In the Philippines you’ll find a purple treat in a jar that will have you coming back for more. The Filipinos call it ube jam, “ube” being the Filipino word for purple yam. This technically makes the jarred delicacy purple yam jam, which sounds more like an amateur reggae band than a comestible.
However, “jam” may be somewhat of a misnomer. When you hear jam, you think of fruit and sugar. Yam is technically not a fruit, but a root crop or tuber instead. Also, ube jam is made with milk, which will have some people arguing that it’s actually more like pudding. Gastronomic terminology accuracy aside, ube jam makes a sumptuous dessert and is a favorite of many.
Two places are known for producing ube jam as their specialty. In the northern part of the archipelago, Baguio enjoys fame as home of the famous Mountain Maid Ube Jam made within the walls of the Good Shepherd Convent. The combination of mountain mystique, the idea of cooking nuns, and the fact that there is always an obnoxiously long line at the Good Shepherd store or that after suffering through the queue, you’re only allowed to buy 2 jars, has made Mountain Maid Ube Jam immensely coveted and highly in demand.
The other locale known as being ube jam territory is the southern island of Bohol. They say that purple yam from Bohol is more fragrant and more deeply purple. Local clans have long perfected their ube jam recipes and to be able to taste homemade ube jam made by a Boholano is certainly a special treat.
At the end of the day, whether you go for the northern variety or its southern counterpart, your encounter with ube jam is sure to leave you hankering for more.
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