What Is Ube?
Pronounced OO-beh, ube is a purple yam—a starchy tuber (Dioscorea alata) very closely related to white-fleshed yams. Ube has origins in Southeast Asia, but it is most commonly used in Filipino cuisine.
Ube Nutrition
Similar to many other kinds of yams and sweet potatoes, ube is a highly nutritious tuber. It’s a great fit for a balanced, healthy eating pattern (whether it’s in a meal, snack or dessert). One3.5-ounce servingof ube provides:
What Does Ube Taste Like?
The flavor and texture of cooked ube is strikingly similar to red yams and sweet potatoes. It’s difficult to find a distinct difference. However, there is a very subtle difference in the texture—sweet potatoes are slightly dryer than ube, which has a moist texture that lends itself well to several kinds of baked goods and desserts.
Yams vs. Ube
Ube is very similar to red yams, and they both get mistaken for sweet potatoes. Both look like a root and are narrower than a sweet potato—the biggest difference is the color. The skin of ube is a creamy, off-white color while the flesh of raw ube is a light purple (it becomes dark purple when it’s cooked). The skin of a red yam is burgundy and the flesh is bright orange.
Taro vs. Ube
Taro and ube get confused a lot as well—they’re both very common in Southeast Asian cuisine, and they have some similarities, but they’re technically different. First off: taro is a corm and ube is a tuber, but those are terms for the same function—they grow underground and act as food storage for the plants that grow from them. The main difference between the two are their mechanisms of doing so.
But unlike the purple yam, taro is large in size and it has furry brown skin with white flesh and little purple specks. Cooked, taro is similar in texture and flavor to a potato, only it’s slightly gummy and has a subtly sweet and nutty flavor. And lastly, taro is used in both sweet and savory dishes while ube is more commonly used in sweet dishes.
Ube Desserts
Where to Buy Ube
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