Bubble tea or pearl tea, also known by its Anglicism bubble tea, is the summer trend in frozen drinks. Created in the the 80’sis a flavored sweet tea drink, and invented in the Taiwan island. Although recipes vary, most of them have a tea base, mixed with small gummy tapioca “pearls” or “bubbles”, sweetened with honey or glucose syrup.
These pearls settle to the bottom of the drink and are absorbed with thick straws. There are many variants of the drink, depending on the type of tea used and the ingredients added. The most popular are the red tea with foam, green tea Y oolong bubble tea. What is called ´zhēn zhū´ are the tapioca balls, which are smeared with honey or fructose before being added to the drink.
These drinks are distinguished by the base they use: those with a tea base, those with milk or yogurt or only fruit juice. However, some establishments serve creative mixes with additions such as cream. Some healthier varieties are made entirely of fruit with pearls, accompanied with some type of ice cream. Some locations offer alternative sweeteners, such as honey, agave, stevia, and aspartame to sweeten the flavor.
Bubble tea emerged in Taiwanese urban centers in the late 1980s, first spreading to neighboring East Asian countries, migrating to New York’s Chinatown, from where it spread to various points on the US West Coast. In Buenos Aires, the pioneers in offering the drink were the premises and street stalls of the emblematic Chinatown of Belgrano. Currently, several exclusive venues for this infusion are located a few meters from the Obelisk.
In the curious story of this concoction, there is a local who claims to be the creator of bubble tea. the tea house Chun Shui Tang, in Taichung (Taiwan), where Liu Han Chie experimented with tea and cold milk, mixing it with fruit, syrup, caramelized sweet potato, and tapioca balls in 1980. Although the drink was not initially popular at home, a Japanese television program sparked interest among Asian businessmen and city youth.
by RN
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