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Vegetables
in a tropical country
(3)
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Vegetables and their specific qualities
(click
on the thumbnail to view the full picture)
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O
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Okra
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O
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The Okra-plant can reach a height of
3 to 6 feet. Sometimes the plant is used in backyard gardens as an ornamental plant. The
vegetable is used
for soups and stews or as a fried or boiled vegetable.
Okra is well known because of its
healthy qualities. The valuable
nutrients of the okra is evident. 50 % is soluble. Soluble fibre helps
to lower cholesterol and reduces the risk of heart disease. The
other 50% of the vegetable (insoluble fibre) helps to decrease the
risk of some forms of cancer. Moreover, nearly 10% of the recommended
levels of vitamin B6 are also present in half cup of cooked okra!
The vegetable is consumed with other
vegetables and fish or meat.
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P
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Paliya
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P |
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Paliya
(Ampalaya). Because of the taste it is well known as "bitter
melon". It is eaten with meat and other vegetables.
The vegetable is well known because of
its medicinal
value especially against HIV/AIDS. Local people think that 'the bitter this vegetable is, the more medicinal value it
has'. Even the
Department of Health of the Philippines, has recommended this
herbal vegetable as very helpful with HIV, liver problems and Diabetes.
The leaves of the plant are often used for children's coughs. Paliya
is also used
in the treatment of skin diseases and the sterility in women. |
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P
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Pechay
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Pechay
(Pak Choi) is
a cabbage. It is one of
the most known vegetables in the Philippines. It is also known as one of
the oldest green vegetables in Asia. The Pechay differs in many aspects
from other (for instance European) cabbages. The leaves of the Pechay
vary in length from 10 to 30 cm. The leaves are green and mild flavoured
and less crisp than other cabbages.
It is
often used in stews and soups.
It isn't tasty by itself, so it needs some salt and other flavour to be
added. Meals with Pechay are often completed with other vegetables
and fish or meat. |
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S
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Sitaw
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Sitaw
(English:
String beans, in the Cebuano language: Batong). These 'long beans'
are not cooked as a whole
long bean, but before cooking broken into pieces of 3-4 inches.
The taste is a very
little bit sweet.
A mix with meat, fish, other vegetables, is always
a delicious meal. |
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T
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Talong
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T
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Talong (English:
Eggplant).
The fruit is long, thin and has a purple colour.
The size can differ. The taste of purple fruit is tasty or, as some say,
rather smooth. It is a fruit but eaten as a vegetable. Many
times the Talong is cut open in one piece, backed together with eggs,
fish or meat and completed with other vegetables. Many people like it in
this way as a kind of an omelette.
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Image
Paliya: © Balik Kalikasan, www.bwf.org |
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more vegetables
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1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
more
vegetables |
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