Claiming what’s ours

Claiming what’s ours | Daily Tribune

But if matcha is definitely associated with Japan, ube has yet to attain immediate recognition of its Filipino roots.

Filipino cuisine has been gaining attention on the global stage, from sinigang to lumpia and now the photogenic purple delight that is ube, featured prominently on international menus, including lattes in Paris, pastries in London and doughnuts in New York.

But long before international café culture embraced it, ube had been deeply woven into Philippine cultural identity for centuries. Ube halaya is among our nostalgic comfort foods, puto bumbong a traditional holiday treat and everyday merienda. A spoonful of ube crowns our halo-halo, and it is popularly given as pasalubong from Baguio in bottles sold by nuns. Making this purple treat is a labor of love, requiring continuous stirring and immense patience.

As foreign cafés and food manufacturers rush to capitalize on the trend, there is an ongoing discourse that ube is losing its Filipino identity abroad. Many global consumers and multinational chains present “ube-inspired” products — sometimes substituting sweet potatoes or taro — without acknowledging the ingredient’s Philippine roots. By capitalizing on its color or aesthetics instead of its authentic taste, often due to the unavailability of the real tuber, ube might eventually lose its identity and cultural significance for Filipinos.

To be fair, legislative action, such as the proposed “Ube Bill,” has been taken to secure geographical indications and intellectual property rights, much like Japan has done with matcha. But then again, the Department of Tourism has its work cut out to build the brand image of our own ube and calamansi.

Just as ube is often genericized abroad, calamansi is heavily rebranded in Western and Asian markets under its scientific name, “calamondin,” or vague terms such as “Panama lime” and “Philippine lime.” Foreign consumers frequently buy premium calamansi-infused cocktails, gourmet sauces and skincare products without ever realizing the crop is a cultural cornerstone of Filipino cuisine.

At the same time, the agriculture budget should be revisited so that proper funding goes to the production and development of high-demand products, or we might end up importing from a neighboring country again something we can readily produce.

Much can still be done to increase production, standardize quality and ensure priority crops are scaled to meet global demand.

While the country grapples with rot in politics, and some of our politicians continue to wrangle among themselves, perhaps full attention can be given to growing something good enough to claim as our own.