Takway

The gabi (taro) is just one of those plants which is edible from “roots to tops”. The most popular of which is the tuber part which is used in a variety of dishes and mostly in combination with coconut milk. Its leaves, of course, is the main ingredient of a Bicol specialty, laing. It is dried then chopped and sauteed with other ingredients including, again, coconut milk. (Photos by: Flavours of Iloilo)

Then there is takway. The local term for its tendrils/runner, that part which is torn between being a stem or a root for it neither grows upwards nor downwards – it grows sideways. Scraped off of its outer skin, takway is often a key ingredient in vegetable dishes like laswa and the gabi tuber with coconut milk and local snails know as bago-ngon. It is also popular when cooked adobo style with guinamos, the local bago-ong.

It is very popular in the region that even big supermarkets sell takway in style – cleaned and plastic wrapped in styro with some additions to make it easier to prepare.