Saladitos
Saladitos are a Mexican snack of dried and salted plums or apricot, which can also be sweetened with sugar and anise or coated in chili and lime. A common misconception is that saladitos and chamoy are the same thing; saladitos are the dried salted fruit, whereas chamoy is made from the leftover brine.
History
Saladitos and chamoy are derived from the kiamoy and champóy of the Philippines, which themselves originated from li hing mui brought over by Hokkien migrants to the Philippines during the Spanish colonial period. They were likely transported to Nueva España by Filipino migrants via the Manila Galleons.Consumption
One method of eating saladitos is to stuff a few of them into an orange or lemon and then suck the salted juice out, while allowing the saladito to rehydrate. Once all the juice is eaten, the saladitos are eaten. The pits can be cracked open to eat the seed, too. Another method is to eat the saladito without any other fruit, and either cracking open the pit to eat the seed or discarding the pit. One can also first rinse the saladito with water, and then eat it plain.On some occasions, a few saladitos may be put into drinks like micheladas, Sprite, ginger ale or beer. Once the saladito is placed in the soda, bubbles will begin to rise immediately. There is also a mezcal cocktail that shares the name saladito.