Pineapple Tepache Is an Ancient Beverage Making a Comeback

[Celerity]

De La Calle founder Rafael Martin del Campo shares his love for the ancient Mexican drink.

https://www.thrillist.com/drink/nation/how-to-make-tepache



A simple fermented drink, tepache is a combination of pineapple rinds and brown sugar. “It’s a simple drink that anybody can make at home,” says Rafael Martin del Campo, co-founder of De La Calle, a canned tepache brand. “I grew up making this drink in the kitchen counter with my grandma.” The ancient beverage originated with indigenous groups in Mexico. Several variations of it exist throughout Mexico (some with quince and apple, for example), but it’s common to find pineapple tepache sold on the streets where it’s packaged in a plastic bag with a straw.



De La Calle, which means “of the street,” was first introduced in 2021. It’s the brainchild of Martin del Campo, a native of Mexico, and Alex Matthews, who became smitten with the beverage on visits to the country. They connected through a mutual friend and together they decided to put a modern twist on tepache. “We took multiple trips to Mexico and tried hundreds of tepache,” says Matthews.



“Whether it’s from a roadside stand in Oaxaca to a market in Mexico City to trying it in Enrique Olvera’s restaurant, Criollo, they’re serving it.” To modernize it, Martin del Campo suggested putting it in a can and adding carbonation. With a background in food science technology and culinary arts, he spearheaded the recipe development. “We tried to keep as many of the traditional flavors from Mexico as close as possible,” he says. “So we inspire our flavors based on different regions in Mexico.”



One of De La Calle’s flavors, for example, is Chamoy. Chamoy is a condiment in Mexico typically made with dehydrated fruit, chilies, salt, and sugar. “You see chamoy everywhere in Mexico,” Martin del Campo says. “I haven’t seen any other soft drink that has chamoy flavor in it. So this is what we wanted. To innovate and explore different flavors that we can offer to the people.” Other flavors in the lineup include Prickly Pear Cactus and Tamarind Citrus. “Tamarind is one of the flavors that reminds me of my childhood,” he says. “I grew up going to the beach, to Acapulco, every summer or almost every summer. You would buy tamarind candies and tamarind paste in the market all the time.”



snip

[samnsara]

1. in college in the 70s i had a lot of friends from Peru and Bolivia..they told me about this

..but we didnt put brown sugar in it..just fermented the peels in a jar of water and scraped off the scum..