A BRIEF HISTORY
700 B.C
or somewhere around that time in Pre-Hispanic MesoAmerica,
Pineapples begin to be cultivated in the region and this is where our beloved fermented pineapple beverage has its origins. The word itself, “tepache” comes from the Nahuatl word “tepiātl”, which actually tells us the original Tepache was made with corn, not pineapples! The Nahuatl language was spoken by the Aztec and Toltec civilizations of central Mexico, which is where our story starts.
PRE-1400’s
A version of Tepache is homebrewed by many
The legend is (and many historians believe) that people were making the corn version for many years before that evolved into tejuino. (Tejuino is still made and enjoyed today!) Pineapples enter the game sometime around the Aztec era since we know they were grown and traded throughout the region and into Central America.
A FEW CENTURIES LATER
TEPACHE IS SOMEWHAT OF AN ENIGMA SINCE NO MASTER RECIPE EXISTS. HAVING A SIMPLE CORE RECIPE OF PINEAPPLE, PINEAPPLE RINDS, CINNAMON, AND SUGAR, THE VARIATION OF SPICES ADDED (CLOVES, ANISEED, PEPPER) AS WELL AS REGIONAL FRUITS LIKE MANGO, ORANGES OR POMELO, MAKE THOUSANDS OF VERSIONS OF TEPACHE POSSIBLE. WE’VE SEEN VERSIONS WITH ANYTHING FROM LIME TO BANANAS. WE LOVE TEPACHE FOR ITS VERSATILITY BECAUSE IT MEANS WE CAN INNOVATE AND EXPERIMENT TO CONTINUE TO CREATE FLAVORS THAT YOU’LL LOVE.
IN MODERN DAY MEXICO
A version of Tepache is homebrewed by many
You can find Tepache served alongside street food and agua frescas in food stalls and tepacherias devoted to the drink. It’s probiotic, refreshing nature makes it (probably) the most popular pineapple beverage in the country.
2000’s
TEPACHE SHOWS UP AROUND THE US IN CRAFT BARS AND RESTAURANTS
WE’VE SEEN TEPACHE SHOW UP IN CRAFT BARS ACROSS THE U.S. WITH BARTENDERS MIXING TEPACHE WITH MEZCAL AND TEQUILA TO CREATE SENSATIONALLY UNIQUE COCKTAILS. DE LA CALLE IS EXCITED TO BE ABLE TO PRODUCE QUALITY TEPACHE AT A LARGE SCALE AND GROW THE FAN BASE EVEN MORE! OUR MODERN TAKES ON TEPACHE ARE CRAFTED AND DEVELOPED BY OUR CO-FOUNDER RAFAEL MARTIN DEL CAMPO, WHO LEARNED HOW TO MAKE IT FROM HIS GRANDMOTHER (WHO LEARNED HOW TO MAKE IT FROM HER GRANDMOTHER) IN THEIR FAMILY KITCHEN. WE CAN’T WAIT TO SEE THE HISTORY OF THIS AMAZING BEVERAGE CONTINUE TO EVOLVE OVER TIME!
Today
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