Gabi and the Engkanto (PRE-ORDER)

NOTE❗️: THIS IS A PRE-ORDER ITEM. PRODUCT WILL BE SHIPPED WITHIN 1-2 MONTHS. If you are ordering an item that is currently in stock in the same order, the order will be held until the pre-ordered book or item arrives from the Philippines. To receive items currently in stock right away, two separate orders must be placed to guarantee arrival of in stock products within 1-2 weeks.

SYNOPSIS:

Gabi and the Engkanto (The Story of the First Gabi Plant and Why Its Leaves Never Get Wet)

The gabi or taro plant, is a native of the Philippines and its Pacific islands neighbors. Its large, long-stalked leaves shaped like arrows or hearts, spring from an underground corm with roots. Gabi leaves do not get wet because of the wax-like coating. The leaves and corm of gabi plant are rich in mineral and Vitamins A and C but must be cooked thoroughly to avid itching of the throat. The itchiness is caused by a crystal which protects the gabi plant from being eaten by rodents or other animals. It has a sap that gives permanent black stain to clothing.

In 1597, early Spanish Manuscript recorded the existence of the “Iwak,” a gabi-growing/eating mountain tribe in the Cordillera mountain ranges of Luzon, Philippines. Gabis was the tuber around which their agricultural cycle revolved.

Today, gabi leaves cooked with coconut milk make delicious native dishes called laing and pinangat. Gabi tubers or corms add a special flavor and texture to sinigang, a popular Filipino dish.

Written by Marla Yotoko Chorongel
Illustrated by Ibarra Crisostomo