Tepache

Yesterday's San Francisco Chronicle mentioned tepache, which it said is popular in Puebla and Mexico city and described it as "an agua made of whole ripe pineapple, peels and all, and piloncillo (brown sugar). It has a slightly fermented quality and often is made with alcohol."

here's the link: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2005/07/20/FDG54DNVTR1.DTL


Has anyone seen this in Chicago?

Kristen

*fixed link!

I think JeffB is still out of town, so I'll take the liberty of linking to one of his posts:
http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=8744#8744

At the end, he mentions the tepache from Chorritos, on Clark just north of Devon. (Perhaps not the best rendition of tepache...)

Jeff tried the tepache on my urging, unfortunately he didn't care at all for it. I did, quite a bit actually, especially on a very hot day.

I will say that their tepache at chorritos is fairly variable in terms of what it will taste like that day, not so much in quality, but in what the constituent ingredients seem to be.

Here's a lot more on chorritos and tepache, including some exposition from RST

That was a lot of info. thanks! My concern after reading JeffB's post was that Chorritos made theirs from some sort of a mix, but the CH posts cleared that up. I will have to head up to Chorritos and give it a try. Anyone know if the fruit stand at 21st and Wolcott is still there?

I looked into making it myself and web searches turned up variations of the same recipe (like this one: http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/tepache.htm) which call for simmering for 48 hours. Maybe in a slow cooker? I might give it a shot one of these days...

Kristen

Today I had some Tepache from a stand on the southwest corner of Sacramento and 26th street. It was very different from the version sold by La Chapparita. I even went to LC afterwards, so I could make a comparison while it was fresh in my mind. First off, the stuff from the stand was much less sweet. The LC version was almost syrupy by comparison (in both flavor and texture). Secondly, it was not nearly as fruity. The LC version had a distinct Pineapple flavor, whereas the stand Tepache was somewhat fruity, but not tasting of fresh fruit juice. The fruit flavor was more from fermented sugars. It did have the sour flavor of limons, but again much of the sour was from the acids produced by bacterial fermentation. The LC version also made heavy use of spices with a heavy cinnamon flavor. The stand version had just a pinch. Most of all the stand version had a distinct bitter/sour aftertaste like you get in a Lambic. There was the unmistakable flavor of wild yeast and basillus fermentation. The more complete fermentation was probably responsible for the reduced amount of residual sugar and the noticeably higher amount of ethyl alcohol. The stand Tepache had all the earmarks of a wild fermentation, whereas the LC Tepache was a tasty beverage with a touch of alcohol. The LC Tepache was sweeter, spicier and fruitier, which made it very palatable, but nothing I would drink in large quantities. The stand Tepache, on the other hand was indeed fruity and sweet by ale standards, but not nearly approaching the fuity sweetness of LC's version.

I suspect the LC version of Tepache is geared towards being non-offensive to most palates, but the other stuff is probably more authentic and closer in flavor to traditional Tepache. It resembled a Belgian "wild" ale with a little sugar and fruit added, much like a hard cider. The way it was served was interesting also. The young lady at the stand put ice cubes in a cup, then ladled the liquid from a plastic bucket, making sure to get a touch of silt. She then topped the cup off with finely crushed ice. I guess this was so the crushed ice would quickly cool the drink, but the cubes kept it from becoming too diluted. All in all, I found the "stand" Tepache to be more enjoyable and refreshing, but it was something that many people would not like. Many people detest the bitter rotting fruit flavor of some Belgian ales, especially that "barnyard funk" produced by wild fermentation. I would not have a problem polishing off a half gallon of the "stand" Tepache (got to find a better name), whereas the La Chapparita Tepache would send me running for some insulin long before that.

I think many people would find the LC version of Tepache to be preferable for the very reasons that I do not. Somewhere (maybe in this thread?) I suggested having a Tepachethon. Later I thought that Tepache was not substantial enough fodder to merit a thon of its own. Doing a "thon" based around a single beverage seemed a little lightweight. Now, having sampled two very different versions side by side, I am eager to do a serious tasting. Each of those beverages I sampled were good in their own ways, and could each appeal to a large audience. I think a group of tasters could spend hours compiling data and making comparisons of various aspects of the beverage. After all, beer and wine are also very simple beverages that engender a whole world of experts and connoisseurs. I know a guy that works at the Beverage Tasting Institute. I wonder if I can enlist his aid in putting together a serious tasting? So who else wants to become a Tepachophile?

d4v3 wrote:I know a guy that works at the Beverage Tasting Institute. I wonder if I can enlist his aid in putting together a serious tasting? So who else wants to become a Tepachophile?

If it has qualities of a Belgian wild ale, I'd be in for a tasting session.

I'd be interested in a tepache tasting.

This sound like a great activity for the picnic...

The more "real" rustic stuff is made mostly with rinds, not sweet juice and pulp. Also, spit. Gotta have saliva to be muy autentico.

boudreaulicious wrote:This sound like a great activity for the picnic...

Oh yeah!

d4v3 wrote:Now, having sampled two very different versions side by
side, I am eager to do a serious tasting. Each of those beverages I
sampled were good in their own ways, and could each appeal to a large
audience. I think a group of tasters could spend hours compiling data
and making comparisons of various aspects of the beverage. After all,
beer and wine are also very simple beverages that engender a whole
world of experts and connoisseurs. I know a guy that works at the
Beverage Tasting Institute. I wonder if I can enlist his aid in
putting together a serious tasting? So who else wants to become a
Tepachophile?

Having spent a bit of time trying to discover places in Chicago
that make tepache, I couldn't agree more, Dave.

Tepache can be found in all forms from ultra-sweetened fruit juice to flat-out vinegar. Often times,
it's seems to be just a function of how long the tepache maker is willing
to hold it. The better places either sell out of the stuff quickly or, most
likely, will just make a new batch after time. Most won't, though, which is
why there are many vinegar-y versions around.

Here is a list of South side (only) places that will, at least periodically, serve tepache:

Taqueria Tayahua (2411 S Western Ave)
Yvolina's Tamales (18th St Farmer's Market) - Sunday's only & sporadically. Fantastic tamales.
El Mezquite (1756 W 18th St)
Weekend stand at SE corner of 21st & Wolcott
Birrieria La Barca (4304 W 26th St)
La Leyenda de Mexico (3211 W 59th St. Now closed?)
La Chaparrita (2500 S Whipple St). Sells it on the sidewalk out front when weather permits.
Maxwell Street Food stalls (Sporadically)
Burrito Grande (5108 S Archer Ave) Sporadically. Never tried it here.


If you’re planning an excursion, I would recommend doing it on a weekend and soon since street vendors will likely only sell their tepache then and many places will only make it during the warmer months.


Weekend stand at SE corner of 21st & Wolcott

Jug of La Chaparrita tepache now on offer.


Photo by Joel LaTondress (AZ)

Angelina told me yesterday that she's now making La Chaparrita's barrelled tepache and it's better than ever (Sorry, Jose!). This present recipe has more balance and complexity to it having a mild funkiness as well as being pleasantly fruity.

If you've never had tepache before, this is a good starting point.

Has anyone made tepache at home? I'm inclined to give it a try this weekend. Some recipes I've seen suggest that tobacco (!!!) be added for "extra kick." That sounds very intriguing. Anyone?

Habibi wrote:Has anyone made tepache at home? I'm inclined to give it a try this weekend. Some recipes I've seen suggest that tobacco (!!!) be added for "extra kick." That sounds very intriguing. Anyone?

You missed fropones wonderful home made tepache done in the style of a beer at the LTH Picnic.

stevez wrote:

Habibi wrote:Has anyone made tepache at home? I'm inclined to give it a try this weekend. Some recipes I've seen suggest that tobacco (!!!) be added for "extra kick." That sounds very intriguing. Anyone?

You missed fropones wonderful home made tepache done in the style of a beer at the LTH Picnic.

I quite enjoyed fropone's rendition of the beverage. I don't know whether it's typical, but it was very good, slightly sour, crisp and effervescent.

Had my first suburban tepache ever the other day along with a fine lunch (tlacoyos, memelas) with Mr. Fropones at Los Tamales Oaxacanos in Des Plaines. One of the rare tepaches I've had that had both acidic funk as well as fruitiness. A winner.

Los Tamales Oaxaqueños
782 W Oakton St
Des Plaines, IL
(847) 357-1644

I had some @ Chaparrita yesterday. It was skewing sweeter than it ever has and mentioned it to Angelina.

Yvolina will be opening her own storefront soon. It will be across from the market at 814 W 18th St.