How a Filipino purple yam became NZ’s latest food obsession

Ice cream, cakes and even coffee across New Zealand are turning purple, as a comfort food once sought out by Filipino communities rises in popularity.

Ube, a tuber native to the Philippines, is becoming a regular feature across Auckland’s cafes and Instagram feeds.

Armi Del Rosario, owner of Gian’s Sorbetes in Henderson, says the rise of ube reflects a growing curiosity about Filipino cuisine in New Zealand.

“Ube isn’t just a trendy colour or a passing fad, it’s a nostalgic staple of our childhoods,” Del Rosario says.

The purple yam has long been used in Filipino cooking, particularly around Christmas and New Year, appearing in traditional desserts including cakes, pastries, ice cream and halaya - a sweet purple yam jam.

While many local consumers are first drawn to its vibrant purple colour, the vegetable’s appeal goes beyond its appearance. It’s described as tasting sweet, earthy and subtly nutty; the flavour sitting somewhere between vanilla and sweet potato.

That combination of colour and flavour has helped ube gain attention online, where visually distinctive foods often become popular through social media, and widespread use in products. Z petrol stations recently introduced an ube coffee range, including iced ube latte and iced ube matcha.

However, for many New Zealand-Filipino families, ube is more than a food trend.

“Like many migrant families living in Aotearoa, my husband Chris and I found ourselves deeply longing for the comforting flavours of home,” Del Rosario says.

The couple founded Gian’s Sorbetes in 2019, inspired by the street-cart ice cream and flavours they grew up with in the Philippines.

“What makes us proudest about [ube] hitting the mainstream is that we can introduce New Zealand’s diverse community to the authentic Filipino flavours,” she says.

Auckland’s Hill House Cafe and Farm House Cafe owner Peter Matvos discovered ube while attending two weddings in the Philippines.

“Everywhere we went, there were beautiful purple desserts featuring ube. I absolutely loved it from the first bite. The colour was striking, but it was really the flavour and texture that won me over,” Matvos says.

He added ube to his Auckland cafe’s menu in 2021, and today it features in cakes, gelato, their high tea and drinks.

“Whenever we launch an ube product, it tends to sell very quickly,” Matvos says.

Yuki Shikano from Auckland’s Dear Deer says the cafe noticed the growing interest last year.

“Due to its growing popularity around the world, we thought ube had the potential to create a distinctive and eye-catching beverage that would stand out on our menu,” Shikano says.

The ube coconut latte is a popular seller, with the drink’s vibrant colour attracting attention, although Shikano sees it more as a seasonal menu item.

While the cafe has not focused heavily on highlighting ube’s cultural background, Shikano says staff often explain the ingredient’s Filipino origins to curious customers and Matvos’ team has been encouraged to do the same.

“That allows them to share that knowledge with customers who may be trying it for the first time. We see it as a way of celebrating and respecting the ingredient’s heritage,” he says.

“We have a large Filipino community in New Zealand, and I think that has helped introduce more people to ube over time.”

Ube is a purple yam, seen here next to ube jam.

In the last census, 108,927 people identified as Filipino in New Zealand, making the community one of the country’s largest and fastest-growing Asian migrant communities.

And ube’s growing popularity in New Zealand has sparked conversations about authenticity and cultural recognition.

Del Rosario says the vegetable is often confused with taro, another purple ingredient often used in desserts and drinks. While they may look similar, the two ingredients come from different plants and have different flavours and histories.

Raw ube is not available to buy in New Zealand because the tropical crop does not grow well in our climate.

It means local cafes and bakers rely on frozen product, or pre-made ube jam imported from the Philippines and typically sold through Filipino markets for about $10 per 450g.

Gian’s Sorbetes only uses real, authentic ube, but Del Rosario says artificial flavourings, synthetic colouring or processed substitutes might be used by others to get the look and flavour of real ube.

“If there’s one profound thing I wish people understood, it’s that true ube is a genuine labour of love, not just a social media aesthetic,” Del Rosario says.