Alugbati: Spinach or Not?

Today, I'm very surprised when I saw in our backyard the leaf vegetable which is known here as Alugbati. I was not aware that it has grown here for a long time already. I didn't have any idea how we're able to have it in the backyard but I'm very pleased to see it growing very healthy though I haven't spare it even a drop of water. 😂😂

What is Alugbati then? Is it a Spinach or not? Got confused? Didn't you?

Well, Alugbati is very common here in Philippines. It's known as Malabar Spinach ( Basella Albar or Ruba) in a redder variety. Though the vegetable is labeled Spinach as its second name, but it is not actually Spinach at all. It doesn't even taste much like one.

It has oval to heart-shaped leaves which grow along a a red to purple stem. Late in the season, this bears small round purple fruits which can be used as dye.

When eaten raw, the leaves are thick fleshy with taste of citrus. It doesn't wilt as fast as Spinach when cooked, and it holds up better in soups and stir-fries. It's a great substitute for Spinach in salads and other recipes but when boiled heavily, it yields a thickening starch.

Alugbati has a climbing growth habit for it's a vine. So give it something to climb on, this is very helpful for plants that need to grow vertically.

In the Philippines, it's used both as an edible and a medicine for its curing and medicinal properties.

It prefers full sunlight and consistently moist soil. You can grow alugbati from seeds or from cuttings of an existing plant. According to Wikipedia, one of Malabar Spinach's chinese names literally means "Flowing Water Vegetable". Ahh that's why it grows healthy in our backyard (The soil here is kept moist. No wonder at all.)

ALUGBATI OR MALABAR SPINACH IS NOT ACTUALLY SPINACH AT ALL!

    UPVOTE! RESTEEM! FOLLOW!