UBE

archaic spelling: ubi

The plant that bears ube has the scientific name Dioscorea alata. It has heart-shaped leaves. Ube is also known in English as water yam or winged yam. On the island of Hawaii, it is known as uhi.

Do not confuse ube with taro (scientific name: Colocasia esculenta) or the purple Japanese sweet potato (scientific name: Ipomoea batatas cv. Ayamurasaki).

Ube is a very popular flavor in the Philippines. The root crop is used mainly in sweet preparations.  It is a favorite flavor of ice cream and of cake. It is also added to haluhalo.

A popular Filipino preparation is ube halaya.

Halayang ube is jam made by boiling purple yam, then mixing it with coconut milk and sugar. It can also be added to haluhalo as an ingredient.

You can find quite a lot of ube products like wafer sticks and baking powder on Amazon, with whom we have an affiliate relationship. 🙂

LATEST NEWS: In 2021, McDonald’s added Ube Pastillas Frappe and Ube Pastillas Sundae to their menu in the Philippines!