Posted by UBE.25
If you see a purple bubble tea, it is sometimes called "taro" and sometimes "ube". And you can also find purple sweet potato in the supermarket. Are they all the same? No. They are three different plants, each with its own taste, color and use.
The difference in one table
| Ube | Taro | Purple sweet potato | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plant | Purple yam (Dioscorea alata) | Taro (Colocasia esculenta) | Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) |
| Inside | Deep purple | White to light grey with purple specks | Purple |
| Taste | Lightly sweet, nutty, vanilla-like | Mild, nutty, slightly earthy | Sweet, like sweet potato |
| Known for | Filipino desserts, ube latte | Taro bubble tea, Asian dishes | Casseroles, chips, mash |
Ube: the purple yam
Ube is a yam from the Philippines. The tuber is deep purple inside and has a soft, lightly sweet taste with a vanilla-like undertone. In the Philippines, it is used to make ube halaya, ice cream and cake. Read more in what is ube?
Taro: the light tuber
Taro is a different plant. The tuber is usually white or light grey inside, sometimes with purple specks. The taste is mild and slightly nutty. That well-known purple "taro" bubble tea often gets its color not from the taro itself, but from a mix with coloring.
Purple sweet potato
Purple sweet potato is a relative of the regular sweet potato. It is purple, but tastes sweeter and more like potato than ube. It is sometimes used as a cheap alternative to ube, for example in powders sold as "ube".
Why is that important?
Because otherwise you buy something different than you think. A "purple latte" can be made from ube, sweet potato or a sugar mix with coloring. Therefore, always check the ingredients list. For more to consider, read buying ube powder: what to look for?
Taste real ube
ube powder from UBE.25 consists of 99.7% ube, with 0.3% natural vanilla. No sweet potato, no taro and no coloring. Make a ube latte or iced ube latte with it, or view all ube recipes.
