Food Fact Friday: Chamoy with a recipe

Provided by Chispas Mobile Snack Cart ATL Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer For people who live to eat it s also street food season Frutas locas a zesty Mexican fruit snack is especially popular during the summer as multiple key ingredients like stone fruits melons and cucumbers peak this time of year But you can t mention frutas locas without the street snack s spicy topping chamoy Chamoy is a Mexican condiment made with fruit apricots prunes mangoes or plums lime juice and dried chiles The upshot is a harmonious blend of sweet and tart flavors with a nice dose of heat While it s popular in frutas locas it s used as a dip for fruits and vegetables like jicama a flavoring agent in savory dishes and as a coating for candy Chamoy is also used in tandem with chili-lime powder like Tajin A global historyAlthough chamoy is associated with Mesoamerica its origins definitely lie in Asia Chamoy may be a derivation of Cantonese see mui crack fruit or Japanese umeboshi salted or pickled plum The necessary fruits traveled to Mexico through human migration between the th and th centuries Apricots originally emerged in Central Asia while mangoes are native to South and Southeast Asia and plums trace back to China the Caucasus Mountains in the Middle East and Eastern Europe Like pastor meat which was influenced by shawarma the origin of chamoy illustrates the global food influences brought to Mexico by immigrants over the centuries Related stories Stroll serves coffee Latin street food from a silver Airstream Sprinkling salt on your watermelon isn t just a Southern thingSandia paletas watermelon Provided by Chispas Mobile Snack Cart ATL Chamoy at Chispas Mobile Snack CartLuis Enrique started Chispas Mobile Snack Cart back in because he missed the street food from a modern trip to Mexico You can often find Chispas at coffee and snack bar Stroll a silver Airstream parked at the corner of th Street and Monroe in Midtown I fell in love with the street food or just the street snack scene whether they were having crazy sodas with fruit or just mixed food he declared And then I literally woke up one day and was like man I m craving this At Chispas people can customize their fruit snacks For example Enrique s frutas locas bar allows someone to choose their preferred fruit and candy While the frutas locas and tostilocos tortilla chips tossed with fruits and toppings come with a choice of five sauces including chamoy Chispas also incorporates chamoy into the sandia paletas watermelon stick pictured above Related stories Why the margarita is the largest part popular cocktail in America Your DeKalb Farmers Area Atlanta s go-to for ingredients since Provided by Chispas Mobile Snack Cart ATL Credit Chispas SnacksChamoy recipe from Chispas Mobile Snack Cart ATLChamoy is available at bulk international grocery stores but it s easy to make at home Enrique sources his ingredients for chamoy at the Buford Highway Farmers Area Check out Enrique s chamoy recipe served at Chispas below Ingredients cup dried hibiscus flowers cup dehydrated apricots cup prunes dry chile de arbol cup fresh fruit of your choice optional Juice from two limes Juice from one orange oz white or apple cider vinegar cup sugar cup Tajin tsp chili powder tsp chipotle pepper powder cups waterDirectionsBoil cups of water apricots and prunes in a large pot Add hibiscus make sure to wash before using and chile de arbol Optional add fresh fruit of choice to enhance chamoy flavor Boil for minutes and then let cool Once cooled blend ingredients to a smooth puree-like consistency Transfer puree to a clean pot Add sugar Tajin chili powder chipotle pepper powder orange juice lime juice and vinegar Bring ingredients to a simmer and taste adjusting sweetness and consistency to personal preference For a thinner sauce add water The post Food Fact Friday Chamoy with a recipe appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta