Proven (sometimes also "Chicken proven", or spelled "Proben") is a type of street food popular in some regions of the Philippines. It consists essentially of the proventriculus of a chicken, dipped in cornstarch, and deep-fried. It is served either in a small bagful of vinegar, or skewered on bamboo sticks to be dipped in the vinegar just before it is eaten.[1]
Proven is particularly favored among towns in Laguna, and by students of the University of the Philippines Los Baños, where enjoying a taste of the snack in the afternoon has become a popular part of campus culture,[2] similar to the iconic status given to Isaw at the University of the Philippines Diliman.
It is also the favorite food of the Grade 9 (Juniors) batch 2011-2012 of the Colegio de Roma.
A nutritional study conducted by UPLB noted that, as with most street foods, the microbial quality of the proven is a concern. However, the study noted that the pathogenic food-borne microbes in proven are mostly destroyed when it is cooked. The microbes only return if the proven is stored at ambient temperature after having been cooked. The study concluded that the risk of contamination can be reduced simply "through practice of personal hygiene employing standard cooking temperature (171-185 deg C) and time (10-15 min)" and by making sure that the proven is cooked just before it is eaten.[2]
The same study showed that the nutrient content of newly cooked proven was "crude fat(31%), fiber (131%), carbohydrates (21%), caloric contents (935%), crude protein (26%), calcium (21%), phosphorus (4%), iron(44 %), ash (32%) and moisture (56%)."[2]