Farmers race to keep up with global ‘ube’ craze
On a recent road trip home to Germany, cafe owner April Schoengen spotted a purple pastry at a gas station bakery.
"It was ube, just as I suspected," she said, surprised at finding a Filipino-flavored dessert at a European gas station.
Schoengen sells ube-flavored cakes and drinks at her Filipino-themed cafe, "Ube de Oro" in Bonn. When she opened two years ago, the cafe catered to a mostly Filipino clientele.
Now, she's seeing more and more people from different backgrounds come in, intrigued by the lilac-colored treats.
What is ube?
When unfamiliar diners inquire about ube, she shows them a poster summarizing the crop's origins and cultural significance.
Ube (pronounced oo-beh), also called the purple yam, is a naturally vibrant purple root crop from the Philippines.
Subtly sweet ...