92 The Philippine Journal of Science i9i6 



nourishing food. Other important results are the undersized 

 body and low vitality. These conditions react one on the other, 

 making it more difficult for the weakling to obtain his food and 

 complicating the effect still further. 



Therefore I contend that to raise a nation in the scale of civi- 

 lization her food supply and the preparation of her food supply 

 should receive early consideration. 



Experts in nutrition claim that man instinctively attempts to 

 obtain a complete diet and point out that such combinations as 

 mush and milk; maize porridge {polenta) and cheese; corn and 

 beans ; rice, fish, and fat ; potatoes and meat ; and analogous com- 

 binations are well-known examples of this instinctive desire to 

 consume a well-balanced diet. But the gratification of such a 

 desire necessitates the cultivation of these foods. 



Recently I have had occasion to determine the nutritive value 

 of a number of the vegetables indigenous to the Philippine Islands 

 and imported here, which are used for food by the people. A 

 brief description of the methods of preparation and a table of 

 nutritive values follow : 



Eggplant. — Solanum melongena L., berengena (Sp.),- tarong 

 (II.), talong (T., V:), balasenas (Pam.). The eggplant is very 

 plentiful in the markets at all times owing to the ease with which 

 it can be grown. It is prepared for food by boiling and 

 seasoning. 



Squash. — Cucurbita maxima Duchesne, calabaza (Sp., V.), 

 carabasa (II.), calabasang bilog (T.), culubasa (Pam.). The 

 squash grows best during the dry season under irrigation. The 

 fruit is eaten green or ripe, and the leaves and flowers are stewed. 



Coivpea. — Vigna sesquipedalis L., sitao (II., T.), hamtac (V.), 

 camangian (Pam.). The unripe pods and the ripe seeds and 

 leaves are used for food. They should eventually find a place as 

 a forage crop and as an excellent crop to use for the improvement 

 of the soil, since they grow well here. A peculiar dish is made 

 from the sprouted seeds of the cowpea. It is known as togue 

 in the Manila market. 



Bottle gourd. — Lagenaria leucantha (Lam.) Rusby, calabasa 

 blanca (Sp.), tabungao (II.), upo (T., Pam.), sicay calubay 

 (V.) . The green fruit is used like the squash. Another variety, 

 the sponge gourd (Luff a cylindrica Roem.), patola (Sp., T., V., 

 Pam.), cabatiti (II.), is used in soups and in stews when unripe. 



Wax gourd. — Benincasa cerifera Savi, condol (T., Pam.), tan- 



' Letters in parentheses indicate the source of the local names: II., Ilocano; 

 Pam., Pampanga; Sp., Spanish; T., Tagalog; V., Visayan. 



