UBE Night Market. September 8&9, 2023. 3 PM-11 PM at The Bentway, 250 Fort York Blvd, Toronto. FREE ADMISSION

Live Music. Food. Drinks. Artisan.

Our summer celebration is not over yet, join us for this two-night market featuring and formally recognizing one of the Philippines’ popular international ingredients “UBE” (ooh-beh) here in North America and continuously honouring Filipinos’ rich art, culture, and history.

Grab this opportunity to visit our fellow Filipino Leeroy New’s (@newleeroy) Balete Bulate Bituka public art installation in Toronto running May 26 to Sept. 24 at the The Bentway (@thebentway).

Guest DJ Nina Salvo,

Guest Artist Isabelle Ortiz

Guest Band BitterxBroke

Guest Filipino Magician

Games

and more...

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Have you spotted vivid purple shades in all varieties of Filipino dishes around the city? This technicolour tuber is now a popular international ingredient. Ube (ooh-beh) is a purple yam originally native to the Philippines and symbolizes the nation's history.

A traditionally brown-hued champorado, a chocolate rice porridge that is one of the country's best-loved breakfasts becomes bright violet; Steamed sapin-sapin, a classic Filipino glutinous-rice-and-coconut-milk dish meaning "layers" derives its purple sheet from ube; lavender chiffon and decadent frosting of ube-macapuno sponge cake marry the earthy quality of the root vegetable with the creamy texture of young coconut's gelatinous flesh; Ube halaya, a creamy yam-based jam that's one of the Philippines' most classic desserts, is customarily prepared by boiling and mashing the tubers, then stirring them in a saucepan with sweetened milk and butter until the mixture becomes a thick paste. Paired with a mug of hot chocolate or salabat, Filipino-style ginger tea, the treat makes for a decadent snack. Or, the mixture can be stuffed inside, served atop or incorporated into all varieties of Filipino sweets; several interpretations of this crushed-ice dessert around Little Manila, and in most, ube halaya was the treat that topped off a rainbow hodgepodge of multicultural components: leche flan; fresh jackfruit; tapioca pearls; a drizzle of evaporated milk; a sprinkling of cereal.

Filipino tuber experimentation has grown to colossal heights in recent years, with ube lending its colouring to sweets all around the world and populating social media feeds with "images" of strikingly violet pancakes, cheesecakes, doughnuts, and milkshakes.

Though Ube is originally native to the Philippines, it’s recently become an international sensation for its unique color and sweet, starchy flavor which trend is driven by a lot of Instagram posts.

DO YOU KNOW THAT:

· Ube (or uvi) as a type of camote (sweet potato) that belonged to the Convolvulaceae family. Later on, it was classified a yam and part of the Dioscorea family.

· Dioscorea alata is the plant’s scientific name.

· Ube Jalea/Halaya (ube jam) is the most common and simplest way to consume ube, but there is no known history as to when Filipinos started to create ube into ube halaya.

· The evolution of ube and ube jalea demonstrates the history of Spanish and American occupation in the Philippines. Yet, like Filipino adobo, ube’s adaptation over time shows how Filipinos have taken different influences and created foods that are uniquely our own.

· Ube is a healthier alternative to regular yams due to having more antioxidants.

· According to a study conducted at Kansas University, ube is said to help prevent DNA damage, cardiovascular diseases, and some cancers.

· The purple yams also contain Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and high levels of potassium. Due to its high fiber content, ube also fosters a good environment for probiotic bacteria.

· Its deep purple color means that it contains lots of anthocyanins – a chemical that helps reverse cognitive and motor function decline.