[A]lugbati, ampalaya, bavok-bayok, himbabao, kulitis, labong, upo, malunggay, pako, saluyot, talinum, talong, amaranths, cucurbits, radish, luffa, wax gourd, snake gourd, squash, jute, basella, kangkong, ivy gourd, basil, lablab, rosella, okra, yardlong bean, winged bean, cucumber, tomato, and vegetable soybean.
Wha’ the? If you recognized those as vegetables, well, no big deal. If you recognized them as Filipino names for vegetables, you get extra points. The list comes from an article at Agriculture Business Week on Growing Indigenous Vegetables: Answer to Rural Malnutrition and Poverty. It’s about a new project from the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Centre (AVRDC) and it goes into considerable detail about the reasons for the project and its achievements to date. If anyone from AVRDC would like to tell about the project elsewhere, we’re listening.