Pineapple Tepaché

Historically made with corn, tepache is a fermented alcohol-free indigenous Mexican drink. Its name comes from the Nahuatl words tepachoa, meaning “pressed or ground with a stone,” and tepiātl, which means “drink of corn.” Tepache, as the name describes, was essentially a crushed corn drink. With the introduction of pineapple cultivation through trade routes between the tribes in Central and South America, small chunks of pineapple were likely added to the original tepache recipe to sweeten it. Over time, pineapple replaced the mashed corn as the base.

In the case of tepache, the fermentation occurs spontaneously, all thanks to the presence of wild bacteria and yeast that naturally live on the fruit's skin. The yeast and bacteria create different byproducts during fermentation, which helps give tepache its complexity. The yeast eat the sugars in the brew and produce carbon dioxide, helping to create its signature fizz.  The bacteria, meanwhile, also eat the sugars, but in their case they produce carbon dioxide and lactic acid as byproducts, giving tepache a sour tang as well as additional fizz.

Tepache is a faster ferment than kombucha, taking about 3 days It should have a light vinegar aroma and taste sweet, earthy, and pleasantly acidic with notes of caramel. Add some cinnamon, cloves or ginger slices to your tepache and enjoy it cold! Ingredients: pineapple skin, water, raw brown cane sugar.