A look back at the food trends that took over Asia, from bubble tea to dirty bread
Asia doesn’t just follow food trends—it devours them. Over the past decade, the region has seen bread queues stretching around city blocks, bubble tea orders so excessive they prompted sugar taxes, and enough salted egg dishes to season an island. From Manila to Taipei, Seoul to Singapore, these obsessions weren’t just about flavour; they were also about spectacle and community.
Driven by FOMO, Instagram, and brilliant branding, here are the food trends that took Asia by storm—plus the restaurants and cafés that transformed cravings into cultural phenomena.
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Bubble tea (2010 and 2017)
Boba has existed since the 1980s, but it exploded anew in the late 2010s, then again in the early 2020s. This resurgence was all about premium upgrades: brown sugar pearls, cheese foam, hand-kneaded taro. Brands like Tiger Sugar and The Alley led the charge, with viral videos of cascading syrup and endless queues. The obsession even jumped genres—think boba toast, boba pizza, boba beer.
See more: Is bubble tea unhealthy and can boba be subject to cultural appropriation? Experts weigh in
Mala (2016-2019)
More than a flavour, mala was a full sensory assault—spicy, numbing, addictive. This fiery Sichuan profile first surged through hotpot chains like Haidilao, then infiltrated the snack aisle and fast-food menus. Think mala-flavoured chips, Samyang’s Mala Buldak noodles and mala burgers from McDonald’s China. In Singapore, KFC released a Mala Goldspice flavour for its fried chicken as late as 2024, as cult favourites like Le Fuse and Ri Ri Hong Mala Xiang Guo kept the flame alive.
Don't miss: The best mala xiang guo in Singapore, according to local chefs
Ube (2020-2022)
Ube, once a humble ingredient from the Philippines, has become a trendy food item all over the world (Photo: Elly Aceron/Unsplash)
Once a beloved but humble dessert ingredient in the Philippines, ube (purple yam) went global during the pandemic. Bakers from Los Angeles to Sydney churned out ube doughnuts, lattes, cheesecakes and brownies, helping this vibrant root crop claim its long-overdue spotlight. The trend was fuelled by diaspora communities and lockdown baking, transforming ube into an Instagrammable icon.
Korean street toast and egg drop sandwiches (2019-2021)
Breakfast sandwiches got a K-upgrade: fluffy scrambled eggs, mayo, cheese and special sauces, served in soft brioche. From convenience stores in Seoul to cafés nearly everywhere else in Asia, these sandwiches became viral comfort food. Isaac Toast pioneered the trend, while Egg Drop gave it a glossy, Instagram-ready makeover.
Salted egg (2014-2018)
Long a staple in Asian cuisine, salted egg found new life as a snack sensation. Singapore-based Irvin’s Salted Egg Chips—once sold in Ziploc bags—sparked a regional craze, with their bold packaging and addictive flavour. The trend spun out into salted egg fries from McDonald’s Singapore, Indomie salted egg noodles from Indonesia, along with salted egg croissants, cookies and pasta, making “egg yolk everything” a regional phenomenon.
Soufflé pancake (2018-2020)
Delicately balanced, immensely photogenic, the Japanese soufflé pancake was all but guaranteed to become its own food trend (Photo: Unsplash)
Those jiggly, sky-high Japanese pancakes became the brunch flex across Asia. The secret? Separating egg whites, folding gently, and praying to the pancake gods. Their cloud-like texture, combined with café culture and minimalist plating, made them the kawaii queen of Instagram eats.
Cafés like A Happy Pancake and Flipper’s made soufflé pancakes a viral brunch item across Asia, with queues forming in Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Seoul. Cloud-like and Instagram-friendly, they were less breakfast, more edible ASMR.
Soufflé pancakes have become more than just a passing trend; in many places, they have become a permanent part of breakfast menus.
Cheese tea (2017-2020)
A trend that raised eyebrows and then changed minds: cheese tea combined creamy cheese foam with chilled tea, creating a sweet-savory indulgence. Chinese chain HEYTEA (now HEEKCAA) pioneered the phenomenon, which spread quickly to Koi Thé, Macao Imperial Tea and Happy Lemon. Cheese-topped oolong became the sophisticated cousin of bubble tea.
Matcha (2015-2022)
Matcha went from Zen ritual to hyper-aesthetic obsession. Kyoto’s Uji matcha led the movement, with cafés turning the finely ground tea into everything from lava cakes and frappés to soba and even tonkatsu. Tsujiri expanded across Asia and beyond, while Korean dessert cafés reimagined matcha as an element of minimalist café design and culinary creativity.
Read more: Inside the matcha mania: Why is your favourite green tea powder facing a global shortage?
Dirty bread (2018)
Messy was the point. Dirty bread or messy croissants—filled with gooey matcha or chocolate cream, then coated in powder—became a viral hit in South Korea and China. The dirtier your hands and face, the better. The trend was chaotic, indulgent and perfect for Tiktok-style videos even before Tiktok became ubiquitous.
Basque burnt cheesecake (2020)
This Spanish dessert became an unexpected quarantine star across Asia. With its caramelised top and gooey centre, the “ugly delicious” burnt cheesecake became a blank canvas for local riffs—think matcha, black sesame or ube. High-end patisseries and home bakers alike jumped on the trend, making it a comfort dessert of the pandemic era.
Korean cream bun (2020-2021)
Also known as saengkeurim bbang, these fluffy milk bread rolls filled with whipped cream became a viral sensation during lockdown. Sleek, minimal and melt-in-the-mouth, they were popularised by Seoul cafés like Knotted and Cafe Layered. Think: brioche meets a snowdrift, all in pastel packaging designed for the ‘gram.
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