Don Pepe Chamoy Hot Sauce, 34.5 oz

Chamoy is a savory sauce famous in Mexican cuisine, made from pickled fruit like mango, apricot or plum, and made with salt, water, vinegar, chili, and sugar. The origins of Chamoy are unknown, but it's believed to be a Mexican adaptation of the Japanese Umeboshi. In place of the Ume fruit of which the Umeboshi is made, Mexican Chamoy is made using plum, apricot, or mango as a base fruit. Chamoy is prepared by packing the fruit in either dry salt or brine. Occasionally this brine is acidulated with vinegar, drawing out the natural moisture of the fruit. Saladitos "dried salted plums" are the result of the fruit becoming sufficiently dried and separated from the brine. The resulting salted brine is then seasoned with chile powder, becoming the famous and delicious Chamoy. The Chamoy can also be thickened or further reduced adding pureed fruit to achieve a variety of consistencies. Chamoy ranges from a liquid consistency, to powder and paste used to cover fruits. Its flavor can be sweet, sour, salty and spiced with powdered chiles. The differences of the type of fruit chosen, as well as the composition of the brining solutions used; play a big part in chamoy's different flavors. Due to the saltiness of the brine and the spiciness of the chile powder, chamoy can be quite spicy and savory, or even sour or sweet depending on whether and how much vinegar was used. Contrary to public belief, chamoy is quite healthy as it contains a good balance of minerals, proteins, fiber and carbohydrates so don't feel guilty about eating an apple with chamoy.