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Post by bixaorellana on May 22, 2011 8:58:02 GMT
I learned to make this years ago from a co-worker whose wife was from Honduras. I always followed his directions of putting the peelings from a pineapple into a gallon jar with water and brown sugar. The results can vary, I suppose depending on the yeasts in the air. One batch came out as a very acceptable Pilsner style beer! For the purposes of this thread, I sort of followed the recipe shown, mostly in the addition of the spices. I used the peel, core, & a little of the flesh of one pineapple, plus one cone (@1 lb.) of raw sugar, double the spices called for in the recipe, plus enough water to cover the ingredients in a gallon jar. I put the sugar in at the beginning because that's the way I've always done it. The recipe is from Diana Kennedy's Recipes from the Regional Cooks of Mexico. So here we are starting out at around 5:45 pm, Thursday May 19.  Friday, May 20, 8:47 pm Something is definitely going on!   Saturday, May 21, 11:11 pm  I've never added beer to it before, but I'm going to do it this time, just to see what will happen.
What happens is that the mixture seems to love its fizzy friend -- it seems excited and alive. Can you see the bubbles rising? The beer bubbles broke up some of the icky looking "mother" on top. I checked again before posting this, & it's calmed down, but there is definitely fermentation still going on. In a day or so, it might be time to strain it. |
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Post by mockchoc on May 23, 2011 7:16:10 GMT
I find making anything with yeast is exciting. It always looks wonderful just like when you make bread and it grows and the beer I use to make for my guy. I think only one bottle ever exploded  |
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Post by Deleted on May 23, 2011 8:48:14 GMT
As audacious as I can be when it comes to cooking, the thought of making something to drink, especially with such ingredients, frightens me.
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Post by hwinpp on May 23, 2011 10:32:44 GMT
Fermented drinks always look ugly compared to distilled drinks.
Isn't there a kind of beer in Eastern Africa that gets a kick start by adding enzymes contained in the saliva of humans? The 'spitting' beer?
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Post by Don Cuevas on May 23, 2011 14:13:14 GMT
I love tepache. But I have quite a lot of ginger beer on hand, and I'll use that up before starting a batch of tepache.
I once added bottled beer to my tepache, but didn't like the results as well as without.
Old tepache makes spiced pineapple vinegar.
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Post by Deleted on May 23, 2011 18:25:20 GMT
I suppose I must confess that pineapple is not my favourite item. My main gripe about pineapple is the juice, which separates almost immediately. It seem to be the cheapest juice available, because they are alway serving it at the nursing home. If my mother drinks it immediately, fine, but often I arrive and find a glass with two levels of juice separation and definitely nothing that anybody would want to drink in that condition. (And nursing home residents do not know how to mix anything up themselves.)
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Post by bixaorellana on May 23, 2011 18:43:27 GMT
Mockchoc, you are so right about yeast -- it's always exciting, primitive magic, even if we know the science behind how it works. Do you have all the equipment for beer making? I'd love to know how you did it. Kerouac, if you could smell this stuff, it would remove your doubts. There is nothing funky about it, rather a very fresh, natural pineapple smell. HW, surely there must be a whole culture of homemade hooch or beer-type beverages where you are, right? Have you made any? Mmmmm -- ginger beer. Ginger anything! True about the pineapple vinegar, & a great use for a batch of tepache that doesn't come up to snuff. I have a recipe (never used) for making vinegar out of over-ripe bananas, which I'll be glad to share. Okay, my tepache will get strained & used today. I just looked at it & took a taste. It's nice & fizzy & has a pleasant, not-too-sweet taste. I'll take pics of the process. I did go on line just now to find out more. I figured, since I knew about the recipe via Honduras, that it wasn't only Mexico which figured out a use for the pineapple rind: www.care2.com/c2c/share/detail/976949This person's method is totally different, but I'm including the link because the comments by readers are informative. And then, there is THIS GUY, who sorta sounds like he knows what he's talking about.  If I knew him, I would ask if he used the whole piña, or just the rind. |
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Post by bixaorellana on May 24, 2011 6:08:33 GMT
I don't know at what point the fermentation process would turn the corner into something ugly, but it seemed time to strain and bottle the tepache. This was around 3:30 this afternoon, Monday, May 23.  That's some impressive fizzy action, isn't it? But look at it here in action: Do anyport people know how to have fun, or what?! "Whatcha do today?" "Watched a video." "Yeah -- what?" "Bubbles rising in some mess a woman was making on the internet." "Cool!" First I dumped it all into a colandar set into a bowl. Murky.  I was going to filter it all through a coffee filter, but as soon as the contraption I'd set up flopped down into the pitcher, I came to my senses & just poured it through a sieve. Good enough. The color shows darker & redder in the pics than in real life. I got about 2 1/2 liters of finished product.   I agree with Don Cuevas that it is better without the beer. The beer didn't ruin the taste, but I think the versions without it are straightforwardly brighter. When I made it this time, I covered the top of the jar by setting a little bowl on it -- tight enough to keep out the fruit flies, but loose enough to let in some air. It seemed this method got the fermentation going faster. It's lovely and refreshing, with a little tang & a little sweetness, perfect for the hot weather we're having.  |
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Post by Don Cuevas on May 24, 2011 9:51:17 GMT
First of all, Bixa, you make beautiful tepache.
With my first efforts at making it, I used only the rind, but it had a little bit of the flesh on on it.
The results were "o.k.".
Later versions, I included more pineapple flesh, which of course made it tastier.
By the way, the fermented pineapple pieces are kinda tasty. I used some in conjunction with some brochetas de cerdo al pastor last year.
Combining two exciting fermented beverages in one, we might try putting a slice of fresh ginger in the tepache.
That raises a lateral question: why is fresh ginger so readily available in the Oaxaca mercados we've visited?
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Post by Don Cuevas on May 24, 2011 9:55:03 GMT
I'd make sure that clay pot is lead free before putting in tepache to ferment, as in the link below. patismexicantable.com/2010/07/crazy-for-tepache.htmlI use a food grade plastic storage container with lid, or a Mexican glass "barrel", such as is used to vend aguas frescas. No risk of lead poisoning. |
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Post by bixaorellana on May 24, 2011 17:06:20 GMT
Thanks, Don Cuevas! What looks like pineapple flesh in my pictures is mostly the core, although I did toss in some of the flesh, too. I tasted it after fermentation, but at least the piece I tried had little flavor. Probably the nicer fleshy bits would, though. Now I can hardly wait to make it again, but with ginger & maybe just a touch of clove. I have to go to the supermarket to find ginger here, though, as a rule. As you see, I make it in glass, not least because it's fun to watch the bubbles through the sides. The stuff stays fizzy, too. I've been using it out of the Padre Kino (  ) carafe, & it goes >poof< each time it's opened. Because of that, I've also been opening the other bottle occasionally, just to make sure no excess pressure builds up. The bubbles continue to rise in it. |
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Post by thill25 on May 25, 2011 18:19:56 GMT
I want to try this...looks yummy!
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Post by Deleted on May 25, 2011 18:22:20 GMT
I am certain that it is a fabulous constipation remedy.
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Post by bixaorellana on May 25, 2011 23:12:45 GMT
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Post by tod2 on May 27, 2011 14:24:17 GMT
Bixa, you may recall those pineapples on the side of the road on our Kruger trip - well I bought dozens and made pineapple beer from the skins. I didn't know about your fabulous Tepache recipe till now - adding the cloves and cinnamon seems wonderful! I simply added water and white sugar and some dried yeast. It turned out with a slight kick. I'll give it another try your way! About watermelon rind - it is used extensively in Dutch cooking here. We call it Waterlemoen Konfyt ( watermelon preserve). My late father made jars and jars of it and I think I still have a bottle somewhere in the storecupboard! This is the most original recipe: www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1623,146169-243194,00.html Best eaten as an accompaniment to cheese or pate`. |
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Post by bixaorellana on May 28, 2011 1:48:32 GMT
That's really interesting, Tod. When I looked up pineapple beer online in order to make this thread, I found it odd that the only African recipes were pretty elaborate. My feeling was that of course there would be one using the discards, just as there seem to be anywhere else pineapple is grown in abundance. I also didn't know about adding yeast until looking it up online. My first "recipe", the one I used forever was just rind + brown sugar + water + waiting.
Thanks for the rind recipe. I don't know how to ask this politely, but does it have very much taste? It seems as though it would be like the citron used in fruitcake.
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Post by tod2 on May 28, 2011 13:23:57 GMT
Yes, it is quite 'crunchy' ( in other words not slimey or sloppy) and firm - like eating any glace` fruit except its in a thick syrup. Of course excruciatingly sweet!
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Post by komsomol on May 30, 2011 22:37:47 GMT
That could be really good. Does the pineapple taste still dominate or is it the -kick- that you taste?
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Post by bixaorellana on May 31, 2011 4:48:49 GMT
If it's kicks you're after, Komsomol, you'd have to look elsewhere. I guess there is some alcohol content because of the fermentation, but I think it's negligible. Using the highly scientific method of how I feel after guzzling 12 ounces of regular commercial beer compared to consuming the same amount of tepache, I'd say the tepache might have 1% alcohol per volume or less. That said, the batch I made that was indistinguishable from regular beer did seem to pack a punch. That batch was made by putting the rind into a glass jar with the water and brown sugar, then letting it set out in the sun for a few days. It looked, smelled, & tasted like beer. I think that must have been a fluke, though, caused by whatever wild yeast landed in that batch, climate conditions, etc. As a rule, tepache does taste pineappley, with a nifty sweet-sour thing going for it. All of the South African recipes for pineapple beer were identical, & I imagine the addition of yeast would make for a more alcoholic product. daisyrecipes.iblog.co.za/2007/03/30/pineapple-beer/comment-page-1/I had a small, over-ripe pineapple I wanted to use up today. It had actually started fermenting, but I cut it up and discarded the verging-on-nasty soft parts. The rest of it -- peel, flesh, core -- I cut up & put in a pot of water with some raw sugar & let it boil for a while. I turned off the heat, added some bits of cinnamon stick, cloves, allspice, & fenugreek seeds, plus some unrefined sugar, & let it steep. It makes a lovely hot tea & the pineapple pieces were improved by their hot bath. I'm going to stick the pot in the fridge overnight, strain it tomorrow, & have the rest as a cold beverage. |
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Post by jmk on Jan 26, 2013 20:14:00 GMT
Now I can hardly wait to make it again, but with ginger & maybe just a touch of clove. I have to go to the supermarket to find ginger here, though, as a rule. I make tepache too. I don't even filter it-- just sift out the tough parts with my teeth, real man style. ;-) Did you make it with ginger? I've made jamaican ginger beer using bread yeast to get bubbles; but this seemed like it would be better. My thought is: exact same recipe, but add ginger juice the last 15 hours before refrigeration. Maybe some lime juice too? |
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Post by Don Cuevas on Jan 26, 2013 21:23:26 GMT
I suppose I must confess that pineapple is not my favourite item. My main gripe about pineapple is the juice, which separates almost immediately. It seem to be the cheapest juice available, because they are alway serving it at the nursing home. If my mother drinks it immediately, fine, but often I arrive and find a glass with two levels of juice separation and definitely nothing that anybody would want to drink in that condition. (And nursing home residents do not know how to mix anything up themselves.) Canned pineapple juice is pretty bad. Fresh is nectar, ambrosia. |
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Post by Don Cuevas on Jan 26, 2013 21:25:36 GMT
Now I can hardly wait to make it again, but with ginger & maybe just a touch of clove. I have to go to the supermarket to find ginger here, though, as a rule. I make tepache too. I don't even filter it-- just sift out the tough parts with my teeth, real man style. ;-) Did you make it with ginger? I've made jamaican ginger beer using bread yeast to get bubbles; but this seemed like it would be better. My thought is: exact same recipe, but add ginger juice the last 15 hours before refrigeration. Maybe some lime juice too? ¿Filtra? We don't need no steenkin' filtras. I enjoy making tepache but I rarely finish drinking the batch before it goes funky. |
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Post by bixaorellana on Feb 1, 2013 2:14:54 GMT
I never responded to Jmk?!
Que pena! It was either getting hold of some overly robust tepache that made me so giddy, or the thought of Jmk's robust manly style of fiber sifting.
At any rate, apologies & hoping for some enlightenment re: ginger juice. How do you get juice from the ginger -- with a garlic press, maybe?
DonC, how much do you make at a time? When I make it during the hot months, I have no trouble slurping all the ladylike filtered product down all by myself.
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Post by Don Cuevas on Feb 2, 2013 11:31:43 GMT
"DonC, how much do you make at a time? When I make it during the hot months, I have no trouble slurping all the ladylike filtered product down all by myself."
Two or so liters.
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CARMEN CRUZ
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Post by CARMEN CRUZ on Apr 15, 2017 19:27:33 GMT
DOES TEPACHE NEED TO BE REFRIGERATED AFTER BEING MADE ?
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Post by bixaorellana on Apr 15, 2017 19:47:43 GMT
Hi Carmen ~ I always refrigerate it, partly because it tastes good cold, but also because that slows the fermentation way down.
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) carafe, & it goes >poof< each time it's opened. Because of that, I've also been opening the other bottle occasionally, just to make sure no excess pressure builds up. The bubbles continue to rise in it.
