Tepeche – Mexican Fermented Pineapple Drink

Since the start of Lockdown in March 2020 I really got into fermenting and looking after our immune system by way of keeping our gut happy.

My newest ferment is a Mexican drink called Tepeche! Tepeche is a fermented pineapple drink made by fermenting the outside of the pineapple as well as the inner core in a mixture of sugar, water, cinnamon and another spice you might like to add like fresh ginger (unpeeled) or star anise.

Ingredients:

All you need is a pineapple, light soft brown sugar, cinnamon stick(s) and water. Optionally you can add a star anise and/or a thumb sized piece of fresh ginger (not peeled).

Method:

• Clean and dry a 750 ml to 1 litre glass bottle,
• Cut the top off the pineapple and discard (perfect for the compost bin),
• Cut the outside skin from the pineapple and roughly chop,
• Cut the pineapple into quarters and cut out the inner core.  Cut the core up into small pieces,
• Put the skin pieces and the core pieces into the clean jar,
• Mix the brown sugar in a jug with enough hot water to melt the sugar,
• Pour this over the pineapple pieces,
• Top the glass with water and mix the entire contents well,
• You can now add your cinnamon stick and if using the star anise and ginger slices,
• You need to weigh down the contents to keep them under the liquid. You can use glass fermentation weights however if you don’t have any use a zip-lock bag with some water then zipped to push the contents under the water,
• Put on the lid. Each day you will need to open the lid to let any build up of gas escape.  You can also taste it everyday until you like the taste,
• Leave the glass container on the kitchen work top for a minimum of 48 hours although I usually leave mine 3-5 days,
• Strain the liquid into a clean glass bottle.  Keep in the fridge until you are ready to drink.

Print

Tepeche

Mexican Fermented Pineapple Drink

Servings: 4

Author: Heidi Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 ripe pineapple
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 2-3 pieces cinnamon sticks
• 1 piece star anise optional
• 1 piece ginger (skin on) optional
• water to cover

Instructions

1. Clean and dry a 750 ml to 1 litre glass bottle

2. Cut the top off the pineapple and discard (perfect for the compost bin)

3. Cut the outside skin from the pineapple and roughly chop

4. Cut the pineapple into quarters and cut out the inner core. Cut the core up into small pieces

5. Put the skin pieces and the core pieces into the clean jar

6. Mix the brown sugar in a jug with enough hot water to melt the sugar

7. Pour this over the pineapple pieces

8. Top the glass with water and mix the entire contents well

9. You can now add your cinnamon stick and if using the star anise and ginger slices

10. You need to weigh down the contents to keep them under the liquid. You can use glass fermentation weights however if you don't have any use a zip-lock bag with some water then zipped to push the contents under the water

11. Put on the lid. Each day you will need to open the lid to let any builf up of gas excape. You can also taste it everyday until you like the taste

12. Leave the glass container on the kitchen work top for a minimum of 48 hours although I usually leave mine 3-5 days.

13. Strain the liquid into a clean glass bottle. Keep in the fridge until you are ready to drink.

Have a look at some of my other recipes you might like to try:

Harira Soup for Ramadan

Easy Summer Fruit Cobbler

Homemade Bread & Butter Pickles

I was not paid to write a review. All opinions and photographs are my own. No photographs may be reproduced in any manner without my written permission.