The fermented beverage tradition documented by Noma — beyond kombucha — includes tepache (Mexican fermented pineapple), jun (honey-and-green-tea fermentation, similar to kombucha but using honey rather than sugar), kvass (Slavic fermented bread beverage), and a range of regional fruit fermentations. What unifies them: a sugar source, a microbial community (wild yeasts, SCOBY, or specific cultures), and a temperature and time combination that produces a lightly alcoholic, pleasantly complex beverage.
**Tepache:** - Pineapple rind and core (not the flesh — the rind carries the wild yeasts) + sugar + water, fermented at room temperature for 2–3 days. - The pineapple's natural yeast ferments the sugar while the bromelain (pineapple's proteolytic enzyme) contributes to flavour development. - The result: lightly carbonated, faintly alcoholic, sweet-sour, with tropical fruit character. **Wild fermentation principles:** - Any fruit or vegetable's skin carries wild yeasts (primarily Saccharomyces cerevisiae and its wild cousins). - 2–5% sugar content in the liquid is sufficient for wild yeast fermentation to begin within 12–24 hours at room temperature. - The fermentation window for lightly alcoholic, pleasant results: 1–3 days. Beyond this: the product becomes more acidic (from further bacterial activity on the alcohol) and less sweet.
Noma Fermentation