Indian pickle
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| This article is part of the series Indian cuisine |
| Regional cuisines |
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Awadhi – Bihari – Bhojpuri – Kashmiri |
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Andhra – Karnataka – Kerala – Tamil |
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Goan – Gujarati – Marathi – |
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Indian Chinese - Nepali |
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Main dishes – Desserts – Bread |
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History – Etiquette |
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Indian pickles consist of a large variety of pickled fruits and vegetables which are marinated in oil or lemon juice and different Indian spices and salt.
Pickled items include mango, lemon, lime, cauliflower, carrot, radish, tomato, onion, pumpkin, palm heart, lotus stem, rose petals, ginger, Indian gooseberry, garlic, green or red chili peppers, kohlrabi, gunda, kerda, zimikand (purple yam), karonda, karela (bitter melon), jackfruit, mushroom, and turnip.
Homemade pickles are prepared in the summer and kept in the sun during daytime for at least three weeks before use. They are stored in porcelain or glass jars with airtight lids. The acidic nature of the marinade retards bacterial growth, and oil acts as a preservative. Pickles retain their freshness and flavor so long as they do not come into contact with moisture. Commercially produced pickles use preservatives like citric acid and sodium benzoate.
Indian pickles come in a wide variety of flavors; thus, a mango pickle from South India may taste very different from one made in North India. In the southern states, sesame oil is preferred, while mustard oil is preferred in northern states for making pickles.
[edit] Local Names
The term for pickles in Hindi, Urdu, and Bengali is pronounced as achār, and written in their respective scripts as अचार , اچار and আচার .
The Telugu and Tamil words for pickles are respectively pronounced as pachchadi (పచ్చడి) and oorugai (ஊறுகாயஂ).
Pickled items from Andhra Pradesh State include mango, lemon, Indian gooseberry, dry chili pepper, green chili pepper, curry leaf, garlic, onion, ginger, tomato, tamarind, and roselle.
Pickles from Tamil Nadu State include a mango pickle, maavadu, which is usually made early in the summer season when mangoes are barely an inch long. The preservation process uses castor oil, giving the pickle its unique taste. Another pickle from Tamil Nadu is narthangai, which consists of unripe citrons cut into spirals and stuffed with salt.
The Malayalam word for pickles is pronounced as uppillittuthu, each type of pickle being given its own name, such as maangaacurry for mango pickle and ingicurry for ginger pickle.
The Kannada, Marathi and Gujarati words for pickles are respectively pronounced as uppinakayi (ಉಪ್ಪಿನಕಾಯಿ), lonache (लोणचे), and athāṇũ (અથાણું). Raw mangoes, lemon, green chillies, gunda and kerda are commonly used as key ingredients in Gujarati cuisine. Varieties of pickled mango commonly found in Gujarati households include salted mango pickle, made with groundnut oil and spiced with fenugreek seeds, and red chili powder; hot and sweet mango pickle, made with groundnut oil, and jaggery, fennel seeds (saunf), dry dates (kharek), mustard, and red chili powder; and hot and sweet mango pickle, made using sugar syrup, jeera, and chili powder.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Achar in Larousse Gastronomique, US edition. ISBN 0517570327
