Tepache is a fermented beverage made from the peel and the rind of

pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centuri ...

s, and is sweetened either with ''

piloncillo Panela () or rapadura (Portuguese pronunciation: ) is an unrefined whole cane sugar, typical of Central and Latin America. It is a solid form of sucrose derived from the boiling and evaporation of sugarcane juice. Panela is known by other na ...

'' or

brown sugar Brown sugar is unrefined or partially refined soft sugar. Brown Sugar may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Brown Sugar'' (1922 film), a 1922 British silent film directed by Fred Paul * ''Brown Sugar'' (1931 film), a 1931 ...

, seasoned with powdered

cinnamon Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus ''Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, breakfa ...

, and served cold. Though tepache is

fermented Fermentation is a metabolic process that produces chemical changes in organic substrates through the action of enzymes. In biochemistry, it is narrowly defined as the extraction of energy from carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen. In food ...

for several days, the resulting drink does not contain much alcohol. In Mexican culinary practice, the alcoholic content of tepache may be increased with a small amount of

beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...

. In Mexico, tepache is usually sold as a chilled drink by street vendors. It is usually stored in barrels to make the fermentation process faster. It is served either in a clay mug or in a clear plastic bag with a straw inserted for easier travel. In the U.S., it is sold in

juice bars Juice is a drink made from the extraction or pressing of the natural liquid contained in fruit and vegetables. It can also refer to liquids that are flavored with concentrate or other biological food sources, such as meat or seafood, such as ...

or traditional Mexican restaurants in the Mexican American communities of the

Southwestern United States The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural region of the United States that generally includes Arizona, New Mexico, and adjacent portions of California, Colorado, Ne ...

. The fermentation process for making tepache is simple and quick, which makes tepache a drink readily produced at home. Tepache is fermented by different microorganisms. Bacteria, such as Lactobacillus pentosus, L. paracasei, L. plantarum, L. lactis and yeast from the genus

Saccharomyces ''Saccharomyces'' is a genus of fungi that includes many species of yeasts. ''Saccharomyces'' is from Greek σάκχαρον (sugar) and μύκης (fungus) and means ''sugar fungus''. Many members of this genus are considered very important in f ...

have been found in tepache.

Origin

''Tepache'' dates from

Pre-Columbian Mexico The pre-Columbian (or prehispanic) history of the territory now making up the country of Mexico is known through the work of archaeologists and epigraphers, and through the accounts of Spanish conquistadores, settlers and clergymen as well as ...

, as a popular drink among the

Nahua The Nahuas () are a group of the indigenous people of Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. They comprise the largest indigenous group in Mexico and second largest in El Salvador. The Mexica (Aztecs) were of Nahua ethnicity, a ...

people of central Mexico; in the

Nahuatl Nahuatl (; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahua peoples, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have smaller ...

(also known as Aztec) language, the word ''tepiātl'' means "drink made from corn". Originally, corn (

maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...

) was the base of tepache, but the contemporary recipe for tepache uses pineapple rinds as the foodstuff fermented to produce the tart drink that is ''tepache''. Some varieties of tepache, known as ''tepache de tibicos'', are fermented using symbiotic cultures of ''

tibicos Tibicos, or water kefir, is a traditional fermented drink made with water and a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeasts (SCOBY) held in a polysaccharide biofilm matrix created by the bacteria. It is sometimes consumed as an alternative to milk- ...

''.

Commercialization

Because of the popularity of tepache in Mexico, the drink is now being produced commercially as a non-alcoholic drink. There are a few different brands of tepache including ''Tepache'' from the Frumex Corporation. The original Frumex Tepache contained 12% juice and was made from fermented skins and pulp along with some sugar, spices, and barley. That version was replaced with a newer version that contained only 10% juice and no barley. That one was made from only fermented pineapple juice, no skins or pulp. The latest version, now rebranded as Tepachito, still contains only 10% juice but it is made from fermented juice and skin, no barley. It does include white and brown sugar and spices.

In popular culture

The drink tepache is mentioned in the popular Spanish-language quebradita song "La Niña Fresa ("The Spoiled Girl"), by Banda Zeta, in which the spoiled-girl character is offered several types of drink—including tepache—yet she refuses them all, for being beneath her social status. The drink tepache is also mentioned in Cornelia Reynas song "botellitas" where he is singing about different bottles of alcohol.

References

{{Pineapples Fermented drinks Mexican alcoholic drinks Fruit wines Indigenous cuisine of the Americas Cuisine of the Southwestern United States Cocktails with pineapple

Origin

Commercialization

In popular culture

See also

References