Chamoy (sauce)

Chamoy(Spanish pronunciation:[tʃaˈmoj]) is a variety of savorysaucesandcondimentsinMexican cuisinemade from pickled fruit. Chamoy may range from a liquid to a paste consistency, and typically its flavor is salty, sweet, sour, and spiced withchilies.
Mexican chamoy is prepared by first packing the fruit in abrinesolution. Occasionally, this brine is acidified withvinegar. This draws out the natural moisture of the fruit byosmosis. When the fruit has been sufficiently dried, it is separated from the brine and is sold as a snack known assaladitos, literally 'little salty things.'
Meanwhile, the salted fruit brine created in this process is seasoned to taste withchilipowder, 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, chamoy can vary widely in taste. Most are quite savory and spicy due to the addition of chili powder, and salty due to the brine. Depending on whether and how much vinegar was used, they may also vary from sour to sweet.
The precise origins of chamoy are uncertain. There are three main pathways that they may have been introduced to Mexico, as well as the origin of the name. All of them ultimately originate from the ChineseLi Hing Mui(Huà Méi 話梅) snacks, made from dried, sour, and salty plums or berries.
The first origin hypothesis is viaFilipinoimmigrantson theManila galleonswhich connected the Philippines and Mexico from 1565 to 1815. Chamoy is probably derived from thechampoy(also spelledtsampoy, or rarely assampóy) of thePhilippines.Champoyare made using identical techniques of dried fruits pickled in brine and vinegar. These are usually made from locally availableMyrica rubra, or from importedplums,prunes, orapricots. The latter are more often known under the separate namekiamoy(spelledciamoyinPhilippine Spanish, another possible origin of the term "chamoy"). They have the same flavor profile as chamoy: a combination of sweet, sour, and salty. They originate from theli hing muirecipes carried by Chinese immigrants (sangley) to the Philippines during the Spanish colonial period.Kiamoyis derived fromPhilippine HokkienChinese:鹹梅;Pe̍h-ōe-jī:kiâm-muî;lit.'salted plum'; whilechampoyis derived fromCantoneseChinese:陳皮梅;Cantonese Yale:chàhn pèih múi;lit.'dried peel plum', referring tochenpi. In modern times, the name is also applied to the unrelated Filipinotamarindcandy made from ripe tamarind balls cooked in a salt and sugar mixture. However, whereaschampoyrefers to the pickled fruit in the Philippines, in Mexico the termchamoyhas evolved to refer to the sauce derived from pickling the fruit; while the fruits themselves are now known assaladitos.
The second hypothesis is via 19th-centuryChineseworkers inHawaiithat also carried the tradition ofli hing muiwith them as salted and dried apricots. In this version, the name "chamoy" is supposedly derived from 西梅,see mui([siːmuːi]), which is more accurately a catchall term for dried fruit (especially plums) in Hawaii.However it is unknown how it may have been introduced to Mexico. Since the Manila galleons do not pass through Hawaii, the link is tenuous.
The third hypothesis is via theJapaneseumeboshi. The term "chamoy", in this case, was supposedly coined by Teikichi Iwadare, a Japanese immigrant to Mexico who producedumeboshimade withapricotin the 1950s,which he allegedly called "chamoy" from Chinesesuan mei("sour plum") or Vietnamesexí muôi("preserved prune"). However, no explanation is given as to why a Japanese immigrant would name his product in Chinese or Vietnamese.Umeboshipreparation is also very different in that it only uses dry salt and does not use vinegar.
Various versions of Mexican chamoy are sold under different brand names inMexicoand parts of the Americansouthwest. The thinner, more liquid chamoy is typically bottled and marketed in a similar fashion tohot 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. It is one of the more common ingredients for the street food known as "tostilocos".
Thicker chamoy 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 candies made frommango,tamarind, andwatermelon; these candies are often prepared in thesalado y enchiladostyle as well.
Chamoy is also used as a flavoring for frozen confections such as sorbet orraspados, a unique flavor combination that is at once sweet, salty, spicy, and cold. Raspados prepared in this style are often referred to aschamoyada.Paletasare also commonly offered in combination with chamoy. Favorite combination flavors in both raspados and paletas include pineapple, cucumber,lime, mango,orange,tangerine, tamarind and watermelon. Chamoy is also sometimes used to flavor Mexican candies.
The popular Mexicanbeer mixmicheladais sometimes made with chamoy instead of, or in addition to, the traditional assorted sauces used.