Food things you should know

Tepacche is a traditional street drink common in Mexico. It is made from local fruits such as pineapples and fermented into a low-alcohol drink, and spices such as cinnamon are added. It is not only delicious but also good for the gastrointestinal tract. The complexity of Tepache’s long historical and cultural background is one of the reasons why its commodification in the United States has been controversial. Teppache has attracted market attention in some areas of the United States in recent years, not only as an ingredient in bartending, but also in the form of RTD. The popularity of healthy fermented drinks brought about by kombucha has also brought Tepacche's discussion to a new level.

Written by Hao Zhiqi

Tepache is a traditional street drink common in Mexico. It is fermented with pineapple and other local fruits into a low-alcohol drink, and added with cinnamon and other spices. It is usually sold in plastic bags. It is not only delicious, but also good for the gastrointestinal tract. Beneficial, it contains probiotics and prebiotics, which can effectively promote digestion. In recent years, this drink has been highly discussed in the United States. In addition to being able to drink cocktails made from tepache in bars, some businesses have gradually begun to sell this street drink in canned soda. However, there are many doubts about whether commercialization can be regarded as an appropriate way to inherit this traditional beverage. why is that?

Thousand-year-old traditional drinks are in danger of being lost

The origins of Tepache can be traced back to central Mexico before 1500. The word "tepache" comes from the Nahuatl language of Mexico, which means "drink made from corn", because tepache was first made from corn fermentation and was mainly used in ritual activities. Bromeliads are native to the Americas, and the earliest archaeological records of pineapples in Mexico date back to between 200 BC and 700 AD. It is believed that tepache was made from corn in the second half of the period, to pineapples and other tropical fruits such as guava and tamarind, with the ingredients varying depending on the region.

“There are countless cross-regional, terroir-focused fermented and unfermented beverages in Mexico and the Americas,” says fermented foods consultant Luna Vela. However, many beverages are no longer produced. With the entry of international restaurant chains and changes in modern people's eating habits, tepache and other ancestral beverages are endangered.

Tepacche is a common Mexican street drink that is traditionally served in a bag. With changes in eating habits and industrial structure, this traditional drink with a history of thousands of years is gradually disappearing. (Image source: Global Voices)

Incorporating Tepacche into the Kombucha formula is a decontextualization and exploitation of Mexican culture.

The complexity of Tepache's long history and cultural background is one of the reasons why the ready-to-drink beverage (RTD) format and commercialization in the United States has become controversial. Teppache has attracted market attention in some areas of the United States in recent years, not only as an ingredient in bartending, but also in the form of RTD. The popularity of healthy fermented drinks brought about by kombucha has also brought Tepacche's discussion to a new level.

However, Vela doesn't think Teppache should be viewed as the new kombucha. “I’m sad when I hear this. Ready-to-drink canned tepache is a trend because it feels refreshing and functional, but that also means it’s vulnerable to exploitation. "Recently, ready-to-drink tepache has grown rapidly in the Mexican and U.S. markets, but in the U.S. market, a large part of the trend comes from the packaging and marketing of tepache "healthy drinks" by some brands, low-alcohol and non-alcoholic Identity is sometimes used as a selling point to promote woke culture to younger generations.

In an interview with imbibe magazine, Mexican-American bartender Bryant Joel Orozco clearly described the potential benefits and drawbacks of commercializing tepache in cans: “On the one hand, Americans started to come into contact with tepache. A good thing, because it shows the diversity of Mexican drinks, not just tequila and mezcal.” On the other hand, like Vela’s concerns, Orozco also sees potential problems: “I know Tepa. "Che may be mistaken for the new kombucha, but this perception is harmful to Tepace because these are two completely different cultures." He also said that groups in the health and wellness business may try to take advantage. This trend is worrying.

When Teppache was commercialized into canned drinks and entered the U.S. market, businesses often promoted Teppache as the "new kombucha" because it was also a fermented drink with health benefits, which was relatively important to American consumers. Strange drinks. However, Mexicans do not want Tepache to be understood in this sense.

Commercialization may make traditional drinks more expensive and decoupled from the working class

As the United States commodifies Mexican drinks like tepache, it also risks disconnecting tepache from its original drinking context and alienating the working class who have sustained this food culture for generations. This has happened historically, as the boom in the global market for mezcal from Oaxaca, Mexico, has made the drink unaffordable for many locals in Oaxaca. But thankfully, the main raw materials needed for fermented drinks like Teppache are easily available and the production threshold is much lower. Anyone who is willing to try can ferment it on their own.

While the misuse of the tepache concept can be frustrating, most industry insiders believe that tepache's popularity in the United States ultimately helped raise awareness of the pre-Columbian beverage. Many young Mexican Americans are unfamiliar with this traditional beverage, and the exposure and popularity of tepache could help a new generation reconnect with their cultural heritage.

A modern new look at traditional drinks, canning and packaging of ancestral secret recipes

Los Angeles-based brand De La Calle’s tepache is a modern take on the traditional Mexican fermented beverage. De La Calle, whose brand name means "from the street," is credited with setting a new benchmark for this home-cooked or street-sold drink, not only delivering high-quality authentic flavor into canned tepache, but also tasting authentic Grounds such as tamarind citrus, chamoy (chipotle sauce made from fruits such as peppers, plums, and prunes), and pineapple with spices.

The reason why canned drinks can escape the standardized taste comes from Grandma’s ancestral secret recipe. De La Calle's recipe comes from a family recipe passed down from generation to generation by co-founder, Mexican Rafael Martin Del Campo, from his great-grandmother. In the fourth generation, Tepache has been transformed into a more modern packaged drink through canning, carbonation, lowering sugar content, increasing vitamin C, and obtaining organic certification.

Positioned as a "modern Mexican soda", De La Calle focuses on authentic flavors. The flavors mostly use ingredients commonly found in Mexican food, such as watermelon and jalapeno, cactus and pear, tamarind and citrus, mango and pepper, pineapple and Spices and so on. (Image source: De La Calle official Instagram)

It is worth mentioning that many bartenders choose to use the whole fruit to make tepache in order to reduce waste. However, the more classic method of making tepache is actually to use the peel and core of pineapples. These two are used. This often discarded part itself already complies with the concept of food conservation. Additionally, teppache made with the peel and core has a noticeable difference in texture, flavor and aroma compared to using the whole fruit.

De La Calle uses organic pineapple peel to give the drink its unique tartness, while raw sugar and other spices add a touch of sweetness and flavor complexity. While Teppache produces a small amount of alcohol during the fermentation process, the alcohol content is minimal in the final product and is non-alcoholic in De La Calle's canned version.

Spices such as pineapple and cinnamon are the main ingredients commonly used in Tepache. It is worth noting that in order to be true to the original taste, aroma and texture, the peel and core must be used instead of the whole pineapple.

The Latino population in the United States continues to grow, and retail channels are poised to target the Latin market.

In the process of expanding the market in the United States, De La Calle has not forgotten to maintain the cultural roots of Tepacche, which is also very consistent with the market development direction of the retail channel. Alex Matthews, one of the co-founders, said that U.S. retailers including Target, Walmart, Kroger and Albertsons are aware of the need to meet the needs of the Latino group, which is expected to account for 25% of the total U.S. population by 2028. De La Calle reflects this heritage and is a key to the brand's success. He also revealed that emphasizing the positioning of the product as a "modern Mexican soda" will be the focus of publicity that De La Calle will focus on in the next 6 to 9 months.

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Reviewing Editor: Lin Yuting