Food is a universal factor uniting people from all walks of life. Our love for the usual favorite dishes is also intertwined with our curiosity to try out new food and experiential concoctions. Chefs and people who love to cook are coming up with dishes that are both aesthetically and gastronomically delightful.
An article in Spoon University talks about the latest trend on sweets with purple haze. If you're a foodie, your social media feeds are probably filled with images of purple cheesecakes and all sorts of desserts with the same color.
A trending dessert that's sweeping the food and beverage scene now is aptly called "Borahae," a term coined by .K-Pop sensation, V from BTS. Translated from Korean, the term means "I will trust and love you always (I will Purple You)."
The story of Borahae - the latest purple colored dessert
Kenya BTS Army features the latest creation of KOI Dessert Bar owner, Reynold Poernomo, who's also a MasterChef Australia contestant. KOI Dessert Bar is known for creating unique and enticing desserts.
Just like the delicate purple flowers -- lavender, orchid, lilac, and violet, "Borahae" is seen as a dainty and precious dessert made of french earl grey sponge, cassis (blackcurrant), umeshu (Japanese liqueur made from ume plums) and yuzu (a type of citrus fruit).
It was not mentioned what gives the dessert it's purple color (although most purple sweets use purple yam as their main ingredient).
In KOI Dessert Bar's Instagram page, they say we don't really need to know the story behind this new creation to try and enjoy it. Yet every story adds up to the meaning of each new dish.
View this post on Instagram'Borahae' featuring, french earl grey sponge, cassis, umeshu and yuzu. (GF)⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ While you don't need the story behind 'Borahae' to entice you to go and grab this brand new creation, we think it's quite meaningful.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Coined by K-Pop sensation, V from BTS, Borahae is translated from Korean which, in a way, means to be there for you, love and trust you always. The term is affluent among millions of fans and is symbolised by the colour purple or violet, which is the last colour of the rainbow.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Fun fact, UNICEF also used the phrase for their global anti-bullying campaign in collaboration with BTS.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #KOIDessertBar⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #SpringatKOI A post shared by KOI Dessert Bar (@koidb) on Oct 21, 2020 at 12:30am PDT
Significance of the color purple
Purple combines the warmth of blue and the powerful energy of red. This color is often associated with royalty and power. It also represents creativity, wisdom, dignity, devotion, peace, mystery, ambition, and independence.
Purple is usually attributed to having a sacred and magical meaning and said to have a variety of positive effects on the mind and body.
Some people say that purple is the last color among the rainbow colors. In reality, the last rainbow color is said to be violet. Whether purple and violet are the same colors probably would not make much difference to most people. What matters is the impact and significance that is associated with this hue.
With social media, most people now have the ability to be a food critic. What you eat or where you go to eat becomes an important form of self-expression ("Youniverse").
Many people are shifting from collecting things to collecting experiences (also referred to as The Experience Economy), one of which is akin to Michelin-star dining experiences or a simple dine out at a new restaurant and trying out new dishes.
Hence, we see more restaurant marketing efforts focusing on social media presence and engagement as chefs and kitchen staff create and serve Instagram and Pinterest-worthy dishes such as "Borahae" and other purple sweets that every foodie will be delighted to try.
