What is ube?
If you’ve ever watched a viral Instagram video of a vibrant purple latte or ice cream which looks like it’s something that’s been dreamt up by Willy Wonka (and who hasn’t) and wondered how it’s made, the answer isn’t food dye but ube, a purple yam.
What is it typically used for?
Ube is most closely associated with sweets. Its best-known preparation is ube halaya, a thick paste made by cooking and mashing the yam with milk, sugar and often butter. It can be eaten on its own or used in other desserts. Ube also appears in halo-halo, the Filipino shaved-ice dessert, as well as cakes, ice cream and pastries such as ube ensaymada. The fresh yam can also be boiled or mashed and served as a savoury starch.
What’s behind the yam ban?
The soaring popularity of ube over here in the past few years has meant producers in the Philippines are struggling to keep pace with this newfound demand. Farmers grow ube from pieces of existing tubers, and the Philippine government says it needs to keep those tubers at home to expand production. It also wants to prevent other countries from using Philippine varieties to establish competing crops. The suspension covers fresh ube and planting material, whether destined for consumption or cultivation. Processed and frozen ube can still be exported.
How has the ban been received by Filipino chefs in the UK?
Omar Shah, owner of Bintang, London’s longest-running Filipino restaurant, and other restaurants in the capital including Belly Bistro and Mamasons Dirty Ice Cream (which arguably kicked off the whole ube craze a few years back), says the news is disappointing but understands the thinking behind it. “Ultimately the farmers and the long-term health of the industry have to come first,” Shah says. “I’d rather see the Philippines protect and build its supply now than allow an ingredient that’s part of our culture to become disconnected from the people growing it.”
Can other yams be used in its place?
Other purple yams or purple sweet potato can work in some recipes, particularly where colour or texture matters, according to Shah. But ube has its own flavour and identity and is popular among chefs (and customers) because of its sweet, nutty, and vanilla-like flavour. Shah cautions against chefs using alternatives but not being upfront about it. “For me it’s important that we’re transparent about that rather than replacing it with something else and continuing to market it as Filipino ube. As chefs we’ll adapt recipes if we have to, but sometimes the answer is simply to create something different rather than make an inferior imitation of the original ingredient.”
Can ube be sourced outside the Philippines?
Yes. Ube is also grown elsewhere in Asia, including Vietnam, and some businesses may turn to other suppliers. Growing it commercially in the UK would be much harder: the tropical crop needs sustained warmth and a long growing season. For Shah, though, the question goes beyond availability. “Sourcing ube from another country might solve a supply problem, but it raises a bigger question: if we’re celebrating Filipino food, how much of that value can we keep within the Philippines and with the farmers who helped make the ingredient culturally significant in the first place?”.
Is this ban going to create a problem for Filipino chefs over here then?
Out of adversity comes opportunity, and Shah says he sees the ban as offering a chance to broaden the conversation about Filipino ingredients. “Ube isn’t the be-all and end-all of Filipino food, and I don’t think consumers see it that way anymore,” he says. “It’s one ingredient within an incredibly diverse food culture. If anything, taking some of the pressure and limelight off ube might encourage people to discover ingredients like calamansi and guyabano, as well as Philippine coffee, cacao and black pepper.”