What ube is
Ube is a yam: Dioscorea alata, also called purple yam or greater yam. It's native to tropical Asia and Oceania, and in the Philippines it's a signature ingredient of the sweet kitchen: it's the base of many traditional desserts, starting with ube halaya — boiled, mashed ube cooked with milk or coconut milk, butter and sugar. From there it goes into halo-halo, cakes and ice cream. The tuber is always eaten cooked.
It isn't taro, and it isn't sweet potato
Ube is often confused with two other roots. Taro (Colocasia esculenta) is a different plant: its flesh is pale with purple flecks, and many "taro" drinks owe their purple to food colouring. Purple sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is purple too, but belongs to yet another plant family. In short: not everything purple is ube.
Why it's purple, and what it tastes like
The colour comes from anthocyanins, the same pigments found in blueberries and red cabbage; how much there is varies by variety. The taste is gently sweet and earthy, with a nutty note. Many people also describe it as "vanilla-like": partly true, but bear in mind that many ube products add vanilla or vanillin.
From Filipino sweets to the cup
In recent years ube has left the Philippines and found its way onto café menus around the world — some call it "the next matcha". At FYSA we've given it a whole line.
FYSA's ube line
Five drinks, one for every mood:
Ube Matcha — layered: ube at the bottom, milk and ice in the middle and hand-whisked matcha on top. Purple, white and green in the same cup: stir before drinking.
Ube Latte — the hot version: the simplest way to try it.
Iced Ube Latte — the same idea, over ice.
Dirty Ube and Cloud Ube — the other two drinks in the line: ask at the counter how they're made.
Where to find us
FYSA is at Piazza di Ponte Lungo 1, Rome — San Giovanni / Appio Latino, on the border with Tuscolano, a 1-minute walk from the "Piazza Ponte Lungo" exit of Metro A. Open every day, 9:00–19:00. Find us on Instagram at @fysa_cafe.