FEATURE

Appeal for the apali:

Food in place of rice

for the tough times

As the Department of Agriculture (DA) uses its mnemonic ABKD campaign to drum up on the need to Be RICEponsible and stretch the staple and make it available for those who need it, enter adlay, or apali, because it is

Adlay, mais, sab-a ug uban pa, isagol nako sa kan-on, is A in the ABKD campaign as it starts off.

Considered traditional rice extenders, using these would help people who cook, save by reducing the amount of rice and adding corn grits instead, for what is commonly called sinabugan.

Or with chipped bananas, sweet potatoes, ubi, gabi, cassava and other starch crops, when cooked with rice, it is called sinaksakan.

Specific for Bohol and Central Visayas, adlay which is not common here, is substituted with apali, according to Department of Agriculture Information Officer Cheryll dela Victoria, who added that this was in consultation with the DA authorities and the Office of the Provincial Agriculture.

The adlay in the campaign, puts options for going full adlay and root crops as staple substitutes or using crops as extenders, which can lend to rice more stretched meals.

But, what is adlay and how does an apali compare to it?

Common in the highlands of Mindanao, Adlay, or Job's tears (Coix lacryma-jobi) is a gluten-free grain from the grass family.

It is packed with nutrients such as protein which is about 12% higher than rice, fiber, and minerals like phosphorus, iron, and niacin, has low glycemic index suitable for diabetics and a load of micronutrients like B-complex vitamins, Vitamin E.

It also has minerals: iron, zinc, magnesium and bioactive compounds like antioxidants with anti-inflammatory phytochemicals Coixenolide.

Agriculturists claim that adlay is climate resistant, thrives in upland, dry, or marginal soils and is resistant to pests and diseases, has a high energy and nutrient density, and needs low inputs.

On the other hand, apali or lesser yam (Dioscorea esculenta) is also a gluten-free root-crop that may have moderate calorie content (lower than cassava and sweet potato) but has high complex carbohydrates that digest slowly, extending one’s urge to get hungry, longer.

It is a high fiber protein food, with Vitamins and minerals like Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Potassium, manganese, and small amounts of magnesium.

And with a resistant starch (RS2), eating apali helps the body grow beneficial gut bacteria, helps stabilize blood sugar and is good for diabetics.

Apali is also ideal for climate-resilient food supply, it tolerates drought, irregular rains, poor soil conditions and as a low input crop with stable yield, it can be grown in backyard and community gardens.

In Bohol, apali has long been considered a “food of hard times,” and families kept apalí patches as a hidden reserve food during famine, typhoons, droughts, or conflict.

In fact, Boholanos only harvest apali tubers when rice stores are low, and that when the leaves of the vines turn yellow, making sure too that one tuber is left per harvested hill, to allow natural propagation.

As the DA calls for Boholanos to take another look at apali as rice extender or staple substitute, agriculturists believe that this too could help reduce the country’s undue reliance on imported rice and help the country keep its reserves. (PIAbohol)

APPEAL FOR THE APALI. As the government attempts to call consumers to conserve rice by reducing wastage, and increasing sufficiency, calls to mainstream the apali in Bohol may not be that new as Boholanos have been apali eaters. (PIABohol)