CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Filipinos are considered as food lovers. It is part of their culture. Filipinos love to

eat when they are happy, sad, lonely, depress, bored or even on rare occasions that they

are hungry. Street foods are popular among Filipinos. Street food is a special kind food

they sold in the street. It is possible to say that this ready-to-eat food is a kind of fast

food though its price is lower. One of the street foods here in the Philippines is turon.

Turon, sometimes referred to as banana lumpia, is a popular Filipino snack

consisting of a banana wrapped in a deep-fried spring roll wrapper, usually coated with

caramelized sugar. Slices of jackfruit often accompany the banana as a complementary

filling. It is one of the more common street foods in the Philippines, sold by many street

vendors in both urban and rural areas. Turon is often sold alongside other banana-based

snack foods, such as banana cue and maruya, or banana fritter.

The creation of turon is often linked to the strong Chinese presence in the

Philippines prior to the country's colonization by Spain. Dishes such as pancit, or

Chinese-style noodles, were created by incorporating traditional Filipino foods with

Chinese cooking techniques. The turon was likely developed as a combination of

Chinese spring rolls and the Filipinos' fondness for bananas.

Cooks usually boil bananas in water to soften them before rolling them into the

thin flour wrappers. Once wrapped, the rolls are deep-fried until the wrappers become

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crisp and golden-brown in color. Many cooks prefer to lightly coat the wrappers in brown

sugar before frying, creating a crisp, candy-like shell around the snack. The combination

of the soft, mushy banana and the crunch of the sugar-coated wrapper make for an

appealing texture in the mouth. The sweetness of the dish makes it an extremely popular

snack among children.

As cited in the Specialty Produce, Cardaba bananas are botanically known as part

of Musa acuminate x balbisiana (ABB Group) ‘Saba’ and a member of the Musaceae

family. The Cardaba banana is also known as Cardava and sometimes mistakenly called

saba. The Cardaba is classified as a cooking banana or a balbisiana cultivar and along

with the saba is the most common cooking banana cultivar in the Philippines. In addition

to a source of fresh food the Cardaba banana is also used extensively in the production of

banana based food products. The main Cardaba based product, banana chips, are also one

of the country’s main export products which make the Cardaba one of the most important

crops grown in the country.

The Cardaba banana is native to the Philippines and along with the saba are the

most common cooking banana cultivars grown there today. The banana has long been a

highly important food crop in the Philippines providing not only a valuable source of

food but also a means of income as an export crop. Since Cardaba bananas grow year-

round, they provide a source of food security and can be used to supplement or substitute

for other crops during times of and in locations prone to food scarcity. The Philippines is

the only commercial level producer of the Cardaba banana though it can also be found

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growing on a very small scale in a handful of tropical and sub-tropical regions around the

world. The Cardaba banana tree can be grown in most soils aside from highly sandy or

rocky and prefers consistent warm and humid weather.

The Cardaba banana is used in many traditional Filipino foods such as banana ketchup,

halo-halo, and a sweet stew known as binignit. It is also used to make a fried and

sweetened banana on a stick known as banana cue, banana fritters or maruya, and fried

banana spring rolls known as turon. The Cardaba banana is often used as a carbohydrate

substitute for corn and rice and is being studied for its ability to provide a replacement

crop for potatoes in areas impacted by crop failure due to climate change.

The Cardaba banana is most often used in sweet and savory cooked applications. Sliced

or whole Cardaba can be grilled or fried and topped simply with sugar. They can be

boiled in sweet syrup or mashed and formed into pancakes then grilled. Wrapped in

lumpia wrappers, they can be deep fried then served as a sweet or savory snack

depending on what toppings they are paired with. Cardaba banana can also be

caramelized and incorporated into desserts. Cardaba can be grilled, fried, or sautéed and

served as a savory side dish. In addition to the fruit the leaves of the Cardaba tree can be

used to wrap and cook food within and the flower of the tree used in a variety of Filipino

dishes as well. The peels of the Cardaba bananas can also be used to make a vegan meat

patty. The flavor and texture of the Cardaba banana pairs well with coconut, mango,

jackfruit, custard, beans, brown sugar, butter, white rice, beef, eggs, and sweet potato. To

store, keep Cardaba bananas in a cool and dry location, do not refrigerate.

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 Like most banana varieties the Cardaba banana is rich in potassium and carbohydrates.

Additionally, they provide a good source of fiber and B vitamins.

While chicken is a lean meat with loads of proteins, it is also high on cholesterol.

However, chicken provides selenium which contains antioxidants that help control free

radicals and improve your immune system.

A 100gms of cooked chicken would usually contain 239 calories. Of 100gms,

27gms would be only protein which is important for growth and development of various

organs in the body. Besides, chicken also helps in maintaining the desired body weight.

Furthermore, it gives zinc and iron and is an excellent source for Vitamins B6, B12 andD.

The researchers’ product, Chicuron or Chicken turon was made to offer quality

and nutritious food in the market, and make customers realize the benefits they could get

in eating banana and chicken. The researchers intend to make enough profit to generate

and finance the growth and development in the quality product. They also maintain a

friendly, fair, and creative work environment, which respects diversity, new ideas, and

hard work. The objective is to promote and share the importance of the less appreciated

foods like vegetables. It would be successful and feasible to market if they could satisfy

the wants of their prospective customers.

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