"Tastes vanilla-nutty" Ube root turns coffee purple - how healthy is the food trend?
Papa Oro's now has four locations in the canton of Aargau and serves the ube root, which is typical of Filipino cuisine and colors coffee and cakes purple.
Image: Angela Charina Amsler
Papa Oro's now has four locations in the canton of Aargau and serves the ube root, which is typical of Filipino cuisine and colors coffee and cakes purple.
Image: Angela Charina Amsler
Ube has been conquering the world for some time now. But the trendy root has been slow to catch on in Switzerland. Papa Oro's serves coffee, cake and ice cream in intense purple. How does it taste?
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- The ube root colors desserts and drinks purple.
- This type of yam comes from the Philippines and is part of traditional cuisine there.
- Papa Oro's is a family business in the canton of Aargau and offers purple delicacies.
- However, a nutritionist recommends enjoying the ube "in moderate quantities".
The coffee glows a bright purple as Anja Guevarra places it in front of me. She is the daughter of Papa Oro, the namesake of four Filipino restaurants and take-aways in the canton of Aargau. "It tastes a bit like vanilla and nutty - you'll be surprised," she says when we meet at the location in Baden's old town.
The color may take some getting used to at first glance. "But once they've tried it, they're usually delighted. And then you've got them - next time they'll order it all by themselves."
Guevarra smiles. She is happy to be able to bring her culture closer to Switzerland. And a lot of it revolves around food. "Cooking brings people together. It used to be like that when my sister and I were little."
Papa Oro, as her father is also affectionately called by her friends, always cooked on a grand scale. "Just to be on the safe side, so that spontaneous guests always have something to eat," adds the young woman.
Papa Oro's is one of the few places in German-speaking Switzerland that focuses on Filipino specialties. And it has become a meeting place for Filipinos from all over Switzerland and even neighboring countries who miss their homeland and feel a little reminded of it.
Ube better enjoyed "in moderate quantities"
Ube is an important part of Filipino cuisine and is mainly served in desserts or drinks. At Papa Oro's, you can try the yam in the form of cappuccino, cake or ice cream alongside rice bowls or grilled dishes.
"The purple yam is certainly a culinary highlight," says nutritionist Jürg Hösli when asked by blue News. However, the founder of the Erpse Institute, based in Winterthur ZH, also warns against consuming the ube root "in moderate quantities": "Although ube contains antioxidants and fiber, which could have a positive effect on blood markers as part of a balanced diet, isolated extracts or excessive consumption pose risks - especially for vulnerable groups such as diabetics or smokers."
As there are still no human studies that prove the health effect - particularly on blood markers such as cholesterol, blood sugar or inflammation parameters - ube should be considered a stimulant and not a therapy, according to Hösli. Previous results have only come from animal or cell studies.
"Initially, the new food trend was still a little too exotic"
So you shouldn't overdo it with the purple root vegetables, which Anja Guevarra also likes to eat cooked just like that, but you should enjoy them consciously.
"At first, the new food trend was still a little too exotic for our guests, but it has since become more and more popular and people come to us simply because of the ube," explains the Papa Oro's family member.
The yam does not grow in Switzerland. "We work with imported products. The ube is a rare commodity here." When preparing it, it is important that the root is well done at the end, as is the case with Herdöpfel.
Papa Oro's recipe for success: the whole family works together
According to Anja Guevarra, the fact that Papa Oro's is doing so well - the fourth restaurant in Bremgarten has just opened - is probably down to the fact that it is a family business. "That's what makes us so approachable, many people find that appealing," says the founder's daughter.
Each of them brings their own talents to the table. While she herself tends to work in the background, helping out in service or taking care of administration, her dad is the brains in the kitchen and her mother is responsible for the desserts.
The Papa Oro's family has no plans to grow any further for the time being. "We just want to carry on doing what we enjoy and as much as we can bear. The way it turned out today, it all kind of came about spontaneously," explains Guevarra.
While her parents, who used to work in nursing, originally planned to return to the Philippines at some point, that is now history. The daughter explains: "Papa Oro's has given them a kind of mission here to create a home for Filipinos who miss home."
In the meantime, the partners of the two daughters have also joined in. "And who knows, maybe the third generation will be involved at some point."
The young woman takes a look at her little daughter sitting on her lap, who also likes to drink her babyccino with ube powder.
