tepache
fermented pineapple soda
i got into fermented sodas by way of the ginger bug. a ginger bug is a ginger, sugar, and water solution. the principle of making natural sodas is reproducible in fruits and vegetables that have not been sprayed with pesticides. the skin of such is often teeming with natural yeasts left to thrive.
since we do live in a world where most of our produce comes from industrialized farming, trying to create fermented sodas from just any fruit skin can be difficult. ginger and other rhizomes are perfect for this experiment – tumeric, horseradish, galangal – but if you grow your own vegetables, i’d recommend experimenting with what you grow.
a common fruit that also carries natural yeast is pineapple, and a drink indigenous to the americas that traces its roots back to the mayans in mesoamerica, is tepache.
what tepache is known as now is a fermented soda made from pineapple skin. but the word “tepache” comes from the Nahuatl word tepiātl which translates to “drink made from corn,” meaning that it was originally a beverage made from none other than the native maize. at some point, it became adapted to use pineapple, a fruit common to the tropical regions of mesoamerica.
the main ingredients used is pineapple, sugar, and cinnamon, but everyone has their own way of spicing things up. and since the pineapples have just been calling out to me during my grocery store strolls with their parabolic hairdos and their ripe carapaces, i had to give it a go.
its refreshing to drink straight, but also goes well as a marinade for seafood.
Ingredients
1 pineapple
1 piece of ginger
2 cinnamon sticks
4 star anise
1 dried red chili
200 grams brown sugar, or piloncello if you can find it
4-5 liters water – about 4 cups boiled
Instructions
twist the leaves off the pineapple, or slice off the head,1 then slice off bottom
slice pineapples however you’d like, but be sure to keep the skin which is where the live yeast are
add brown sugar into a 5 liter jar and dissolve it in boiling water, then mix
add pineapple, ginger, cinnamon, star anise, and dried chili
fill water to the brim, cover with lid, and let ferment for 3 days in room temperature
after 3 days, transfer to pressure sealed bottles and store in fridge
Note of Caution on Fermented Sodas
fermented sodas often develop that nice carbonation and airiness when it is left to activate in pressurized containers. I usually ferment my kombuchas or ginger bug sodas in a sealed non-pressurized 5-liter jar for the first 3-5 days before transferring to swing top bottles (pressurized) to continue activating. sometimes, i’ll leave them on the counter top for 1-2 days but usually, i’ll transfer them to the fridge which significantly decreases the yeast activity2. decreasing its activity will create less pressure and therefore be less explosive.
it’s important to burp these bottles, or open them slowly and gently to release gas out at least once a day. as the activity ramps up, if they are stored in pressure-sealed bottles in room temperature, burping can happen more than once a day. if this doesn’t happen, they can explode bottles. i’ve personally never had an exploded bottle situation, but have certainly handled my fair share of fermentation eruptions that has left me with a mess to clean. burp liberally if you decide not to migrate the sodas to the fridge!
if you have any questions, please drop them here. i’ll make sure to leave this note on all fermented soda recipes i post.