At the end of a long day, nothing beats kicking back and indulging in some comfort food, like chips, which many consider "junk food." But this is not necessarily true. Did you know you can satisfy your craving for chips minus the guilt?
Cassava Chips Benefits: A Tasty and Healthy Alternative
Cassava, (balinghoy or kamoteng kahoy), is one of the most important agricultural crops in the Philippines. Over 200,000 farmers grow cassava and harvest it for food, fuel, and a variety of other purposes.
When turned into chips, cassava has an effortless crisp and flavor that doesn't require excessive amounts of oil, making it a healthier choice when looking to satisfy your craving for chips.
Because of cassava's natural flavor and texture, it's often used in Filipino cuisine as an ingredient of homemade delicacies----grated and combined to make kakanin (rice cakes) like bibingka, suman, and cassava cake. When boiled and mashed, it is mixed with sweetened milk and butter to make nilupak (mashed cassava).
Neighboring Asian countries have also made their own tasty delicacies out of the humble cassava plant. In India and Sri Lanka, Tapioca roots are deep-fried in coconut oil before being salted and spiced with red chili powder. Indonesia has their own take on cassava chips, with kripik singkong, or thin wafers made out of cassava root.
Aside from its excellent flavor, cassava is packed with nutrients.
Cassava is a rich source of carbohydrates, vitamin C, thiamine, riboflavin, and niacin. Its leaves, which can be edible if cooked or dried, is packed with protein.
Other popular native crops in the Philippines that are packed with nutrients and potential when it comes to their use in local cuisine are moringa and squash.
images: cassava (wikimedia), squash (pexels), moringa (wikimedia)
Moringa (malunggay) is one of the most nutrient-rich vegetables that's abundant in the Philippines. It contains vitamin C, protein, vitamin B6, vitamin A, Iron, Riboflavin, and Magnesium.
Squash (kalabasa), on the other hand, is exceptionally rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, B-Vitamins (B6, thiamine, niacin, and folate), magnesium, potassium, calcium, and iron. It also possesses anti-oxidants.
These three crops are abundant in Zamboanga del Norte, a region in the southern part of the Philippines. And so naturally, these crops would go amazingly well together.
A Trio of Flavors in Nutrient-Rich Chips
Highness Cassava Chips fortified with Moringa and Squash is the product of these three crops combined. Made in the city of Dipolog in Zamboanga, Philippines this healthy snack brings all these three beloved crops together in a unique delicacy that's sure to be an instant favorite.
These chips stand out because of the subtle taste of cassava that deepens once you have more. With every bite, hints of squash (kalabasa) mingle with moringa (malunggay) as the light wafers melt in your mouth.
And what makes this product even more special is that it is created by a training facility called the Livelihood Skills Development and Enhancement Center (LSDEC), which trains and creates opportunities to boost the livelihood of women, out-of-school youth, unemployed individuals, indigent communities in and around the city of Dipolog.
At first, the facility only employed three individuals churning out the first few batches of these tasty chips, but their numbers continue to rise and so they manage to continue helping boost the economy of the region.
This is why we are excited to share this special product with foodies in the United States.
You can find Highness Cassava Chips with Squash and Moringa in our Summer Harvest Chibundle, a fresh collection of locally made delicacies we truly believe highlights the ingenuity of Filipino food artisans.
Want a taste? You can place your order here.
sources: Healthline, Medical News Today