Yams Delicious !

There are many staple foods in the Solomon Islands many however prefer yam, or uvi, as it is known in Guadalcanal.

Yams are a primary agricultural commodity in the Solomon Islands, and have been used extensively prior to the colonization of the Islands. This essentially means that they were brought to the Solomon Islands by our early ancestors. A simple Google search show that yams were first cultivated in Africa and Asia about 8000 B.C.

The yam is highly regarded in Solomon Islands not only for survival but also for ceremonial reasons. It is used for important ceremonial events such as reconciliation, weddings or feasts to show ones status.

In the Solomon Islands, where refrigerators are not yet a common household item, yams are very important since they can be stored for up to six months without refrigeration. "We usually cook them very early in the morning, we store some for later in the day and some for the kids to take to school," said Lilly Vale, a mother of two young kids who resides near the Poha area in West Guadalcanal. "We cook them over hot stones...we keep the stones hot throughout the day just to keep the yam hot." Lilly says that leftovers are often wrapped in banana leaves and stored in the kitchen, normally a leaf hut separate from the main house.

Lilly says that her family will continue to consume yam even though many in the village seem to prefer rice nowadays. "I just think that it is healthier, I have noticed many of the villagers getting sick when they switch to rice and tinned food...our grandparents lived healthy lives until they were very old, most depended only on yam and sea food."

Dietitians would agree with Lilly since Yams are high in Vitamin C and Vitamin B6. This means that yams are high in potassium and low in sodium which is likely to produce a good potassium-sodium balance in the human body, and so protect against osteoporosis and heart diseases.