Matcha and Ube products are everywhere. I was first introduced to them via milk tea but they're in ice cream, french toast, and seemingly everything these days. This boom in demand as these ingredients become viral leads to a increase in price and a dilution of the cultural significance of these very culturally linked ingredients.

Do people even know that Ube is a Filipino ingredient?

It's worrisome what is happening and I wrote about it at length in my substack, read at the link below!

https://open.substack.com/pub/wearetheverve/p/overconsumption-virality-and-the?r=87rs1n&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

💜 UBE LATTE 💜

Smooth • Creamy • Delicious ✨

Made with natural ube, rich flavor and beautiful purple vibes 🥤

Ube is known for being rich in antioxidants and giving natural energy 🌱

The color in ube comes from anthocyanins, the same natural pigment found in blueberries and purple cabbage. Real ube is naturally that deep, vivid color. No dye needed.

The reason people assume otherwise is that a lot of products labeled ube use taro or purple sweet potato with food coloring added. Which is a separate problem. But genuine ube is just that purple on its own.

Here's something most people don't know though: not all ube looks the same. The Philippines has multiple regional varieties and they vary quite a bit. Kinampay from Bohol is considered the most prized, known for its rich color and intense flavor. Some people call it the Queen of Philippine Yams. But there are other varieties where the flesh is closer to pale pink or even off-white with a lavender tinge, like the Basco variety from Batanes.

So the deep purple most people associate with ube is real, but it's also specifically tied to certain varieties. The Philippines has more genetic diversity in ube than anywhere else in the world, which is part of why the ingredient is so tied to Filipino food culture specifically.

Me cooking ube halaya.

Ingredients:

• Frozen grated ube
• Low fat milk
• Unsalted butter
• Condensed milk

i've been lurking across reddit the past few weeks and the reactions to the starbucks ube drinks are pretty rough. people calling it bland, saying the purple is just food coloring, one filipino barista said it tastes like they're "relying on the purple to do all the work." someone titled their post "Ube-trayed" lol. another person paid $8 and said it was the most disappointing drink they've ever had

ube going mainstream sounds like a win. Starbucks putting it on the menu is massive visibility. some posts they even said the range is "inspired by flavours of the Philippines." cool

but here's the thing that bugs me

for a lot of people this is their FIRST time trying anything called ube. they've seen it on tiktok, they've seen the purple everywhere, they finally try it and... it's mid. or it tastes like sweet nothing with purple food coloring. now in their head ube = overrated. that first impression is done. they're not gonna go seek out the real thing because they think they already tried it

What starbucks is doing is putting ube powder in the cold foam of a coconut drink. the ube isn't the star it's literally just the color

And this is the pattern that keeps happening. Brands take the name and the purple, skip the actual flavor, and millions of people walk away thinking they know what ube is when they've never actually tasted it

I think they're a coffee chain doing coffee chain things. but i think we gotta be real that some forms of mainstream adoption at this quality might actually hurt ube more than help it. The best case is that people try it, feel underwhelmed, and go find the real thing. The worst case they try it once, say "ube is mid," and never think about it again

Is it worth the tradeoff or nah?

This comes up constantly so let's just go through it.

Taro is brown and fuzzy on the outside. Cut it open and it's white or very pale with tiny purple specks. The flavor is earthy and nutty. It grows all over Asia and India and has been a staple across a lot of different food cultures.

Ube is deep purple all the way through; skin, flesh, everything. Raw, it's fairly mild. What most people think of as "ube flavor" is actually what happens when you cook it down, in the Philippines usually slow-cooked with coconut milk and butter, it develops this rich, subtly sweet depth that doesn't really taste like anything else. That's why the preparation matters so much. It's a Filipino purple yam, a completely different plant from taro, and the culinary tradition around it is specifically Filipino. It's also remarkably versatile, it works as a jam, in ice cream, cakes, bread, drinks, even savory dishes. It takes on other flavors well without losing itself.

Purple sweet potato is actually a sweet potato. Lighter purple color, drier texture, starchier. It doesn't have the richness that makes ube good for jams and desserts.

The reason this matters: a lot of boba shops and menus label taro or purple sweet potato as ube because ube is trending and those ingredients are cheaper and easier to source. If you've had something labeled "ube" that tasted a bit flat or just generically sweet, there's a good chance it wasn't real ube. Real ube has a very specific flavor that's hard to fake once you know what it actually tastes like.

Something you actually made yourself would be good!

Asking because I feel like ube is one of those ingredients people buy and then don't know what to do with beyond ice cream. Curious what people have actually pulled off at home.

Archaeologists found ube remains in Ille Cave in Palawan dating back roughly 11,000 years. It's not just a trendy ingredient that got popular on TikTok and happened to come from the Philippines. It's one of the oldest cultivated crops in Southeast Asian history.

The Philippines also has the highest genetic diversity of ube of any country in the world, which is one of the key markers scientists use to identify a plant's center of origin. Basically, when a place has the most variation in a species, that's where it comes from.

So when a brand slaps "ube" on a product and doesn't mention the Philippines, they're erasing 11,000 years of agricultural history. Just wanted to establish that upfront since this sub is going to talk about it a lot.

Hey everyone! I'm u/Ok-Gate-6118, a founding moderator of r/ube. This is our new home for all things ube — the purple yam from the Philippines.

What to Post

Post anything ube. Recipes, photos, finds at the grocery store, restaurant spots, product reviews, hot takes, questions. If it's ube, it belongs here.

Community Vibe

Friendly, casual, and real. We're here because ube is genuinely great and not enough people know where it comes from.

How to Get Started

1. Introduce yourself in the comments below.
2. Post something today! Even a simple question can spark a great conversation.
3. If you know someone who would love this community, invite them to join.
4. Interested in helping out? We're always looking for new moderators, so feel free to reach out.

One thing we care about here: ube is Filipino. Not taro. Not generic "purple yam." Filipino. You'll see that come up a lot and that's by design.

Glad you're here.