Unique Takes on Ube: The Filipino Ingredient in Food, Fashion, and Culture
Ube (pronounced OO-beh) is a sweet purple yam native to the Philippines. Its cultural significance has expanded beyond the archipelago to become a key ingredient in creative expression around the world.
At its most rudimentary form, ube, the native Filipino purple yam, was traditionally consumed as a jam. Used throughout history, this jam known as ube halaya continues to be a Filipino pantry staple today, but ube itself has reached new heights as an overnight sensation in the global dessert market. Perhaps one of the earliest instances of combining ube with another culture’s influence resulted from centuries of Spanish colonization on the islands; ube jam was used as a filling for the cheesy Spanish brioche bread, ensaymada. Today, we see so many different cultural fusion combinations and versatile iterations of ube desserts.
Our YUM YAMS Ube Festival is the perfect place to witness the diversity in ube creations. Hosted at Kapwa Gardens, YUM YAMS features an incredible lineup of ube bakers and artisans in the SOMA Pilipinas District. Take, for example, the magical ube rice krispies by Buko Bakes or the ube mochi donut by Ube Area.
Taloa’s Bakery, one of our vendors from last spring’s YUM YAMS, mixes Filipino and Samoan influences to make some fun and fresh baked goods like ube panipopo, a pastry similar to the Hawaiian roll. In an earlier interview with us, founder Mariah Taloa shared her take on using ube as a creative medium.
“I Feel Like [Ube] Is Very Versatile Now These Days Because You Can Use It As A Creative Medium For Whatever Food Item You Want To Create. ”
I want to take Mariah’s idea and run with it. What else can we create with ube? What non-food items are there to make? In what ways can we use ube—as a concept—for creative expression?
Ube-inspired streetwear collection by Abakada
Here’s what I found:
Ube in Fashion
On April 22, 2022, Filipino streetwear brand Abakada released its ube collection of purple-colored and lavender-accented hoodies, t-shirts, and crewneck sweatshirts. Due to high demand, pieces of the collection were later restocked in July; today, all ube-themed pieces are sold out.
TikTok creators @janna.em and @jessicaneistadt have both built outfits taking inspiration from the classic Filipino dessert halo-halo. As the name— which translates to “mix-mix” in English—suggests, halo-halo is made up of an assortment of ingredients, often including ube halaya or ube ice cream as a topping.
TikTok creator Jessica Neistadt shows outfits inspired by Filipino food. Halo-halo is shown second in this clip; ube is represented with a lavender overcoat.
Ube in Entertainment
Several Filipino voice actors formed the cast of Steven Universe, a Cartoon Network animated series that aired from November 2013 to January 2019. Jennifer Paz, who voiced Lapis Lazuli, shared her excitement on Twitter in 2017 over the ube cake roll that appeared in the episode “The Good Lars.” Fans interpreted the roll as a symbolic device, revealing Lars Barriga’s potential Filipino background.
Lars has trouble deciding what to bring to a potluck until Steven tells him to bring something that represents himself. Lars then decides on an ube cake roll, a dessert from his childhood.
But, of course, when you create, you share. And when you share, you run the risk of getting your creations stolen.
Jeremy Villanueva, executive chef at Romulo Café in London, told BBC his thoughts on using ube as a means to share culture: “In the same way our culture took in influences and expressed ourselves with it, I would imagine that other cultures and people from other backgrounds will use our influence and express themselves in their own way.”
What happens, though, when those people from other backgrounds use our influence without crediting us?
Trader Joe’s grocery stores launched its own ube ice cream.
Thinx, a feminine hygiene company, released a pair of purple underwear called ube.
Neither company made the connection between ube and its native Philippines.
In a think piece called “Did America Steal Ube From Filipinos?” by One Down Media, video host Sapphire Sandalo encourages the audience to support Filipino ube brands, or at least brands that are mindful of our culture when introducing their ube product.
Ube in Filipino-Owned and Culturally Conscious Brands
Filipinta is Filipina-owned makeup company that aims to embrace and celebrate the unique beauty of every Filipina. The name combines the words “Filipina” and “pinta,” or paint in English. On their website, you can find the Ube Cakes eyeshadow palette.
Meanwhile, Emme Essentials is a candle brand dedicated to sharing traditional Asian scents. The goal is to remind customers of home using familiar aromas. Although representing the larger Asian diasporic community, Emme Essentials includes the Philippines in the product description for its ube wood wick candle.
One Down Media reminds us Filipinos that we don’t want our ube products to “come at the cost of our history and connection with the food.” You can practice mindful consumption by truly taking the time to research which brands to support. Next time you’re craving ube, look for a local Filipino bakery or a small business in your area.
And if you’re in the Bay Area, come to YUM YAMS! Our celebration of all things ube hits SOMA Pilipinas on September 24. There, you can purchase ube desserts and products directly from Filipino vendors.
Want to share your ube creations? We’d love to have you vend at our YUM YAMS Festival! Apply to be a food or retail vendor by Monday, September 5, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. PST.
Be sure to follow us @kapwagardens to stay tuned on all things YUM YAMS!