While eating in a restaurant, have you ever wondered what vegetables are in your favorite salad cuisine? Have you ever asked yourself what secret ingredients provide the enticing taste of guinatan and pinakbet? These 'unknown' ingredients are native varieties of cultivated crops found in upland places, which are collectively called Indigenous Food Products (IFPs).

Collection of Homalomena ("bilagot") in a waterfalls in Dumalneg, Ilocos Norte

Through a grant from the SEARCA-Seed Fund for Research and Training (SFRT), Antonio, et al. identified and characterized 46 IFPs representing 25 plant families in Ilocos Norte, Philippines. Majority of them are wild species; the others are landraces or native varieties of cultivated crops.

The identified IFPs contribute to food sufficiency and nutrition; and serve as source of household income in the study sites. These plants are prepared mainly as vegetable dishes; sometimes as flavoring, spice or garnishing; or as delicacy and snacks. Ethnobotanical data indicate that the plants have become an integral part of the people's daily diet.

An example of IFP, which is commonly cooked and served as vegetable viand is the spiny bittergourd (Momordica cochinchinensis), locally called "pusa-pusa." Its fruit is reported to have high lycopene and beta-carotene content. Another crop common in the Philippines is Dioscorea luzonensis ("kamangeg"), also known as wild yam. The tuber is a favorite ingredient of "guinatan", a native delicacy cooked with coconut milk. It is also a boiled and cooked as viand along with other vegetables.

To enhance people's awareness and appreciation of IFPs, the team conducted several promotional activities. The locals were encouraged to support the academe and R&D institutions in the conservation of these resources. Some activities include production of information and education campaign (IEC) materials; presentation of research results in scientific gatherings, lecture forum, and to local government units (LGU); putting up exhibits; and establishment of a botanical garden.

The study recommends that collaborative efforts and interventions for IFP conservation should be instituted and strengthened to prevent further genetic erosion and consequently, protect the IFPs from extinction.

_________________

Based on the SEARCA-Seed Fund for Research and Training grant winning proposal titled "Survey and Characterization of Indigenous Food Plants in the Philippines” by Menisa Antonio, et. al

(Download SEARCA Policy Brief 2010-3: Indigenous Food Plants (IFPs) for increased Food Sufficiency in Ilocos Norte, Philippines)