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India’s pickle people: Decades-old culinary heirlooms, nostalgia

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Re: India’s pickle people: Decades-old culinary heirlooms, nostalgia

#22
I've seem some studies on salted pickles potentially being carcinogenic, specifically causing stomach cancer. This is due to pathogens, n-nitroso, or carcinogenic enzymes in the pickles. The most commonly cited one is kimchi. I don't think the science is final though, and I did see another study that claimed they were only dangerous for those with h. pylori infections, and another that the consumption needs to be high.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4316045/

https://www.buesingnaturopathic.com/fermented-vegetables-can...

Re: India’s pickle people: Decades-old culinary heirlooms, nostalgia

#23
Anyone have a recipe for the lemon they would enjoy sharing?

I love pickle of all kinds, and my Meyers produce more fruit than I can handle, even sharing fresh lemons with friends. If I can also share some as preserves, that sounds like a fun way to continue the sharing.

Re: India’s pickle people: Decades-old culinary heirlooms, nostalgia

#24
I came to the US a decade ago—-brought a carefully sealed plastic bag of mango pickles in my checked luggage.

It was “triple” packed because the oil will leak beyond the first layer!

As recent as last month—-my sister-in-law shipped a small plastic jar of fat red chilies pickle to Bangalore which I then brought it to San Francisco via a United flight :-)

Re: India’s pickle people: Decades-old culinary heirlooms, nostalgia

#26
post #24

I came to the US a decade ago—-brought a carefully sealed plastic bag of mango pickles in my checked luggage. It was “triple” packed because the oil will leak beyond the first layer! As recent as last month—-my sister-in-law shipped a small plastic jar of fat red chilies pickle to Bangalore which I then brought it to San Francisco via a United flight :-)

I no longer bring mango pickles from India——I started making it since 2022[0] San Francisco Bay Area Summer.

[0] https://twitter.com/1ndus/status/1497310793964027908

Re: India’s pickle people: Decades-old culinary heirlooms, nostalgia

#27

I make pickles like these, but I've never seen them that old. Generally we make them and eat them within several months, then make more. Mango pickle is my favorite as it has just the right spiciness, while lemon pickles are often too sour for my taste. If you want to try them, they are usually at your local Indian grocery store. These pickles are mainly eaten with rice or dishes like dosas and idlis, often when you…

For anyone else looking to try Indian/Pakistani pickles. They are made of various fruits and veggies. Mango is the most popular one in Pakistan. Others include carrot, lemon, green pepper, onion and some other ones.

Pickle is dipped and preserved in oil. My family has made mango pickle at home many time over the years. Like GP it is eaten in span of months. It can be very sour. Here in UK, we have found Ahmad Foods pickles to be the best choice so far.

I have seen on TV that one of the favourite Indian meals is Paratha and Pickle. Is it a common meal?

Re: India’s pickle people: Decades-old culinary heirlooms, nostalgia

#28

Pickles almost always never look appetizing when photographed. But they taste great when eaten with food. For most pickles the taste is not hard to appreciate. I would say pickles are not necessarily an acquired taste because they can be quite approachable ! The extremely high salt, vinegar, lemon, oil, chilly, sugar content or other preservatives allow them to be consumed much after their initial production. Most pi…

Pickles in general also don't look like this at all, no one is eating 75 year old shriveled up pickles, lol. They are fresh and bright red and are eaten over a few months, not over decades.

Re: India’s pickle people: Decades-old culinary heirlooms, nostalgia

#29

I make pickles like these, but I've never seen them that old. Generally we make them and eat them within several months, then make more. Mango pickle is my favorite as it has just the right spiciness, while lemon pickles are often too sour for my taste. If you want to try them, they are usually at your local Indian grocery store. These pickles are mainly eaten with rice or dishes like dosas and idlis, often when you…

For anyone else looking to try Indian/Pakistani pickles. They are made of various fruits and veggies. Mango is the most popular one in Pakistan. Others include carrot, lemon, green pepper, onion and some other ones. Pickle is dipped and preserved in oil. My family has made mango pickle at home many time over the years. Like GP it is eaten in span of months. It can be very sour. Here in UK, we have found Ahmad Foods p…

Garlic pickle is also amazing!

Re: India’s pickle people: Decades-old culinary heirlooms, nostalgia

#30

Fascinating! Are there any other countries with traditions of intentionally aged "vintage" pickles?

Not pickles, but if your family makes jam in Hungary, then it’s not unusual to have a few jars of decades old ones, made by a long dead relative. We have a 20 year old plum jam we recently brought from the country house’s pantry.
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