Bubble tea, believed to be of Taiwanese origin, has become famous worldwide. A BBC news story titled,What is bubble tea and why is it so popular?, hypothesises says that its fame can be partly attributed to the huge range of options available. Just one look at the menu of Delhi-based bubble tea company, Got Tea confirms it. They have flavours ranging from blueberry and mango, to royal milk tea and earl grey.
Boba, or tapioca pearls, are the heart and soul of bubble tea. Made from tapioca starch, these small spheres are simmered in a sugar syrup, lending a sweet flavour and chewy texture to the drink.
A recent trend, reported by Bloomberg on Friday, says boba-flavoured sweets and desserts are on the rise in the United States. For example, Alimama Tea, a café in New York City, specializes in boba milk tea cream puffs, consisting of choux pastry filled with milk tea-flavoured cream and tapioca pearls.
Another eatery in New York City, Ando Patisserie, offers boba-flavoured egg tarts. The egg tart is a popular sweet treat in Hong Kong, and is filled with custard. At the patisserie, the custard in the tart is flavoured with Earl Grey Tea, with the dessert topped with boba. Therefore, the tart has a Taiwanese touch to it. Boba-flavoured egg tarts are also sold in other by other eateries in the United States, such as the Sunmerry Bakery, which has outlets in New Jersey and California.
The US-based Jelly Belly Candy Company recently released a new line of boba milk tea jelly beans with flavours such as mango, strawberry and Thai milk tea.
A unique dessert, boba mochi, is also doing the rounds.Chewy glutinous rice flour is wrapped around a filling made of brown sugar, cream and boba, giving the mochi a pillowy and smooth texture. To find out more about the dessert, take a look at this recipe. It also shows how to make boba at home.