Some put in deep roots, some are fleeting, some are outright silly and some are just plain fun. I am putting the 鈥渏ust plain fun鈥� label on this one: pearl-shaped foods that pop in your mouth.
Tiny sphere-shaped foods seem to be everywhere, entertaining mouths with their pop-ability and the sometimes unusual transformation of familiar foods.
Call it part of a bubble moment: The is hot in fashion, and is loving soft, round corners and playfulness.
Here are some examples of pearl-shaped foods, old and new.
Straight from nature
Some pearl-shaped bubble foods have been with us for a long time 鈥� not fads at all. Perhaps the classic is caviar, and fish eggs in general. Different fish eggs have different types of 鈥減op鈥� and different flavor profiles.
Fish roe is great on blinis, toast point and potato pancakes, but also eggs, shellfish and pasta.
Not all caviar is pricy, either. California-based for example, offers gold pearl trout roe for about $14 an ounce; it's bright orange with a firm shell and a silky, distinctive pop. Their Estate Malossol Caviar retails for about $100 an ounce; it has a softer texture, a brownish black color and a buttery, earthy flavor.
Could it be time for the finger lime?
Another natural, pearl-shaped product 鈥� one not so well-known 鈥� is the . It looks like a skinny, pinky-shaped lime, but inside are wonderful little crunchy caviar-like pearls of lime juice. It鈥檚 definitely a novelty, but not a gimmick: The flavor and texture is a terrific addition to anything from oysters to scallop ceviche.
The skin of finger limes can be green, burgundy or dull orange. The pulpy pearls can be green, pale peach or red.
To harvest a finger lime鈥檚 caviar, just slice the lime down the middle and then squeeze each half. If your finger lime is fresh, the caviar should spill out easily. Look for them at specialty stores or online.
Boba and boba tea
Boba and (also known as bubble tea) have been around since the 1980s, introduced from Taiwan and now taking the world by storm.
Boba pearls are usually made from tapioca starch (from the cassava plant), water, and sometimes a sweetener, like brown sugar, using a process known as gelatinization. The little boba balls are chewy and bouncy, and while they are most often served in a sweet cold tea, they can also be used in different preparations. There is also popping boba, designed to burst when you bite into it.
Boba tea is usually sweet and creamy, shaken before serving to create a frothy texture. A fat straw is used to slurp up the balls, which are chewed as you drink.
You can buy boba tea at coffee shops and specialty stores, and get packaged boba pearls to make drinks and other confections at home. , for example, makes boba offerings like Lychee Popping Boba and Brown Sugar Boba. You can also buy ready-to-drink boba tea in a can, or bubble tea kits.
Spherification: Making foods pop-able
A trend that's been percolating for years is spherified foods 鈥� liquids that become squishy little orbs when a gelled membrane is created around them.
One of my favorites is balsamic and other vinegar pearls. , for instance, makes a line of Italian balsamic vinegar pearls, including some flavored with truffle and orange. makes balsamic pearls and also lemon pearls, filled with real lemon juice, and pomegranate pearls. turns truffle juice into truffle pearls, and also makes anchovy and pesto pearls.
鈥檚 vanilla, coffee and cocoa pearls are made for pastry chefs to serve on desserts.
You might sprinkle balsamic pearls on , salads, and burrata or other cheeses. Try lemon pearls on top of oysters or grilled fish.
Pomegranate pearls can be served on yogurt, tarts and 鈥� as can the the jelly-like arils that cover some seeds.
Spherification, or reverse spherification as it is officially called, uses sodium alginate and calcium to create the little orbs. The technique was invented in the 1940s and popularized by chef Ferran Adraia in the 2000s at his famed, now-closed restaurant El Bulli, in Spain. Chefs like Wylie Dufresne at WD-50 in New York have helped bring it to the fore.
Spherification beyond liquids
Some restaurants spherify their own foods, from ravioli to melons. Olive lovers might be dazzled by the spherified olives at Mercado Little Spain in NYC.
makes teeny little mozzarella pearls, weighing in at 2.5 grams each. They look adorable in pasta salads and antipasti platters. They also melt into perfect little cheesy pockets in baked pastas, like .
Easter candy, too
On the sweet side, there are translucent hard-candy rabbits stuffed with candy pearls from . You鈥檒l have to steel yourself to smash them open, or just shake the pearls out from the bottom if you can鈥檛 bear to break the bunny.
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Katie Workman writes regularly about food for The Associated Press. She has written two cookbooks focused on family-friendly cooking, 鈥淒inner Solved!鈥� and 鈥淭he Mom 100 Cookbook.鈥� She blogs at She can be reached at [email protected].
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Katie Workman, The Associated Press
