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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

#11

Post by JumpCrisscross »

profsummergig wrote: post #7

For the Non-Indians looking at the pictures and scratching their heads: I want to clarify that the Indian concept of pickle is nothing like (say) the American concept (cucumber cut lengthwise, in vinegar, in a bottle, at the grocery store). I don't know if there's a global equivalent to the Indian pickle. But the Indian pickle is a very-highly spiced, cured in oil concoction (primarily consisting of fruits and vegeta…

> I don't know if there's a global equivalent to the Indian pickle

Most old-world cultures have a spiced, fermented foodstuff. Japan, China and Korea, for example, are full of them. Many ingredients in modern Indian pickles were originally imported from the North Africa of antiquity.

Even in America, the “classic” dill-pickled cucumber is a very small fraction of the fermented vegetable foods.

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

#12

Post by rhuru »

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 mangoes each very distinct but around 4 specifically bred of pickle. We used fenugreek and coconut oil as some of the ingredients. Each year we made pickle of around 100 tiny raw mangoes and stored for future and passed on some old pickle to the friends and relatives (never sold it).

I do not think in my region this was a big deal, most of the classic and wide variety of pickle seems to come from Rajasthan.

Few other food items that were passed down over generations:

1. A bottle of alcohol. (Only used for medicinal purposes) this was around 200 years old and purchased from a sailor from Portugal. It was an extremely powerful Cashew fruit distilled alchohol.

2. A very weird kind of gourd. This was fucking far too old. I mean older than my great grandmother and which she brought as dowry from her mother or something like that. I do no even know why and how it was preserved but it supposedly had some medicinal properties and people often came to my grandmother with offers to buy it. Eventually someone stole it.

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

#13

Post by anoncow »

rhuru wrote: post #12

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.

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

#14

Post by an_aparallel »

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #11
profsummergig wrote: post #7

For the Non-Indians looking at the pictures and scratching their heads: I want to clarify that the Indian concept of pickle is nothing like (say) the American concept (cucumber cut lengthwise, in vinegar, in a bottle, at the grocery store). I don't know if there's a global equivalent to the Indian pickle. But the Indian pickle is a very-highly spiced, cured in oil concoction (primarily consisting of fruits and vegeta…

> I don't know if there's a global equivalent to the Indian pickle Most old-world cultures have a spiced, fermented foodstuff. Japan, China and Korea, for example, are full of them. Many ingredients in modern Indian pickles were originally imported from the North Africa of antiquity. Even in America, the “classic” dill-pickled cucumber is a very small fraction of the fermented vegetable foods.

Closest to Indian pickle I know of is Persian "turshi".

It is a mixed vegetable, herb and spice pickle. However unlike Indian pickles, tempered spices and mustard aren't involved.

Makes sense to me as they're close geographically.

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

#15

Post by beebeepka »

Wow, 27 year old open pickle jars! I expected canned food but not like this.

I really should visit India before I grow too old. There's so much veggie food to try. Recently met a childhood friend who, apparently, used to live there for decade. No he has a small Indian restaurant serving food that is nothing like the places I have been to in Europe and the UK. No garlic, no onions (I like both), etc. Love it

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

#17

Post by satvikpendem »

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 have nothing else at home to eat, as it provides a quick and cheap meal, combining carbs with some flavor as to not make them bland. They are also quite good in yogurt rice to provide some spice.

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

#18

Post by wtmt »

beebeepka wrote: post #15

Wow, 27 year old open pickle jars! I expected canned food but not like this. I really should visit India before I grow too old. There's so much veggie food to try. Recently met a childhood friend who, apparently, used to live there for decade. No he has a small Indian restaurant serving food that is nothing like the places I have been to in Europe and the UK. No garlic, no onions (I like both), etc. Love it

> No garlic, no onions, etc.

The no garlic and no onion are part of a much broader practice to avoid root vegetables. Anything that grows below the ground is not consumed. Jains (the people who follow Jainism) mostly follow this (I say “mostly” because even though they’re supposed to, many may not).

Orthodox Hindus may also follow similar practices. Hindu festivals and rituals also avoid onion and garlic.

There’s a lot more to say than can be contained in a comment. You can read about Jain food and Sattvic food to know more.

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

#19

Post by blackoil »

rhuru wrote: post #12

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…

> A bottle of alcohol. (Only used for medicinal purposes) this was around 200 years old and purchased from a sailor from Portugal. It was an extremely powerful Cashew fruit distilled alcohol.

Sure at no time some curious teenager nipped that off and replaced it with some local tadi? I would have done that.

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

#20

Post by spaceman_2020 »

satvikpendem wrote: post #17

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…

To add: if you are buying them from a store, you will need to try multiple brands before you find the one that’s right for you. Unlike western-style pickles, the taste can vary very wildly across brands.
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