MySibuyas - Everything you need to know about Sibuyas


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Everything you need to know about Sibuyas

Sibuyas - (see-bhu-yas) - tagalog word for onion, a widely cultivated Asian herb (Allium cepa) of the lily family with pungent edible bulbs; Allium cepa is also known as the 'garden onion' or 'bulb' onion and 'shallot'.

Sibuyas tagalog is a low herb, 15 to 50 centimeters high, with ovoid, red, subterranean bulbs of 1.5 to 4 centimeters in length, and 1 to 4 centimeters in diameter, and with accessory bulos. The leaves are fistular, terete and glaucous, with pointed and subulate tips. The peduncles are long, erect, fistular and 20 to 50 centimeters long. The umbels are rounded, 2.5 to 3.5 centimeters in diameter, and contain many flowers. The pedicels are 1 to 1.5 centimeters long. The sepals are free, ovate-oblong, white or pale-lilac, 0.4 to 0.9 centimeters long.

History of Sibuyas

Historians believed that sibuyas originated in Asia, though it is most likely that onions may have been growing wild on every continent. Dating back to 3500 BC, sibuyas was one of the few foods that did not spoil during the winter months. Our ancestors must have recognized the vegetable’s durability and began growing sibuyas for food. Sibuyas arrived in Egypt and became more than just a food. The ancient Egyptians worshipped the sibuyas, believing that its spherical shape and concentric rings symbolized eternity. Of all the vegetables that had their images created from precious metals by Egyptian artists, only the sibuyas was made out of gold, a prestigious honor given to a humble vegetable. Wow... ang sibuyas ginawang ginto! :o)

The popularity of the sibuyas eventually extended into ancient Greece where athletes consumed large quantities because it would “lighten the balance of the blood”. After Rome conquered Greece, the sibuyas became a staple in the Roman diet. Gladiators were rubbed down with sibuyas juice to “firm up the muscles”. (Hmmm... ma-try nga!)

As sibuyas expanded into other areas of the world, they continued to be more than just food. During the Middle Ages, physicians prescribed sibuyas to alleviate headaches, snakebites, and even hair loss. Sibuyas, valued as both medicine and food, traveled with the Puritans who settled in the New World. It’s possible that sibuyas were served at the first Thanksgiving!

Today, sibuyas continue to be an important part of our diet. The National Cancer Institute has reported that sibuyas contain antioxidants that help block cancer and appear to lower cholesterol. Apparently, our ancestors weren’t too far off in believing that the sibuyas is much more than a lowly vegetable.

Sibuyas tagalog was introduced into the Philippines during remote times. It originated in the Levant but is now cultivated. In Java, Malaya, and India. The plant is grown extensively in Batangas Province, and also cultivated in other provinces in Luzon. It is supposed to be perennial but is usually grown as an annual.

In the Philippines the bulbs, leaves and young inflorescences are common ingredients of dishes. They are also eaten raw. The bulbs are used for pickles in brine.

amoy sibuyas - colloquial word used to describe people with extremely bad or unpleasant smell, a person emitting a very strong offensive odor. ("Nahilo ako sa katabi ko sa jeep, amoy sibuyas ang katawan...")

balat-sibuyas - tagalog idiomatic expression which means can get easily hurt emotionally, addressed to a very sensitive person. ("Huwag ka ngang balat-sibuyas, sinabihan ka lang na panget, umiiyak ka na...")

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