If there's any food that has gained an iconic legendary status amongst gen z and younger millennials it's bubble tea so we've put on our detective hats and done some digging so we can give you the intel on what really is the untold truth of bubble tea though bubble tea is exceedingly popular in the united states it didn't start here rather it all began in Taiwan in the 1980s its origins aren't completely clear and different tea vendors claim to have created the beverage according to Taipei times online tea rooms claim to have come up with the beverage back in 1986 when its owner was struck by sudden culinary inspiration another tea shop Chun shaytan says that an employee there invented bubble tea just a year later in 1987.
However, the truth remains unclear what we do know though is that milk tea boba, and shaved ice were all popular desserts at the time of the drink's creation it occurred to someone to combine all of these desserts into one special drink first the boba went in the bottom of a cup then shaved ice was layered on top add in the tea and there you have it thus bubble tea was born the world is more connected now than ever so it's no surprise that food created in Taiwan would make its way around the world to the u.s however bubble tea's rise in popularity raises some questions about how it became so popular so fast the popularity of the drink in the united states is largely due to Asian immigrants moving to Los Angeles in fact in 2008 l.a boasted the largest number of Taiwanese immigrants of any city in the united states at first bubble tea was mostly concentrated in Taiwanese
restaurants but by the turn of the millennia bubble tea shops started popping up in standalone shops and food courts and gaining more widespread popularity these days you can find bubble tea shops not just on the coasts but in the heart of middle America as well my flavor is because raised in Georgia, of course, I had to get Georgia peach when you first go to a bubble tea shop the first thing that you'll likely notice is the fact that there are so many options to choose from it may seem daunting at first but it doesn't have to be intimidating if you're wondering what to get the first time you order bubble tea you might want to stick with the classic milk tea it's the original bubble tea flavor so you'll get a better idea of where the whole trend started apparently it's also the most popular flavor it involves a pretty basic
a concoction of ingredients black tea milk powder and sugar however there are tons of other flavors to choose from if you're feeling more adventurous the light fruit teas are ideal for hot summer days while the matcha green bubble tea is a perfect option for those who want to be a bit healthier don't forget to try tarot tea and thai tea for other amazing flavors moral of the story don't be afraid to try several different varieties of bubble tea you never know what you'll like best until you taste it as you'll find out if you order bubble tea more than a few times there are different types of boba out there however the most popular and recognizable boba is made from tapioca and are referred to as tapioca pearls if you order a classic milk tea this is
more than likely what you're going to be getting in your drink and if you're wondering what tapioca is you're not alone tapioca starch from which tapioca pearls are made comes from the cassava plant cassava is from brazil and it featured prominently in the country's culinary culture so how did it end up in Taiwan the Japanese brought it to Southeast Asia during a period of occupation from the late 19th to mid 20th century from there it worked its way up to Taiwan and into your cup of bubble tea 99 of the world's boba comes from Asia mostly Taiwan the first time you ever try bubble tea with boba in it you may be surprised by the texture tapioca pearls have a kind of soft springy chewiness to them and that's exactly what makes the beverage so popular however if you aren't used to eating a lot of
eastern Asian food this sensation may be unfamiliar to you in English we don't have a word for this kind of food texture but in Taiwan, it's known as q or qq this texture known as q is characterized by a rubbery bounciness that you just won't come across very often when you're eating most western food but it still has quite a bit of appeal in the u.s they're just fun to eat I mean they're squishy they have different flavors they kind of feel like squishy eggs in your mouth this texture isn't just a thing when it comes to boba either it's prominent in a ton of other foods you may have tried before like fish balls mochi and many types of rice noodles therefore if you like any of these foods you're likely to enjoy tapioca pearls as well looking at a cup of bubble tea it seems really obvious where the term bubble comes from at the bottom of the cup it looks like there are dark little tapioca bubbles floating around or at least that seems to make sense but in
the reality that's not why it's called bubble tea at all instead it has everything to do with the specific consistency of this drink if you've ever gotten milky bubble tea and shaken it up before you've probably noticed that it forms a kind of frothy foam on the top of the drink that foam and the bubbles it contains are why bubble tea is called what it is however you're not going to see these bubbles with every cup of bubble tea you drink most of the fruitier flavors aren't going to form those bubbles on top so it makes sense that a lot of people would be confused about the origins of the term now you know the truth have you ever wondered about what the word boba actually means if you're like a lot of people you may not have thought about it after all outside of Taiwan it's just come to mean the little tapioca pearls that you find at the bottom of your cup of bubble tea but actually the word has a totally different meaning in Chinese
according to food and wine boba is slang for breasts, this is in reference to the spherical shape of the pearls that may be kind of a stretch but we see where they're coming from however now the word's meaning has changed to include the popular food item but who would have thought such an innocent-seeming drink would have this kind of saucy name origin these days it's not unusual for social media to have its hand in just about every aspect of the rapidly changing lives we should expect no less when it comes to food culture so it shouldn't come as a surprise that social media is largely responsible for bubble tea becoming such a wide-reaching trend there's a lot of things that are attractive about it and I think one of those things is the social aspect and then it gets of course posted on social media in an interview with today founder of bar party in new
york city said that though bubble tea had reached the united states by the 90s it really took off in the mid-2000s due to the influence of social media this starts to make sense if you type bubble tea into pretty much any social network search bar you'll be greeted with gorgeous drinks that are arguably more art than food while the classic milk tea is appealing enough on its own the more colorful and creative fruit flavors can look seriously impressive many bubble tea shops go over the top to create drinks that people will want to post on their social media feeds in fact many of these drinks are designed
with aesthetics as a priority over actual taste so yes bubble tea is delicious and people love how it tastes but it has an aesthetic value beyond the flavor and that's helped it thrive in the era of social media considering that the terms boba and bubble tea are used interchangeably you may assume that every bubble tea comes with the tapioca pearls in the bottom that however is not the case while the tapioca pearls are the most recognizable topping you'll find at a bubble tea shop that doesn't even begin to cover all the options available at kung fu tea a popular bubble tea chain there are a long list of toppings to choose from customers can add pudding natto jelly red bean herbal jelly oolong jelly and aloe jelly to their tea these toppings all have unique textures that add different elements to a drink there are also the popping bubbles which have a flavored liquid inside as opposed to the more solid tapioca pearls popping
bubbles also come in a wide range of flavors meaning you can mix and match them depending on what kind of tea you're drinking while the tapioca pearls do have that smooth bouncy chewy texture that people fall in love with bubble tea over you should give other toppings a try if you really want to get a better sense of the drink in all its forms for a lot of people coffee and tea is a part of their daily routine but if you're thinking about replacing your everyday tea or coffee with bubble tea instead we have some bad news it's not really a great replacement when you take a look at the nutritional facts the drink isn't actually that good for you more than anything it's just a lot of sugar and carbs and while those carbs and the caffeine from the tea can give you a boost of energy you're probably better off health-wise with a plain tea or coffee bubble tea is generally also pretty high in calories so if that's something you're watching then regular
bubble tea drinking probably shouldn't be the plan obviously though this depends on the kind of boba you're drinking fruitier bubble tea will have different nutritional stats than the milky stuff however that doesn't mean that you should skip the boba altogether instead of thinking of it as a replacement for other caffeine-laden drinks that you enjoy throughout the day think of it as a once in a while treat instead after all it's basically just a dessert in drinkable form back in 2011 a health scare rocked the bubble tea loving world according to the Taipei times there was concern about a compound that had been found in the syrups in bubble tea shops across the world instead of using palm oil a typical ingredient in lots of processed foods these syrups contained diphenyl phthalate also known as DEHP which is a compound found in plastics that makes them more pliable doesn't exactly sound delicious does it it's more than just unappetizing though this compound is considered to be a carcinogen in rats
however, researchers are unaware of ingesting small amounts of DEHP causes problems for humans a year later a separate report per the list found no carcinogens in the additives used in bubble tea it's unclear whether the first testing batch really was contaminated or not but as of this video there's no clear evidence that you'll be ingesting carcinogens the next time you order a bubble tea the first time you try bubble tea you'll notice that it comes with a larger than average straw that straw is useful because it allows you to suck up all those delicious tapioca pearls or whatever other toppings you've chosen to add to your tea however use of the straw increases the risk that you could choke on your boba especially if you're not being careful just
remember to take it slow don't try to finish your whole cup in a matter of minutes because of this choking hazard it's also not a great idea to serve bubble tea to kids especially those under the age of 4 as they are more likely to choke on the boba than adults check out one of our newest videos right here plus even more mashed videos about your favorite beverages are coming soon subscribe to our youtube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one [Music]
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