Another day on the internet, another fad — and another opportunity to feel like you’re always playing catchup on the latest trend. The latest thing to take over our feeds and leave us feeling just a little perplexed? The mighty ube.
Didn’t you hear, bestie? Matcha is out! Ube is in! Okay, you’re thinking, did I miss something? What the f*** is an ube? And why is it suddenly all that the health, wellness and foodie influencers seem to be able to talk about?
In case you haven’t doomscrolled lately, allow us to catch you up. Timelines everywhere are absolutely filled to the brim with bright purple treats — ice cream, coffees, baked goods, you name it. Apparently, all of this uncanny purple stuff is made from ubes. And apparently, ubes are bright purple root vegetables. And apparently, they’re, like, really, really good for us.
Here’s one video featuring an ube iced latte:
Here’s one about a coconut ube matcha:
Here are some ube desserts:
An ube loaf:
Ube… beauty products?
You get the idea. Basically, ube is everywhere.
What is ube?
An ube is a purple root vegetable that is also known as the purple yam or the dioscorea alata. The vegetable has a nutty, vanilla-like flavour and is often compared to pistachio and coconut. Ube is typically grown in the Philippines and appears in a number of traditional Filipino dishes (which do not include iced lattes).
What are the benefits of ube?
Ube is very similar to the sweet potato — and when it comes to health benefits, it has a similar profile. You’ll get a boost of healthy carbs, vitamins and fibre from the vegetable.
Studies have shown that anthocyanins in ubes might help to reduce blood pressure and inflammation.
Why is ube so popular?
It’s hard to say exactly why or when the ube took off on social media, but it’s safe to say that the striking bright purple colour had something to do with the trend.
The hype around ubes online has also translated into an IRL ube fad, with a number of chains hopping aboard the trend. Costa is offering a new line of ube drinks. Pet a Manger is now selling an Ube Brulee Latte. Starbucks has also got a bunch of purple lattes up for grabs.
Wait, is ube controversial?
Well, there are a few potential problems with mindlessly jumping on the ube train. For one thing, there’s the question of the appropriation of an important symbol of Filipino cooking culture. Plus, ube supplies in the Philippines are, reportedly, already dwindling as a result of climate change — the new trend will likely make the traditional Filipino ingredient more expensive and harder to come by for locals.
Controversial or not, it seems that ube is only growing in popularity — and chances are, you’ll be seeing the pilates girls trading their green matchas for lavender ube lattes before too long.