Pineapple is tasty all on its own, but even this deliciously sweet, tangy fruit can be improved upon. It’s no surprise we need only look to Mexico for the ingredients to boost this fruit’s flavor by a factor of 10. Mexico is famous for its vibrant street food culture, including a snack of various fruits, such as pineapple, drizzled with Tajín and chamoy.
Tajín (pronounced ta-heen) is the brand name of a spice mix made from dehydrated lime, salt, and red chile powder (Tajín uses chiles de árbol, guajillo, and pasilla). Chamoy is a red-hued sauce that combines sweet, savory, salty, and spicy notes. Unlike Tajín, chamoy is a generic sauce, although there are a variety of brands that sell it. It’s typically made from dried chiles, citrus juice, and dried or pickled fruits, such as apricots, prunes, mangoes, or plums.
These two additions take pineapple to new heights. The combination of the fruit’s sweetness, the chamoy’s sweet-tangy-spicy depth, and Tajín’s sour-salty-spice give a punch of flavors that hit all your tastebuds at once. But, instead of fighting each other, the flavors all work together, resulting in a deeply satisfying snack.
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From simple chunks to piña loca
There are several ways to enjoy this tasty fruit snack, from the simple to the extravagant. The easiest method is to put pineapple chunks into a bowl or glass and douse them with chamoy and Tajín. To get a tad fancier, use either pineapple spears or rounds, with handles made from wooden skewers. You can use precut pineapple from the grocery store or even canned, but we recommend a fresh, whole pineapple for the best results. It’s easy to pick a ripe one: Simply give one of the leaves on top of the fruit a tug. If it comes off easily, it’s typically ripe.
For the wildest version of this snack, you need a whole pineapple. It’s called piña loca, and involves coring out the pineapple to use as a bowl. You then add the chopped pineapple and other fruits, such as mango and watermelon. Jicama, a mild, crisp tuber, and cucumber are also common additions. You may also find a variety of candy in the mix. You then slather everything with chamoy and Tajín. Chamoy and Tajín are great on fruit, but these ingredients should be pantry staples if you want to up your Mexican food game since both can be used in (and on) a wide variety of dishes and drinks to give them depth of flavor and a little extra kick.
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Read the original article on Chowhound.
