Sitaw (Tagalog), Batong (Bisaya), Utong (Ilokano) is a vegetable known for it’s long and narrow pods. It can be as long as half a meter when grown ¹! It is typically cut into small pieces before cooking.

Also known as long bean ² or yard long bean ³, its scientific name is Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis ⁴

Adobong sitaw are long beans cooked in soy sauce (though adobo can also be something braised – lightly fried and then cooked in a stew – with salt and vinegar) ⁵.

Web sources refer to sitaw as an “ancient cultivated crop” ³, meaning that it was cultivated from the wild a long time ago by humans, and continues to exist because of humans ^{6, 7}. Long beans are closely related to black-eyed peas, a popular ingredient in African American soul food ⁸.

Sarap at sustansya / lami ug sustansiyado / delicious and nutritious!

Among many nutrients, researchers cite the following that really contribute to your health, and happiness ³:

• Vitamin A: This helps you have better night vision ⁹!
• Folate or Vitamin B: Folates reduce the risk of birth defects ¹⁰. Unfortunately research conducted in the Philippines in 2008 found that 20.9% of the women studied were folate deficient ¹¹.
• Vitamin C: This strengthens your ability to overcome sickness! It’s good for your immune system!
• There are many more nutrients in sitaw ¹². View them here!

Sample recipes

• Adobong Sitaw (Long green beans in adobo saute) by Betty Ann Besa-Quirino.
• Adobong Sitaw (String beans adobo) by Liza of Salu-Salo.
• Bonus: Ginataang Kalabasa at Sitaw (Butternut Squash and Yard Long Beans in Coconut Milk) by JunBlog.

Sources

1. B. Cost. 1988. “A Short History of Long Beans.” The Washington Post.
2. G. Umali, 2012. Updated 2017. “Sitaw.” Stuartxchange.org.
3. U. Rudrappa, 2009-19. “Yard long beans nutrition facts.” Nutrition-and-you.com.
4. CABI, 2019. Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis (asparagus bean). In: Invasive Species Compendium. Wallingford, UK: CAB International. www.cabi.org/isc.
5. A, Besa, 2006. “Memories of Philippine Kitchens.”
6. C. Haynes, 2008. “Cultivar versus Variety.” Department of Horticulture, Iowa State University.
7. D. Beaulieu, updated 2019. “Differences Between Cultivars and Varieties.” Thespurce.com.
8. J. Holloway, “African Crops and Slave Cuisine.” California State University Northridge.
9. K. Boyd, 2019. “What Is Vitamin A Deficiency?” American Academy of Ophthalmology.
10. Mayo Clinic Staff, 1998-2019. “Folate (folic acid).” Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER).
11. J. Desnacido, 2008. Folate status of Filipino women of childbearing age: Philippines 2008. Department of Science and Technology.
12. FoodData Central, 2019. Yardlong bean, raw. United States Department of Agriculture.