A purple yam from Southeast Asia — vivid purple hue
Packed with anthocyanins, fiber and vitamin C
Franchise chains roll out ube menu items
[Asia Times=Ryu Hong-min] Ube — a purple yam celebrated for its antioxidant anthocyanins, dietary fiber and vitamin C — is popping up fast across cafes, bakeries and convenience stores as a base for desserts and drinks. Just like matcha once sparked a color-first dessert craze, a new wave of purple-hued products is catching consumers’ attention.
Ube is a type of purple yam grown in the Philippines and elsewhere in Southeast Asia. It tastes similar to purple sweet potato but is known for a more vivid, eye-catching color. Its nutrient profile — rich in anthocyanins, fiber and vitamin C — aligns with wellness trends, boosting its “superfood” reputation and making it especially appealing to social-media-savvy shoppers who love sharing food photos.
The ube trend mirrors how matcha became a color-driven phenomenon. Matcha’s slightly bitter flavor and signature green hue spread across drinks, cakes and breads, earning a reputation as a natural, “healthy dessert” and becoming a regular menu staple. That success prompted brands to hunt for the next color-forward ingredient, and ube, with its intense purple, stepped into the spotlight.
New ube products keep rolling out. While independent cafes led the early buzz, franchise chains and convenience stores across the food industry are now offering ube items. This month, Twosome Place and Noted introduced ube desserts and drinks, Starbucks Korea launched an ube Basque cheesecake, and Dunkin recently served two ube donuts and an ube beverage as a limited offering at select Wonders locations.
With so many ube items hitting the market, shoppers say the vivid purple often triggers impulse buys. Still, reactions are mixed: some feel the flavor doesn’t live up to the visuals, leaving opinions split between the product’s Instagram-ready look and its actual taste.
Person A said, “It’s trending on social media, and the color plus the new name ube caught my eye, so I bought it. It’s worth trying at least once.”
By contrast, Person B recalled, “I ordered it because the color was intriguing. It had a subtle sweet, nutty flavor — easy to eat and not heavy, but it didn’t leave a strong impression.” Then he added, “The color didn’t look much different from a blueberry drink, so I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to get it again.”
