay'', literally "sugar"), is a sticky sweet delicacy that is popular in many regions of the Philippines. It is made of coconut milk, brown sugar, and ground glutinous rice. It can also be flavored with margarine ...

'', but differs in that ''kalamay ube'' additionally uses ground glutinous rice (''

galapong Glutinous rice (''Oryza sativa var. glutinosa''; also called sticky rice, sweet rice or waxy rice) is a type of rice grown mainly in Southeast and East Asia, and the northeastern regions of South Asia, which has opaque grains, very low amylose ...

'') and has smoother more viscous texture.

Ube macapuno

''Ube halaya'' served with

macapuno Macapuno or coconut sport is a naturally occurring coconut cultivar which has an abnormal development of the endosperm. The result of this abnormal development is a soft translucent jelly-like flesh that fills almost the entire central cavity of ...

(coconut sport) is a notable combination known as ''

ube macapuno Buko salad, usually anglicized as young coconut salad, is a Filipino fruit salad dessert made from strips of fresh young coconut (''buko'') with sweetened milk or cream and various other ingredients. It is one of the most popular and ubiquitous ...

''. The combination is also used in other ube recipes, like in

ube cake Ube cake is a traditional Filipino chiffon cake or sponge cake made with ube halaya (mashed purple yam). It is distinctively vividly purple in color, like most dishes made with ube in the Philippines. Preparation Ube cake is generally prepare ...

s and ube ice cream.

Camote halaya

''Camote halaya'', sometimes known as "camote delight" or "sweet potato jam", is a variant that uses mashed

(''camote'') instead of ube. It is prepared identically to ube halaya. It has a light yellow color to bright orange to purple color, depending on the cultivar of sweet potato used. It is traditionally known as ''nilupak na kamote'', especially when served on banana leaves. Purple versions of ''camote halaya'' can sometimes be confused with or used as a substitute for ube halaya.

Halayang kalabasa

''Halayang kalabasa'', also known as "squash ''halaya''" or "pumpkin jam", is a variant that uses mashed

(''kalabasa''). It is prepared identically to ube halaya. It is typically orange to light brown in color.

Binagol

'' Binagol'' is a unique version from the

Eastern Visayas Eastern Visayas ( war, Sinirangan Kabisay-an; ceb, Sidlakang Kabisay-an; tl, Silangang Kabisayaan or ''Silangang Visayas'') is an administrative region in the Philippines, designated as Region VIII. It consists of three main islands, Samar, ...

which use mashed

corm A corm, bulbo-tuber, or bulbotuber is a short, vertical, swollen underground plant stem that serves as a storage organ that some plants use to survive winter or other adverse conditions such as summer drought and heat (perennation). The word ' ...

s. It is distinctively sold in halved coconut shells. It can range in color from creamy white to brown.

Nilupak na ube at gabi

''Nilupak na ube at gabi'' is a Tagalog version that combines ube with taro corms.

References

* OnAlejandro, R., & Tettoni, L. (2012). ''Authentic Recipes from the Philippines.'' New York: Tuttle Pub. Philippine desserts Ube dishes {{Philippines-stub