Taro: the root behind the purple drinks and cakes

Taro is the starchy corm of a tropical plant, a swollen underground stem that is boiled, steamed or fried and eaten across Asia, the Pacific and parts of Africa and the Caribbean. It has a mild, nutty, faintly sweet taste and a soft, creamy texture once cooked, and it is the base of many purple-looking drinks and desserts. This guide explains what taro is, how it tastes, how real taro differs from powder and from ube and where you meet it in drinks, cakes and buns. It also says plainly which Six Ping item is connected to it.

What is taro?

Taro is the corm of the plant Colocasia esculenta, a starchy root vegetable grown in warm, wet climates. A corm is a thick, short underground stem that stores starch, much as a potato tuber does, though taro is a different plant and the two are not related.

The plant has large heart-shaped leaves, and in some cuisines the leaves are eaten as well, cooked. The corm itself comes in many sizes. Some are small and round, and others are larger, with a hairy brown skin that is peeled before cooking. The flesh is usually white to cream, often with small purple or lavender flecks, though some varieties are pale violet.

Taro has been grown for a very long time, and several regions have their own claims to it. This guide does not give a date or a single point of origin, because sources differ on where it was first cultivated.

What does taro taste like?

Taro tastes mild, slightly sweet and nutty, with a soft, starchy and almost creamy texture. Many people compare the flavor to a blend of sweet potato and vanilla, though that is a description and not a precise match.

Because the taste is gentle, it carries other flavors well, which is why it is used with milk, sugar, coconut, butter and savory ingredients alike. When cooked and mashed, it becomes smooth and thick, and the texture can be dense or fluffy depending on the variety and the method.

In drinks and sweets, taro flavor is often reinforced with vanilla or sweetened condensed milk, which gives the sweet, nutty, round taste that many people think of as “taro.” Taro in a savory dish tastes more like a mild potato, because there is no added sweetness to lead.

Is taro always purple?

No. Cooked taro is usually white or cream with purple flecks, and only some varieties are pale lilac. The deep purple of many taro drinks and desserts usually comes from added color, from taro powder that contains it or from ube flavoring.

This is the most common surprise for people who first look at taro in its raw form. A drink that is bright, uniform purple is almost certainly not colored only by the root. Neither of these facts means the drink is fake. Taro flavoring, mashed taro and food coloring are all used, and a shop may use more than one.

For the reader who wants real taro, the signs are small visible flecks, a thicker, slightly grainy texture and a flavor that is less sweet. A smooth, bright purple, strongly sweet drink is more likely to be powder or paste.

What is the difference between real taro and taro powder?

Real taro is cooked and mashed root, while taro powder is a dry mix that usually contains sugar, creamer and flavoring along with some taro. Both are used in drinks, and the difference shows up in taste, texture and color.

Shops choose between the two for reasons of cost, speed and consistency. Neither is wrong. A menu that says “fresh taro” or “real taro” is usually telling you it uses the root, and a menu that does not say may be using either. If it matters, ask.

What is the difference between taro and ube?

Taro and ube are different plants. Taro is a corm with a mild, nutty taste, while ube is a purple yam, Dioscorea alata, with a deeper purple color and a sweeter, vanilla-like taste.

Both turn up in purple desserts and the two are frequently confused. A menu that uses the word “purple” without more detail does not tell you which one is used. Many Filipino bakeries use ube, while Chinese and Taiwanese bakeries and tea shops more often use taro. That is a general pattern, not a rule.

How is taro used in drinks, cakes and buns?

Taro is used as taro milk tea, taro slush, taro pearls, mashed taro filling for buns and cakes, taro cake and savory dishes. It works as a drink flavor, a pastry filling and a vegetable.

• Drinks: taro milk tea and taro slushes, made with a paste or powder, often topped with tapioca pearls.
• Buns and pastries: a mashed taro filling, sometimes sweetened, in soft buns, flaky pastries or rolls.
• Cakes: sponge cakes or roll cakes with a taro cream or paste, and taro layers in mooncake-style fillings.
• Savory cooking: steamed or braised taro in meat dishes, soups and stews, and Cantonese savory taro cakes with dried shrimp or sausage.
• Desserts: taro in sweet soups, with coconut milk or sago, and taro balls in shaved ice.

The word “taro cake” covers two different things. In Chinese restaurants, savory taro cake is a pan-fried slab made of rice flour, taro and sometimes cured meat or dried shrimp. In a bakery, a taro cake is more often a sweet cake with taro cream or filling. If you want one or the other, check the description before you order.

Is taro safe to eat, and how is it cooked?

Taro must be cooked before eating, because raw taro contains compounds that irritate the mouth and throat. Boiling, steaming or frying removes the problem, and the cooked root is safe to eat for most people.

Many cooks wear gloves when peeling, because raw taro can itch on the skin. Peel it, cut it into pieces and cook it until it is fully soft, which usually means boiling or steaming until a knife slides in with no resistance. Undercooked taro keeps an unpleasant scratchy feel in the throat, and that is the signal to cook it longer.

Allergy and diet questions belong with the shop and a medical professional, not a general guide. Taro is a starchy food, so people who track carbohydrates should treat it as one.

How do you buy and store taro at home?

Choose firm taro with no soft spots, mold or sour smell, and store it in a cool, dry, ventilated place. Taro roots usually last for some days to a couple of weeks that way, and cooked taro keeps in the refrigerator for a short time.

Asian grocery stores sell whole taro and sometimes pre-peeled or frozen cubes, which save work. Taro powder and paste are sold separately for drinks and baking. Do not store taro in a sealed plastic bag at room temperature, which can make it rot, and do not refrigerate raw whole taro for long periods.

How is taro used in dishes around the world?

Taro is cooked in many ways: braised with meat in China, pounded into poi in Hawaii, boiled and sliced in Japan and cooked with coconut milk in parts of Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Each cuisine uses its mild, starchy taste differently.

These examples show the range, from sweet to savory and from root to leaf. Each cuisine has many more taro dishes, and a short list cannot cover them. If you try taro for the first time, a mild preparation such as taro balls or a simple braise shows the flavor best.

How does taro connect to Six Ping in Houston?

The recorded Six Ping menu lists one taro item: Taro cake. A directory listing for the 9889 Bellaire Blvd shop names taro and pandan cakes, and the menu data describes Taro cake as a cake made with taro, listed by that directory, as recorded in November 2026.

No price was confirmed for it, so this guide states none. It is also not confirmed whether the item is a sweet bakery cake or a savory taro cake, or whether it is on the shelf on a given day, because the official Six Ping website could not be read. That website is the place for current products and prices, and the shop’s phone number is (713) 774-0325. See the menu page for the other recorded items.

Common questions

This article is general information from an independent guide, not from Six Ping Bakery itself. For the store’s current details see hours and location.