波霸奶茶

波霸 is boba. 奶 is milk and 茶 is tea, so 奶茶. Altogether 波霸奶茶 is boba milk tea.

Milk tea with tapioca balls (boba), a concoction invented in Taiwan, although exactly where is disputed, according to The Boba Book.

*Origin Story

There are rival origin stories from rival tea houses in Taiwan, one of them that bubble tea was invented when someone added tapioca balls to their tea during a staff meeting (for once, a productive meeting!).

Trivia

Boba is a slangy reference from the 80s, not to a Star Wars bounty hunter but instead a popular Hong Kong actress (think big bobas), so the drink is often termed more genteely as bubble tea (particularly in Taiwan where it was invented) and pearl milk tea.

Categories:

台菜

飲品

Yale:

bō ba náaih chàh

Jyutping:

bo1 baa3 naai6 caa4