Trend ube: the purple side of life
Bright purple is currently the colour of choice on many food blogs and on Instagram. This intense colour, which looks almost artificial, comes from a type of sweet potato called ube.
Ube - never heard of it? Fear not, the purple root is not yet known to the masses. But, if you follow foodbloggers, you're automatically confronted with images of purple food. Next year, ube is set to make its grand entrance into our homes and decorate our plates.
Ube - all about dioscorea root
Ube (ou-bay) is native to the Philippines and is traditionally worked there as "Ube Halaya". The mixture of sweet potatoes, condensed milk and butter is made into a sweet pudding.
The root answering to the name of ube is said to be not only beautiful on the plate, but also very good in the mouth. Its taste has been compared to white chocolate, pistachio, vanilla or coconut. With these combinations of pleasant taste notes, ube offers the conditions needed to enhance the taste and optics of our dishes.
The enthusiasm surrounding the sweet potato has found many fans in the United States. In a short space of time, the ube has won many fans and has been used to create ice creams, glazes, doughnuts and many other desserts. The creamy consistency, subtle sweetness and cheerful colour all play in ube's favour. The new flavour in desserts displays high recognition value.
But the root is not just suited to desserts. In fact, it is also used in savoury dishes, which are often made with sweet potato. It is ideal for soups, gratins, fried potatoes and vegetable stews. Ube is also delicious baked or grilled. Purple sweet potato chips can decorate your plate and delight your taste buds. Sweet and savoury combinations are also permitted and will delight many a fine palate.
Ube can be bought in Asian shops, on the internet and sometimes also in supermarkets.
Getting straight to the heart of the matter: a serving of inspiration
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