The humble kamote

It is very common to hear when someone is ridiculed, '' Go home and plant kamote'' As i recall the first time I heard it when I was still in grade school. And everyone laughed and teased my classmate saying out loud " kamote ka pala'' Why is the kamote, a plant associated when someone is mocked?

Don't you know that in rural areas, the kamote is one of the staple foods? One reason is that it is easy to cultivate and is much cheaper than rice. The tubers can be boiled and eaten dipped in sugar, and one popular street snack is the Kamote cue.Tubers are cut and fried with caramelized sugar then skewered. Not only are the tubers  utilized as food, young leaves and shoots are also  used in salads and can be added to meat/fish dishes, or sometimes eaten alone with a Bagoong dip.

     

                                               

                                        Boiled and dipped in bagoong

                                             Added to Fish dishes

                                            As a snack , Kamote cue
The kamote is very tasty and a versatile plant, so aren't you proud to be called a '' kamote'' ?

Note: Some of the pictures I borrowed from
panlasanpinoy.com
nestle.com