There are some things in life that just won’t work if one thing is missing.

Like a four-wheeled car missing a tire or a party with no music, a good halo-halo just can’t exist without ube! This purple yam is one of Philippine cuisine’s pride and joy is a key ingredient in many Filipino desserts. In contrast to taro, another root vegetable that’s used in savory dishes and only turns purple when cooked, ube is more sweet, dense and starchy.

The basics of a beloved ingredient

There is no specific record yet of when ube was actually discovered or used by ancestral Filipinos. However, it was first mentioned in a Spanish-Tagalog dictionary published in 1613, describing it as a type of sweet potato. Ube was also used in folk medicine to treat conditions like arthritis and fertility problems. That being said, the vegetable is more than just its striking rich color and delicious flavor. It offers many health benefits such as being high in vitamins and antioxidants, improving gut health, and helping prevent cardiovascular diseases.

Ube can come as either powdered or extracted while also being consumed in many ways from candies to flans, to pandesal and even as kakanin (rice cake)! Though the most popular form ube takes is as halaya or jam, which you can pretty much buy almost anywhere in the Philippines, just like the Good Shepherd brand in Baguio City. You also have the choice to either enjoy your ube with grated cheese and coconut shavings on top or as a hearty bowl of champorado.

An uber rise to fame 
The ube’s versatility is what catapulted it to the top of the food industry, especially in the west. Americans were introduced to the yam back in 2015 by the Miami-based Manila Social Club’s $100-worth ube donut covered with 24K gold. In 2022, the first ever ube festival was held in New York City. The root crop gained a sudden but rampant populairty over the years, especially on Instagram where one can see it as ice cream, waffles and lattes served in the trendiest places.

Ube has been dubbed by Paste Magazine as “Filipino America’s Breakout Food” and Forbes’ “Ingredient of 2023”. It was also able to break into mainstream media too, like when an ube cake roll was featured on an episode of Cartoon Network’s Steven Universe as well as all ube desserts were shown in a mini-documentary by news program CBS Sunday Morning. Let’s not forget the rise in taste-test vlogs either which can be found all over YouTube.

What it means to Filipino culture

Even though the global market is only discovering the wonders of ube now, it is more than just a gastronomic trend or a photogenic dish. Ube has been a staple in Filipino cuisine for centuries and it’s an example of how emphasizing color in food is a common practice in the Philippines— this is according to Filipino food writer Rowena Dumlao-Giardina. We can see this with pandan and mango too, so it’s fair to say that the ube’s captivating hue is what sparked public interest the most. But ube in itself is less of something exotic, and more of a sentimental delicacy that tastes of daily Filipino life. 

During hot summer days, schoolchildren will find relief through ube ice cream in sorbetes carts or a glass of halo-halo at any humble kiosk. During family gatherings or holiday celebrations, buffet tables are filled up with ube-flavored desserts. And in almost every neighborhood bakery, you’re bound to find ube pandesal ready for anyone up and strolling early in the morning. The ube’s vivid color has grown to be synonymous to what Filipinos consider as fond memories. Chef Jeremy Villanueva from Romulo Cafe shares that "it's not just a gimmick of something purple. There's a soul to its consumption. It's part of the culture, it's part of our heritage”.

For more delicious and mouth-watering content like this, check out One Down’s newly-launched food brand, Ulam Co: serving up Filipino culture with a side of rice!