Ube is a trendy food that's been popping up a lot in the food videos I watch on Snapchat (#addicted). After watching one of these videos with my sister, she kept pronouncing ube incorrectly, which I may or may not have teased her for. To help my sister (and you!) out, I did some research to confirm which pronunciation of ube is correct. If you're unsure how to pronounce ube, don't freak. It's actually super easy to pronounce this popular food.
How to Pronounce Ube
Ube is another word for purple yam. It may not look like anything special from the outside, but inside the potato is a beautiful bright purple color. Ube is a popular ingredient in Asian cooking, particularly in the Philippines.
According to The Huffington Post, it's pronounced "ooh-beh." Popsugar has phonetically spelled it out as oo-bae, which does seem slightly different. (I'm now sitting here repeatedly saying "ube" out loud and it's a good thing no one else is home because I probably sound crazy). Based on further research, it seems as though both pronunciations are acceptable ways to pronounce ube.
Ube Uses
The traditional way to eat ube is boiled and mashed with condensed milk and a few other key ingredients. This is then molded and chilled to create a pudding called ube halaya. Ube has also been used in desserts such as ice cream and donuts—the possibilities are pretty much endless. If you want to try using ube yourself, check out this easy four-ingredient ube latte to get you started.
Ube is an ingredient that definitely makes some beautiful food, and you can't argue with that. If you're having debates on how to pronounce ube, you're probably safe with "oo-bae" or "ooh-beh." Just maybe don't say "ew-b."