Product information

Everything about tapioca parels

Tapioca pearls are the base of bubble tea — but in Asian cuisine they have been used for centuries in desserts from Vietnam to Taiwan.

What is tapioca parels?

Tapioca pearls (珍珠 zhēnzhū) — also known as boba, bubble tea pearls or tapioca balls, in Thai สาคู (saku) — are small round balls of tapioca starch (cassava), available in white (small, ±3 mm) or black (large, ±8–10 mm, made with brown sugar).

After cooking they are soft, glossy and have a Q-texture: elastic and chewy. Black pearls have a light caramel flavour from the brown sugar.

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Origin & tradition

Bubble tea was invented in Taiwan in the 1980s and has since spread worldwide. Tapioca desserts with pearls have been popular in Southeast Asia for hundreds of years.

Flavour & texture

Almost flavourless (tapioca) with a satisfying elastic texture. Black pearls have a light caramel flavour. They absorb the flavour of syrup or liquid.

In Taiwan as bubble tea (珍珠奶茶). In Vietnam in chè (sweet dessert soup). In Thailand in taro desserts. In Indonesia in es cendol.

Kitchen applications

Taiwan: bubble tea / boba tea (珍珠奶茶) with a tea base and milk · taro bubble milk tea
Vietnam: chè ba màu (colourful multi-layered dessert drink) · chè chuối with coconut milk
Thailand: taro coconut milk dessert · Indonesia: es cendol

Storage & freshness

Store dry for up to 2 years. Use cooked pearls immediately — they harden as they cool. In sugar syrup, keep at room temperature for a maximum of 4 hours.

Professional kitchen tip

Cook in 10 parts water over high heat. After cooking, leave covered to rest for 30 minutes, then drain and submerge in brown sugar syrup for flavour and gloss.

Fresh Tapioca Parels delivered daily to your kitchen

Choina delivers fresh Asian produce every morning to restaurants and wholesalers across the Netherlands and Belgium — Rotterdam, The Hague, Amsterdam, Utrecht, Antwerp and Brussels. No minimum order.

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