Bubble Tea

Sweet milk tea shaken cold and served over chewy tapioca pearls, sipped through a wide straw — Taiwan's most famous culinary export.

Bubble tea was invented in Taiwan in the 1980s, with two tea shops — Chun Shui Tang in Taichung and Hanlin Tea Room in Tainan — both claiming credit for the original creation, a dispute that remains unresolved. Chun Shui Tang's account holds that an employee added sweetened tapioca balls, traditionally eaten as a snack, into iced tea in 1988, and the drink was an immediate hit. By the 1990s it had spread across Taiwan and into other parts of Asia, and it is now sold worldwide, making it arguably Taiwan's most globally recognized food export.

Tapioca pearls should be cooked fresh and served warm-ish and chewy, never hard or gummy from sitting too long. The tea base is traditionally black tea, shaken vigorously with ice to create a light foam. A wide straw is essential for drawing up the pearls.