Vegan Recipe: Tame Tepache

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Tepache Recipe

 

For those of you who don't know what traditional tepache is, let me break it down for you. Tepache is essentially a type of Mexican "agua fresca" ...which is basically a juice beverage. I compare the taste of tepache to a pineapple version of apple cider. It is a very sweet, very spicy (as in spices, not spicy like hot peppers), very fruity drink. A traditional tepache recipe usually calls for fermentation of the beverage, causing it to become slightly alcoholic. It is then usually served iced and sometimes mixed with beer. My version is a bit different. Instead of fermenting it and serving it with ice, I prefer mine made more like a cider. It's served hot, in a mug, and non-fermented.

 

The recipe itself is very simple, assuming you have the ingredients available to you.

 

My recipe calls for:

 

.1 ripe, whole pineapple

.2 cones of piloncillo

.whole cinnamon sticks

.whole star anise

.whole allspice

.whole cloves

.water

.1 or 2 limes

 

Fill a big pot with water, about 3/4 of the way full. Add in all the spices and piloncillo. Cut the limes in half and squeeze the juice into the pot, then add the limes in as well. Wash the outside of the pineapple very well. Cut the leafy part off, discarding it. Now cut the rind of the pineapple from the flesh. Put the flesh aside for eating later... you won't be using it in the recipe! Add all of the pineapple rinds into the pot. Give the pot a good stir if you'd like. Set the stove to high, and cover the pot with a lid. Allow the brew to boil. Once the brew is boiling, turn the stove down to low/medium. Allow the brew to cook like this for at least two hours. The longer the brew cooks, the stronger the flavors. Make sure you taste test the brew as you go. Once the flavor is to your liking, pull it off the heat, strain it, and serve it hot like apple cider!

 

 

 

RECIPE SUBSTITUTIONS/ALTERATIONS:

 

.If you don't have piloncillo or can't find it, regular dark brown sugar will work just as well. Piloncillo is basically just a Mexican version of dark brown sugar. You can find piloncillo at Vallarta or any other Mexican grocery store.

 

.There are a few extra things I like to add to my tepache to change the taste slightly. You can also add cut up apples, apple sauce, and apple juice to sweeten the brew. I find that the extra sweetness goes great with the pineapples and spices.

 

.Whole spices really are a must in this recipe because you have to be able to strain them easily. I would not recommend using ground spices. I found mine at Vallarta, and they'd be easily found at any other Mexican grocery store. You can sometimes find whole spices in regular grocery stores too if you look hard enough/ask someone. Not every regular grocery store will carry whole spices.

 

 

 

 Thanks for reading!!!

 

BKL