Popping boba, also called popping pearls, is a type of boba used in

bubble tea Bubble tea (also known as pearl milk tea, bubble milk tea, tapioca milk tea, boba tea, or boba; zh, t=珍珠奶茶, p=zhēnzhū nǎichá, zh, t=波霸奶茶, p=bōbà nǎichá, labels=no) is a tea-based drink most often containing chewy tapio ...

. Unlike traditional boba, which is

tapioca Tapioca (; ) is a starch extracted from the tubers of the cassava plant (''Manihot esculenta,'' also known as manioc), a species native to the North Region, Brazil, North and Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast regions of Brazil, but which has ...

-based, popping boba is made using the

spherification Spherification is a culinary process that employs alginic acid, sodium alginate and either calcium chloride or calcium glucate lactate to shape a liquid into squishy spheres which visually and texturally resemble roe. The technique was documented ...

process that relies on the reaction of

sodium alginate Alginic acid, also called algin, is a naturally occurring, edible polysaccharide found in brown algae. It is hydrophilic and forms a viscous gum when hydrated. When the alginic acid binds with sodium and calcium ions, the resulting salts are kn ...

and either

calcium chloride Calcium chloride is an inorganic compound, a Salt (chemistry), salt with the chemical formula . It is a white crystalline solid at room temperature, and it is highly soluble in water. It can be created by neutralising hydrochloric acid with cal ...

calcium lactate Calcium lactate is a white crystalline salt with formula , consisting of two lactate anions (CHOH) for each calcium cation . It forms several hydrates, the most common being the pentahydrate ·5. Calcium lactate is used in medicine, mainly to t ...

. Popping boba has a thin, gel-like skin with juice inside that bursts when squeezed. The ingredients for popping boba generally consist of water, sugar, fruit juice or other flavors, and the ingredients required for spherification. In addition to being used in place of traditional boba in bubble tea, it is used in smoothies, slushies and as a topping for

frozen yogurt Frozen yogurt (also known as frogurt or by the tradename Froyo; ) is a frozen dessert made with yogurt and sometimes other dairy and non-dairy products. Frozen yogurt is a frozen product containing the same basic ingredients as ice cream, but c ...

. Some popular flavors of popping boba include mango, passion fruit, strawberry, green tea, honeydew melon, pomegranate, blueberry, lychee, coconut, raspberry, pineapple, dragon fruit and kiwi.

References

Taiwanese drinks {{Taiwan-cuisine-stub