#ZeroWasteChallenge - day 9 -Tepache!

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Ok, today I'm using up pineapple peel and making - Tepache!

Tepache is a Mexican fermented drink. I found out about it from my son, who got really into this kind of thing during lockdown. You can find recipes online for Tepache if you Google it, but basically you put your pineapple peel (and the core, if you don't eat it) into a large jar with some brown sugar and flavourings. I usually add a cinnamon stick, some sliced root ginger, and a couple of slit chillies, which give a spicy kick. You can experiment. Top up with warm water and put the lid on. You may need to weigh down the ingredients with something heavy to stop them poking out of the water, as bits that stick out sometimes start going mouldy.

There's no need to add yeast, as the natural yeasts from the fruit and ginger will start fermenting the peels and sugar. After 2-4 days it should be fizzing nicely, and taste pleasantly sweet and pineappley. You sieve it into a jug, and decant into an empty fizzy drink bottle. Leave at room temperature for another day to develop some fizz, then chill and enjoy.

I'm anticipating my Tepache will take a little longer to ferment than it does in the summer, because the weather is colder. It depends on how warm your kitchen is.

Apparently, in Mexico they drink it half and half with beer, like a shandy, but it's a pleasant drink on its own, and is full of probiotics.

Another fermented drink that you can make from leftover food is kvass, which is an eastern European fermented drink made from toasted stale bread with added herbs, spices and/or fruit. I'll cover that in another post.