Add Chamoy To Your Favorite Fruit Candy For A Tangy Twist

Mexican street foods aren't designed for subtlety. Snacks like dorilocos or Tajin-coated mango slices are all about a mouth-watering blend of tart, sweet, and salty flavors. This combination lights up every part of your palate, creating a flavorful bite that leaves you craving more. Chamoy is the tangy not-so-secret ingredient at the root of many of these treats. 

There are many variations of chamoy, but all include a few essential components — tart fruit, chilis, and lime. Traditional recipes use pickled ume plums to create chamoy's signature sour flavor, but many versions rely on powdered citric acid to bring in the tart kick. You can find multiple forms of chamoy in specialty markets, as it's available as a bottled sauce or dried powder. 

In Mexico, chamoy is used to turn up the flavor of sweet and savory foods, and it'sthe tart citric acid that makes this ingredient so versatile — like squeezing a lemon over a salad before serving. A dash of chamoy can enhance the flavor of everything from pork roasts to gummy peach rings. 

Adding chamoy will turn any candy into sour candy. And if you're starting with an already-sour bonbon, introducing chamoy will create a mouth-puckering flavor so intense that it calls to mind the famously tart treat of the 90s, Warheads. For lovers of extreme flavors, chamoy is an easy way to intensify any candy experience.

It's exceedingly easy to try this at home because you only need the two ingredients. Start by choosing a candy that you love. It can be gummy or hard, but it's better if it's fruit-flavored. For gummy candies, douse them in liquid chamoy and sprinkle with Tajin. Let them dry slightly on a sheet pan before, or, if you don't mind getting a little sticky, dig in right away. To coat hard candies, moisten them with water or lemon juice and then roll them in powdered chamoy. For an even easier approach, cut open a small pouch of candy and pour the chamoy directly into the package. Mix it up, grab a spoon, and eat it right out of the bag.

Once you fall in love with coated candy, there's no reason to stop experimenting. We're living in the golden age of chamoy. Chefs across the U.S. and Mexico are perfecting their own recipes for this sweet and sour sauce and transforming it from classic street food to everyday dining essential. Today, you can find everything from chamoy-glazed proteins to sauce-rimmed cocktails popping up on menus at Michelin-starred restaurants.