If you haven’t seen chamoy all of your social media lately, where have you been? Chamoy has been making waves for its sweet, tangy, and spicy flavor profile which offers plenty of versatility for food lovers everywhere.
But, what even is chamoy, in the first place? If you are currently asking yourself this question, then rest assured that you have come to the right place. In this guide, we are going to be taking a deep dive look into what this fiery condiment is.
So, without further ado, just keep on reading to discover this fiery condiment that packs a delicious punch. Scroll on!
Chamoy Fast Facts
If you don’t have a lot of time to spend reading through this post, this section is for you.
Below, discover some fast facts about chamoy:
Shelf Life: 90 days after it has been opened, although this can vary depending on the manufacturer.
Where to Find: Besides online, you can typically find chamoy in the hot sauce section of a grocery store. If you can’t find it in this section, you should also be able to find chamoy in the Latino foods section of your local supermarket.
Main Ingredients: The main ingredients in chamoy are apricot, mango, plum, salt, lime juice, and chilies.
Traditional Uses: Chamoy is commonly used as a topping on fruit, a pairing condiment to various types of meat as well as vegetables or chips as a snack.
What Is Chamoy Made Of?
Chamoy is a popular Mexican condiment that is traditionally made of fruit. While there has been much variation of which fruit is used to make chamoy, the classic fruit ingredients are apricot, prune mango, and plums.
This combination of fruit is what gives chamoy its sweet flavor!
As for the spice? Well, along with a generous helping of dried chilies and lime juice for a fiery kick. Thanks to its super versatile ingredients, chamoy can be used with a variety of different foods.
Here are some of the most popular ways that chamoy is used to elevate food:
Drizzled over the top of nachos for plenty of spiciness.
Added to the top of different types of meat as a tasty garnish.
Mixed into various cocktails to give them a fiery kick!
Along with these traditional ways to use chamoy, in recent years, chamoy has become increasingly more popular as a condiment in Mexico. In particular, chamoy is also used to make popular candy that is commonly paired with a slice of fresh lemon.
When chamoy is used for confectionary purposes, it is typically used as a powder that is coated in soft gummies. This type of candy is commonly sold as street candy in Mexico, but can easily be found in grocery stores that carry Mexican cuisine.
Along with powdered gummies, chamoy powder is also frequently used as a dipping powder for lollipops, sold in a packet intended to be squeezed over fruit as well the filling in many different fruit-flavored hard candies.
How Is Chamoy Made?
Even though chamoy can be purchased in the store, there are many people who choose to make their own chamoy from the comfort of their own home.
Here is a quick breakdown of how chamoy is made:
Brine the fruit: Before doing anything, the first step that you are going to need to do is brine the fruit. This can be any type of fruit, but the classic fruits used to make chamoy are mango, plum and apricot. Alternatively, if you don’t want to brine your fruit, you could instead salt cure the fruit.
Separate solids from liquids: After you have given the fruit enough time to have all of their moisture leached away, you will then be ready to go ahead and separate the solid parts of the fruit from the liquids. This step is a very important part of the chamoy-making process because the components both serve different purposes.
Make the base with the liquid: Once you have removed the remaining fruit, you will then be able to go ahead and prepare the chamoy. To finish the sauce, simply add chili powder and lime juice before allowing the mixture to set in the refrigerator until thick.
As we have mentioned from the instructions for making chamoy above, you will need to make sure that you have taken out the remainder of the fruit from the brining process.
Even though the fruit is not important for making chamoy, they can be made into a delicious, salty and sweet snack known as saladitos.
Ways To Use Chamoy
Thanks to the sweet yet spicy flavor profile of chamoy, it means that it can be paired with a variety of different foods and dishes. If you are thinking of trying chamoy for yourself, here are some of the most popular ways that chamoy can be used to cook with:
Garnished On Nachos
One of the most popular ways that chamoy is used is over the top of nachos. If you’re someone who loves their food to have a spicy kick, then we think that you’ll love drizzling this fiery sauce over the top of your nachos.
Drizzled On Fruit
Another popular way that chamoy is used is getting drizzled over the top of fruit! Chamoy can be added to all types of fruit, but it most commonly drizzled over watermelon, mango and pineapple.
As A Hot Sauce
Last but not least, the final way that chamoy is commonly-used is as a hot sauce! Simply prepare your favorite mexican dish and add some chamoy sauce on the side for spice galore.
Wrapping Up
Now that you have taken the time to read through this post, we hope that we have been able to give you a better idea of what chamoy is!
From being added to fruit all the way to pickles, chamoy is endlessly versatile – the only question left to ask is, how will you enjoy chamoy? Bye for now!
Have you ever made something so delicious that you wished you could savor it forever?
Only to find that the recipe has now mysteriously vanished from your phone and the entirety of the internet. Yep, there’s not much more painful than that.
Hi, my name is Mark Williams and I have been infatuated with cooking since I was young. I would beg my mother to pull a chair up to the counter so I could watch what she was doing.
