Thursday, March 23, 2006

Himbabao



I mentioned himbabao in my previous blog. I included this vegetable in my pinakbet recipe which I learned from a panggalatok vegetable vendor. Many of my fellow bloggers requested me to show a picture of this vegetable. I described it as caterpillar-like veggies. Since himbabao is only available every summer (because I don’t see himbabao in the market when summer is over), I can now post it in my blog.

Himbabao (Broussonetia luzonica (Blanco) Bur. var. luzonica family Moraceae) or alucon (tagalog version according to the veggie vendor) is a medium-sized deciduous tree with a height of 15 meters and a diameter of 30 cm. The leaves are alternate with pointed apex and rounded base. The lower surface is hairy. The flowers are very small and are borne on very long, slender, spike-like flowering branches.

This species is distributed in the Philippines, from Luzon to Mindanao. It is commonly found in thickets and second-growth forests at low and medium altitudes.

The young leaves and flowers are cooked and eaten as vegetables. They could be cooked solely, or in mixture with other vegetables just like what I’m doing with my pinakbet. The flowers can also be made into a delicious salad. Actually, the caterpillar-like part of the vegetable is the flower.

Just like other plants, himbabao can be propagated by seeds, or by cutting from matured branches. Alucon is considered as wildfood plants.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh wow!! Lani, thanks for sharing these images. Nagtitinda kami ng gulay dati sa agora market pero hindi ko pa naka encounter ang himbabao, ever!

sana makatikim ako nito :)

Anonymous said...

have seen this one before but i could not even remember how they were called...

naku u should post these kinds of things we dont know much,

ano lasa?

Lani said...

Thess:

Iyong Agora market sa Navotas ba? Malapit lang kami doon kasi Malabon kami.

Mga 1995 ko lang nalaman na may ganito palang vegetable but maraming nagsabi sa aking mga oldies na matagal na raw ito, favorite pa nila.

Sha:

Masarap siya, medyo hawig sa sitaw ang lasa na walang buto at mas soft.


God bless

Anonymous said...

hey i know this kind of neggie and masarap talaga sya.we have one in our backyard sa pinas:)

Unknown said...

thank you Lani so informative. i wish i could taste it. (not bad for someone who refused vegs as a kid). i'll ask my ma about alucon.
hope you are keeping cool--heard it's very hot now? pahingi ng init at araw...take care!

Kai said...

Hi Lani I have posted about this previously, it's called baeg in Pangasinan.
http://bucaio.blogspot.com/2006/03/bag.html
Good thing you have the scientific name I have been searching all over and couldn't find it. I grew up eating this stuff.

Anonymous said...

naku, haha, can't grow this pala here in the US -- okey lang kung bush, pero with our weather hindi puede ang tree! hanggang laway na lang ako sa blog n'yo. thanks for the very informative post, lani! more please!

Lani said...

Eden:
Really? Di pa ako nakakakita ng tree nito sa personal, I wish I can see one.

Stel:
Sobrang init na dito sa atin ngayon. Minsan nakakainit na rin ng ulo :)

Kai:
Ngayon ko lang nalaman na baeg pala ibang tawag dito. Thanks ha. Sa totoo lang ask ko lang iyong vendor about this one tapos google ko sa internet. Mabuti na lang swak iyong name na himbabao na ibinigay noong vendor.

Stef:
Super malamig naman kasi sa inyo, Stef. Saka sa tingin ko nga every summer lang nabibili ito dito sa Manila. I don't know sa ibang province kung hindi seasonal ito.

Thank you all. God bless

JoLoGs QuEeN said...

<--jaja's comment here>
ei lani, himbabao pala pangalan nyan, yan ang peborit kong gulay un nilalagay kasama nung bagoong hehehehe.. akala ko sea weeds un =)

JMom said...

Uy, tama si CJ, ang sarap nito sa diningding. My lola used to cook this too. She still does, they get the frozen ones in California. Masarap pa rin, kahit frozen :)

Joe Padre said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

I grew up eating baeg too..
I usually get this veggies for free at our neighbor.Good to mix in pinakbet with broiled bangus and papait. kuntento na ako sa buhay ko noon.

Anonymous said...

Many Pangasinan people consider Panggalatok as a derisive term similar to Ilokantit, which refers to Ilocanos. I take offense when a person uses Panggalatok.

Lani said...

Is that so? thanks for informing me. I really don't know that, I thought Panggalatok means panggasinense.

Boleems said...

Himbabao is sooooooooo good with sinigang na bangos!

Anonymous said...

masarap ang himbabao kso my concern lang ay may sabi sabi na nkaka highblood daw to kaya i want to know the truth about this veggies kc favorite p naman namin ng tatay ko to, e bka nman magka highblood sya dahil dito.. pls inform me

Anonymous said...

Hi po! This is Beth.. himbabao, commonly known as "baeg" by my lolo and lola is a very delectable veggie. I just want to ask lng po if you know any more websites of the plant? gusto ko po ksi malaman anything bout the plant para sa thesis ko po..thanks so much po. (email at bethCH_leigh@yahoo.com)

vercy said...

hello! i already taste this kind of veggie, sa sampaloc tanay rizal. nung una natakot ako sa veggie na to kasi parang uod.pero nung nalaman ko na veggie siya at nung niluto wow! "Masarap Siya". naguwi pa nga ako sa amin just to share my family.thank's and God bless. -verc-

Anonymous said...

some also called this veggies as BABAYAN.. correct! expensive tong gulay na to minsan 100PHp per kilo.

Anonymous said...

magtanong kau nyan sa mga tiga talisay batangas madai sa kanila nyan!