For those who’ve never had the pleasure of tasting one of these scrumptious beverages, Bubble Tea is a mix of tea base, fruit syrup and sometimes milk. These teas are well shaken to mix the ingredients, which usually creates bubbles on the top, hence the name. Often, small tapioca pearls (sometimes called “boba or sago”) are added to the bottom. For those with an aversion to tapioca, jelly pearls offer a nice alternative.
There seems to be a dispute as to where the drink originated. The first is the Chun Shui Tang tea house in Taichung, Taiwan where Liu Han Chie experimented with cold milk tea by adding syrup, fruit and tapioca balls. The second orgin story concerns Hanlin Teahouse in Tainan, Taiwan. The owner, Tu Tsong He Hanlin, made tea using traditional white fenyuan which have the appearance of pearls.
However it was invented, the drink took off in the 1980s, initially popular among Japanese businessmen. Eventually spreading throughout Southeast Asia, Bubble tea eventually emigrated to Canada and has now made it’s way down to the US.
So the next time you’re in Dumplings, be sure to try one of our many wonderful flavours of Bubble Tea (My favourite’s Coconut!)
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…………….
