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For anyone who has had their appetite whet for Indian pickles, the book Midnight's Children has pickles as an important secondary plot point, and the vivid description of the pickles in that book have stayed with me for a long time.
Indian pickles are not same as American pickles. Totally different concept. I come from the background where these pickles and many other things were passed down as family heirloom. It appears one of the china jars we used to store the pickle (raw mango) was from 1800s and one was from Spain. My family primarily did mango pickles and the oldest one I consumed was around 20 years old. There were 100s of varieties of m…
You are right. Additionally, there are varieties of Indian pickles which use a similar technique as used in the US. In South India, some vegetables (for e.g., Indian gooseberry) are pickled in brine like the US does.
https://www.facebook.com/Ranchikood/photos/khalatli-amli-raw...
What's "citron"? Is that different from lemon?
Ah, the "achaar". So wrongly translated as "pickle". In my village (Ganges plain, North India), making achaar was a significant seasonal community event. When mangoes were small, we used to wait for heavy winds during early monsoon. A lot of raw mangoes would fall on the ground, and the next day they would be sold at a much cheaper price. There were two broad classes of mango varieties: one for eating ripe, and the o…
Is that some code word for hygiene? I seem to remember that the concept of hygiene for making achaar (and for other kitchen matters) was codified in religious practices in my family/community.
No mention of lime pickle? I like lime pickle (sometimes), but I've never tasted lemon pickle. What's "citron"? Is that different from lemon?
It's different, less bitter? Dunno, I've only had it in things where it's hard to determine the flavor of the citron.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
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…
Or seafood, in some (coastal) parts of the country[1]. I’ve had shrimp pickle from Andhra Pradesh, it’s delicious but doesn’t seem to be as well known. [1] https://www.vahrehvah.com/shrimp-prawn-pickle
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.
For anyone who has had their appetite whet for Indian pickles, the book Midnight's Children has pickles as an important secondary plot point, and the vivid description of the pickles in that book have stayed with me for a long time.
(See also https://books.openedition.org/pufr/3813?lang=en "Midnight's Children or the Pickles of History")
My father knew he had a year, or two at most, left. On a sunny day in May 2020, he bought green Kairi mangoes, pickled them, and passed on his recipe. He made three batches to last at least 5-7 years. He passed away from NAFLD in 2021, but we have his memories and his handmade flavorful pickle. RIP wherever you are, Pops.
Ah, the "achaar". So wrongly translated as "pickle". In my village (Ganges plain, North India), making achaar was a significant seasonal community event. When mangoes were small, we used to wait for heavy winds during early monsoon. A lot of raw mangoes would fall on the ground, and the next day they would be sold at a much cheaper price. There were two broad classes of mango varieties: one for eating ripe, and the o…
> The last process requires special hands if you wanted your pickle to last a few years. Is that some code word for hygiene? I seem to remember that the concept of hygiene for making achaar (and for other kitchen matters) was codified in religious practices in my family/community.