Chamoy
Encyclopedia
Chamoy refers to a variety of savory sauces and condiments in Mexican cuisine
made from pickled fruit. Chamoy may range from a liquid to a paste consistency, and typically its flavor is salty, sweet, sour and spiced with powdered chiles all at the same time.
, or pickled ume
fruit. In place of ume, the typical Mexican chamoy uses apricot
, plum
or mango
as its fruit base.
Like umeboshi, Mexican chamoy is prepared by first packing the fruit in either dry salt or a brine
. Occasionally, this brine is acidulated with vinegar
. This draws out the natural moisture of the fruit by osmosis. When the fruit has been sufficiently dried, it is separated from the brine and is sold as a snack known as saladitos
, literally 'little salty things.'
Meanwhile, the salted fruit brine created in this process is seasoned to taste with chile powder, becoming chamoy. This liquid may be further reduced, or thickened with pureed fruit, to achieve a variety of consistencies.
Because of differences in the type of fruit chosen and the composition of the brining solutions used, chamoys vary quite widely in taste. Most are quite savory and spicy due to the addition of chile powder, and salty due to the brine. Depending on whether and how much vinegar was used, they may also vary from sour to sweet. This combination is unusual in the U.S., where chamoy is often seen as an acquired taste
.
and parts of the American southwest
. The thinner, more liquid chamoys are typically bottled and marketed in a similar fashion to hot sauces
. Because of the combination of salt, sweetness and heat, chamoy is advertised as a condiment for a wide variety of foods ranging from fresh fruit and juices to potato chips and assorted nuts.
Thicker chamoys with a pastier consistency are occasionally sold in small jars, appropriate to use as a dip for vegetables or firmer fruits. These jars often are sold alongside similar popular Mexican dulces made from mango
, tamarind
, and watermelon
; these candies are often prepared in the salado y enchilado style as well.
Chamoy is also used as a flavoring for frozen confections such as sorbet or raspados, a unique flavor combination that is at once sweet, salty, spicy, and cold. Raspados prepared in this style are often referred to as chamoyada. Popsicle
s are also commonly offered in combination with chamoy. Favorite combination flavors in both raspados and popsicle
s include pineapple
, cucumber
, lime
, mango, orange
, tangerine
, tamarind and watermelon.
The popular Mexican beer mix Michelada
is sometimes made with Chamoy instead of, or in addition to, the traditional assorted sauces used.
Mexican cuisine
Mexican cuisine, a style of food that originates in Mexico, is known for its varied flavors, colourful decoration and variety of spices and ingredients, most of which are native to the country. The cuisine of Mexico has evolved through thousands of years of blending indigenous cultures, with later...
made from pickled fruit. Chamoy may range from a liquid to a paste consistency, and typically its flavor is salty, sweet, sour and spiced with powdered chiles all at the same time.
Origins
The precise origins of chamoy are uncertain, but some believe it to be a Mexican adaptation of the Japanese umeboshiUmeboshi
Umeboshi are pickled ume fruits common in Japan. Ume is a species of fruit-bearing tree in the genus Prunus, which is often called a plum but is actually more closely related to the apricot. Umeboshi are a popular kind of tsukemono and are extremely sour and salty...
, or pickled ume
Ume
Prunus mume, with the common names including Chinese plum and Japanese apricot, is an Asian tree species classified in the Armeniaca section of the genus Prunus. The flower, long a beloved subject in the traditional painting of East Asia, is usually translated as plum blossom. This distinct tree...
fruit. In place of ume, the typical Mexican chamoy uses apricot
Apricot
The apricot, Prunus armeniaca, is a species of Prunus, classified with the plum in the subgenus Prunus. The native range is somewhat uncertain due to its extensive prehistoric cultivation.- Description :...
, plum
Plum
A plum or gage is a stone fruit tree in the genus Prunus, subgenus Prunus. The subgenus is distinguished from other subgenera in the shoots having a terminal bud and solitary side buds , the flowers in groups of one to five together on short stems, and the fruit having a groove running down one...
or mango
Mango
The mango is a fleshy stone fruit belonging to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The mango is native to India from where it spread all over the world. It is also the most cultivated fruit of the tropical world. While...
as its fruit base.
Like umeboshi, Mexican chamoy is prepared by first packing the fruit in either dry salt or a brine
Brine
Brine is water, saturated or nearly saturated with salt .Brine is used to preserve vegetables, fruit, fish, and meat, in a process known as brining . Brine is also commonly used to age Halloumi and Feta cheeses, or for pickling foodstuffs, as a means of preserving them...
. Occasionally, this brine is acidulated with vinegar
Vinegar
Vinegar is a liquid substance consisting mainly of acetic acid and water, the acetic acid being produced through the fermentation of ethanol by acetic acid bacteria. Commercial vinegar is produced either by fast or slow fermentation processes. Slow methods generally are used with traditional...
. This draws out the natural moisture of the fruit by osmosis. When the fruit has been sufficiently dried, it is separated from the brine and is sold as a snack known as saladitos
Saladitos
Saladitos are dried, salted plums, which can also be sweetened with sugar and anise or coated in chile and lime.They are considered a candy in Mexico, though they originate from China. In Mandarin, the name for saladitos is "Suan-Mei", literally "sour plum"...
, literally 'little salty things.'
Meanwhile, the salted fruit brine created in this process is seasoned to taste with chile powder, becoming chamoy. This liquid may be further reduced, or thickened with pureed fruit, to achieve a variety of consistencies.
Because of differences in the type of fruit chosen and the composition of the brining solutions used, chamoys vary quite widely in taste. Most are quite savory and spicy due to the addition of chile powder, and salty due to the brine. Depending on whether and how much vinegar was used, they may also vary from sour to sweet. This combination is unusual in the U.S., where chamoy is often seen as an acquired taste
Acquired taste
An acquired taste often refers to an appreciation for a food or beverage that is unlikely to be enjoyed by a person who has not had substantial exposure to it, usually because of some unfamiliar aspect of the food or beverage, including a strong or strange odor An acquired taste often refers to an...
.
Uses
Various versions of Mexican chamoy are sold under different brand names in MexicoMexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and parts of the American southwest
Southwestern United States
The Southwestern United States is a region defined in different ways by different sources. Broad definitions include nearly a quarter of the United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah...
. The thinner, more liquid chamoys are typically bottled and marketed in a similar fashion to hot sauces
Hot sauce
Hot sauce, chili sauce or pepper sauce refers to any spicy sauce made from chili peppers and other ingredients.-Ingredients:There are many recipes for hot sauces - the common ingredient being any kind of peppers. A group of chemicals called capsaicinoids are responsible for the heat in chili peppers...
. Because of the combination of salt, sweetness and heat, chamoy is advertised as a condiment for a wide variety of foods ranging from fresh fruit and juices to potato chips and assorted nuts.
Thicker chamoys with a pastier consistency are occasionally sold in small jars, appropriate to use as a dip for vegetables or firmer fruits. These jars often are sold alongside similar popular Mexican dulces made from mango
Mango
The mango is a fleshy stone fruit belonging to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The mango is native to India from where it spread all over the world. It is also the most cultivated fruit of the tropical world. While...
, tamarind
Tamarind
Tamarind is a tree in the family Fabaceae. The genus Tamarindus is monotypic .-Origin:...
, and watermelon
Watermelon
Watermelon is a vine-like flowering plant originally from southern Africa. Its fruit, which is also called watermelon, is a special kind referred to by botanists as a pepo, a berry which has a thick rind and fleshy center...
; these candies are often prepared in the salado y enchilado style as well.
Chamoy is also used as a flavoring for frozen confections such as sorbet or raspados, a unique flavor combination that is at once sweet, salty, spicy, and cold. Raspados prepared in this style are often referred to as chamoyada. Popsicle
Popsicle
Popsicle is the most popular brand of ice pop in the United States and Canada. The first ice pop was created by accident in 1905 when 11-year-old Frank Epperson left a cup of soda on his porch in cold weather overnight. The next morning he went to go get the soda and it was frozen, so he put two...
s are also commonly offered in combination with chamoy. Favorite combination flavors in both raspados and popsicle
Popsicle
Popsicle is the most popular brand of ice pop in the United States and Canada. The first ice pop was created by accident in 1905 when 11-year-old Frank Epperson left a cup of soda on his porch in cold weather overnight. The next morning he went to go get the soda and it was frozen, so he put two...
s include pineapple
Pineapple
Pineapple is the common name for a tropical plant and its edible fruit, which is actually a multiple fruit consisting of coalesced berries. It was given the name pineapple due to its resemblance to a pine cone. The pineapple is by far the most economically important plant in the Bromeliaceae...
, cucumber
Cucumber
The cucumber is a widely cultivated plant in the gourd family Cucurbitaceae, which includes squash, and in the same genus as the muskmelon. The plant is a creeping vine which bears cylindrical edible fruit when ripe. There are three main varieties of cucumber: "slicing", "pickling", and...
, lime
Lime (fruit)
Lime is a term referring to a number of different citrus fruits, both species and hybrids, which are typically round, green to yellow in color, 3–6 cm in diameter, and containing sour and acidic pulp. Limes are a good source of vitamin C. Limes are often used to accent the flavors of foods and...
, mango, orange
Orange (fruit)
An orange—specifically, the sweet orange—is the citrus Citrus × sinensis and its fruit. It is the most commonly grown tree fruit in the world....
, tangerine
Tangerine
__notoc__The tangerine is an orange-colored citrus fruit which is closely related to the Mandarin orange . Taxonomically, it should probably be formally named as a subspecies or variety of Citrus reticulata; further work seems to be required to ascertain its correct scientific name...
, tamarind and watermelon.
The popular Mexican beer mix Michelada
Michelada
Michelada is a Mexican cerveza preparada made with beer, lime juice, tomato juice , and assorted sauces, spices, and peppers can be added for a Chelada . It is served in a chilled, salt-rimmed glass. There are numerous variations of this beverage throughout Mexico and Latin America.In Mexico,...
is sometimes made with Chamoy instead of, or in addition to, the traditional assorted sauces used.