Behold: The lime pickle. Not the chili pickle, the mango pickle, the garlic pickle, the eggplant pickle, or any other kind of pickle. And certainly not that abomination, the “mixed pickle.” This here is lime pickle, the greatest and more exalted of all the pickles.
Man, me and lime pickle go back a long, long way. You see, in all my mixed-up, tri-continental, ruthlessly secular upbringing, desi food always held its rightful place. Now we lived in France, not a major center of desi culture either then or now, and this was before the globalization of so-called ethnic gourmet cuisine made the basic spices and ingredients available in all the world’s major cities. But we made do, and the key to our survival, desi food-wise, was the one line of prepared foods, spice mixes and achars on the market, which was inevitably Patak’s. So there was always a bottle of curry paste around — not to serve as the sole ingredient, of course, but to accelerate the process. And whether the curry was prepared from a paste or from scratch, there was always lime pickle on hand to give it the necessary je ne sais quoi.
To this day lime pickle is one of the essential condiments in my refrigerator — that and Dijon mustard (the proper smooth kind, not the grainy stuff), a combination that I guess pretty much encapsulates the flavors of my childhood. I find uses for lime pickle that other people don’t have — or so I think. Except I know that now, as I confess to you that I add lime pickle to my tuna fish salad, a whole bunch of you are going to reveal that you do the same.When I came back to the U.S. and started shopping at desi immigrant stores I was quite bewildered by the range of achars available, and the ever-growing number of manufacturers. I tried garlic pickles and coriander pickles and who knows what other kind of pickles, and found them ranging in appeal from heavenly to disgusting. Even within each type there is so much variation, in color and texture and smell, which you can often discern even when the vacuum sealed jar is still shut. There are pickles made in the U.S. and pickles made in the U.K. and pickles made at mysterious industrial parks all over India and Pakistan; South Indian pickles claiming additional properties that are indecipherable to my mongrel-Bong knowledge base; chunky pickles and pickles so smooth they seem to have been pureed.
I learned long ago to appreciate pickles other than the Patak’s of my childhood. But the sentimental connections linger. It was a pioneering brand and the first to make it big on the international market, even if the Guju-Kenyan owners of the Wigan firm had to drop an “h” from their name to make the pronunciation, if not always the taste, easier on the firangi tongue. Then a few years ago they had that classic family feud that ended up settled out of court. And now Patak’s is up for full or partial sale, for a reported GBP 200m, in order to raise capital to take it to whatever the next level is in the packaged and prepared Indian foods market. It even seems that Patak’s might be coming home, so to speak, as Indian conglomerate ITC is reported to have put in a bid. Apparently Heinz is also interested. Will we have a battle royal between Indian and American capital for control of the flagship achar brand?
Ah, for the artisanal pickles of our halcyon days. Anyone out there make their own achar? I’d be interested in learning how it’s done.
nimbu achar is what being kicked in the head by a mule wearing 2x4s for mule-shoes TASTES like. not even slightly sublte… but briliant.
Oh MAN! Get out of my head. Patak’s Extra-Hot Lime Pickle is where it’s at, baby. I used to eat it straight out of the bottle with a spoon. No, I was not pregnant.My poor husband just shakes his head as I buy 10 bottles at a time during my monthly Indian grocery run. Because it’s not pretty when I’ve run out of pickles. I haven’t tried it in my tuna salad but I do mix it into my scrambled eggs.
Patak’s mango pickle holds the same place for me. The only lime pickle I ever enjoyed was my grandmother’s. π
There is nothing quite like piping hot, fresh fresh slightly liquidy kichari topped with a dollop of ghee, crispy pappadums, and a spoonful of mango pickle. MMMM.
I love mango pickle on toast, mango pickle in rice. I’ll drizzle the oil from the jar on puffed rice. Wonderful stuff.
Being a Southie it’s tough to abide by “bottled” pickles…….
The tried and true is mango or lemon, mustard seeds and chilli powder. Sauteed (not sure what the equivalent English word would be).
FWIW Patak’s and other bottled brands are not bad. Just tough to compete with grandma’s special.
I was thinking about this the other day there are such a crazy amount of varieties of South Indian pickles (and North to, but less familiar with those). You could almost open up a “pickle shop” just selling different types of pickles.
Siddhartha!
You missed the better headline cuz! It should have been:
The Road to Wigan Pickle
Because George Orwell doesnt get repped enough on this site! Especially in the context of pickles!
Mango achar and cheese sandwiches are weirdly awesome.
Mmmm… Patak’s pickles… [drools]
I used to hate pickle because it was so pungent, but love rice with yogurt and pickle now. I’m North Indian by heritage but South Indian by geography and family choice =)
Incidentally, this reminds me of my latest trip to the Asian grocery story in Philadelphia. The most enlightening sign was an aisle called “Various Types of Cans”
And it was quite descriptive!
The best pickle I have had by far is the homemade mango pickle you can buy in bulk and then bring home and put in your own glass jar so everyone thinks you made it yourself. Pre 9/11 you could even get it canned and bring it back to the states. I myself did this after a 6 month stay in India. I had two cans one of sweet chundo and of spicy mango. Well I am unpacking my bag and I notice one of the cans is fine, intact, normal shape. However, another can is bulging at one end, about to explode, apparently all the air was not vacuumed out when it was sealed. My mom and I go about opening the cans and putting them in our own glass jars. The chundo can was fine and opened no problem. We sensed the bulging can would cause some problems so we smartly put the can inside a big steel vasun and proceeded to stick the can-opener in it to open it up. BIG MISTAKE. As soon as we inserted the can opener a liquid gush of urdur tinted oil shoots THREE FEET up into the air. We both sit there stupidly, mesmerized by this exploding volcano of mango pickle oil. Finally my mom has the sense to place her hand over the hole and stop the spewing flow of oil. At lease we had smartly put the vasun underneath the can so it caught a lot of the oil. But there was a slight urdur stain on the kitchen wall until it was painted over a few years later. Long story short, mango pickle always makes me think of the exploing can.
And it’s the best mixed kichri and dhai, yummy! Just had that for dinner the other night, got to love Mom’s home cooking!
mavinkai upinkai (mango pickle) ALL THE WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! in some serious mosrana?? the only way to go, kids.
Oh man, nimbu achar was the only reason to live when I was growing up until I was a teenager, and then amb da achar made it big in my life. I mean, what other achar tastes like summer all year long? It takes aloo parantha to a new level! As far as the rest of the achar options, they might as well not exist.
I’m with Saheli, though, no one can beat my naniji’s achar though. Growing up on that will spoil you; no bottled/canned achar can compare.
Well my mom makes lemon and cranberry athanoo (as we call it in Gujurati) which is pretty good. I think she starting making it when mangoes were not in season and/or generally not that availabe in the US.
Anyhow it’s just oil, urdur, salt, mirch and your fruit of choice.
Of course the proportions are what matter and like chai very personal.
Honestly, my mouth started watering just reading this paragraph.
Duuuuuuuuuuuude! My dad puts it on PIZZA!
π For me its Gongura pickle and then Lime pickle, both from Priya’s.
Patak’s is good, but Priya does better for moi.
Mm, now I’ll make sure to stop by India Bazaar on the way home today. I can eat achar plain too, and I scoop more of it than any other item at Indian buffet.
Homemade lemon is really good, but I don’t know how to do it.
I can only eat carrot if it’s very crisp.. I gag on the less-than-crisp variety. I gag on sweet pickle too. And I definitely gag on ppl calling pickle/achar “relish”.
What? No one sticking up for pickle and curd rice?
I just remembered my dad smacks a layer down on a peanut butter sandwich
The first time I ate lime pickle I put an entire spoonful in my mouth and my eyes nearly popped out of my head.
Now I put it with most everything I cook. In fact, I was seriously thinking about putting it on my cheese sandwich this evening and am now wishing I had.
Mmmmm…. lime pickle.
Nani’r am’r achar is what my childhood was made of.
Achar oil goes deliciously on anything. My fave? Moori + hot mix + chilis + onion + mango achar oil — yum yum yumm!
We did the mango pickles at our house. I think my dad ate them with every conceivable thing. The smell alone brings me back. By the way, Siddhartha, there’s a great short story (whose name predictably eludes me now) that showed up in the “Best American Short Stories” anthology a few years ago which was set in Paris and which involved a few of the members of its desi community. Maybe I’ll remember the title later, but essentially, it had food as a central theme and how food and relationships are intertwined (at least that’s how I saw it).
Oooo the hot mix recipe reminded me of my favorite achar-enhanced dish. People will think this is gross, but Kix + yogurt + paprika + cumin + a dash of salt + achar. SO GOOD.
my uncle loves munching on a lime pickle while eating his cereal and milk. One morning, he convinced me to try it and after a hesitant bite, I have say that it was actually quite tasty!
Thepla, I totally do that too!!!
My favourite will always be mango pickle, not so much for the taste itself but for the memories it evokes. Memories of summer childhood vacations spent at my grantparents village: the smells, the heat, the cattle, the people, the baking sun and the shady mango groves and my grantmothers cooking and the smell of my grandfathers chutta.
Around a month or so into the summer vacation, the mangoes would be right size – not too big, not too small and still unripe green. A few sacks would be brought in from best harvest in the village and around a dozen women would gather to make that years worth of mango pickes; regular mango pickle and sweet mango pickle and shredded mango pickle and garlic mango pickle, each forever seared into my memory and tastebuds.
There was a most experienced expert among all the women (who were all pretty good at what they were doing anyway), usually the oldest lady who would order everyone around and could tell the hotness of the chilli powder just by looking at its color and would make judgements calls about that extra pinch of something that needs to go in.
It was a tradition that had been happening for who knows how long….Anyways, at the end of the day they would have all the pickles which were a glowing, bright red (the color changes to what you see in the bottles sold in the supermarkets in a few months) packed into earthen jars from which small daily amounts will be taken out all year.
The entire process repeated itself daily over a week or so in different houses until everyone had enough pickle…….
Well you asked.
Lemon Pickles:
Elimachangai-Urugai
lemonurugai
Mango (VaduMaanga) Pickles:
vadu-maanga-pickle
samaithupaar
avakkai-king-of-all-pickles
Narthangai(Citron) Urugai:
Narthangai looks like a grapefruit but is bitter. another pic Narthangai pickle
My favorites are garlic pickles (Have to settle for Priya Pickles from the store) and Thokku maanga (Grated mango) that my mother makes.
All these go well with thayir saadham.
chitrana– please see my earlier plug for mango pickle and mosrana aka curd rice!! kannada pride!!
Bedekar’s used to make the BEST nimbu achar – it’s the only kind I like other than homemade. Patak’s, not so hot, IMHO. Nimbu achar is relatively easy to make, actually, if you do the unspiced version (kala nimbu achaar takes ages). My grandmother’s version involves quartering the small desi nimbus and putting them in salt and lime juice for about a week or two. Better yet, add chopped ginger and chillies. The plain nimbu achaar is a moister version of the preserved limes you get in the Middle East.
Siddhartha, was the Passage Brady not a desi area when you were growing up? Or did you grow up en province (shock, horror π The funniest experience for me when I lived in Paris was the Punjabi restaurant guys who were so uber-Panju and yet insisted on speaking only in French. They always gave me free cilantro, though, when it was difficult to find in the stores.
Bread, butter, pickle oil……..yummmmmmmmmmmmmm
In our Bombay hostels, the rumor about the ubiquitous lime pickle was its origin – that it was made from the left overs of the nimbu paani walla, therefore so cheap π
Once in Mussoorie, my Pishi-ma tried to make nimbu achar. My Pisho-moshai was then, later, and forever after with the Survey of India, and they lived at the time in a sprawling wooden bungalow perched on a small graveled plateau, with a verandah that ran all the way around it, and forested ravines all around. One afternoon, while I was playing snakes and ladders with my cousins by the fire in the living room at the front of the house, my aunt whizzed past on the verandah, crying out in some agitation, as we noticed peripherally, not exactly looking through the windows. We stayed with the snakes and ladders, (and probably Digestive or Marie biscuits that came with hot milk). The third or fourth time she spun by, screaming, other people took notice and went to rescue her. It seems my aunt had left nimbu achar out in the sun in huge quantities, for whatever reason or part of the process nimbu achar is left out in the sun– to dry? ferment? Anyhoo, the monkeys had decided to sample the offerings and she, finding this to be the case, recklessly went after them, shouting and snapping a cloth to indicate that they should vamoose. Bad move. Hordes of them appeared from the trees surrounding the house, and chased her around and around the verandah in a pack, while she was too afraid to even figure out whether to go out or come in, presumably because of bringing the monkeys with her…
Anyway. When I’m very lazy, Patak’s and Smart Balance will wake up a microwave baked potato.
Siddhartha, I live in France. En province, SP (#30), you can shudder all you like π . There might be two other desis in the next town over — I’ve never spoken to them but I see them sometimes when I go to the supermarket there. I can’t exactly tell by the contents of their shopping carts because there is nothing desi to buy. Perhaps that would be a good icebreaker: I could go up to them and say, “What would you do for some elimichangai urugai right now?”
I’m very curious about what it’s like to grow up in France as a desi. I didn’t grow up here but I’d actually love to hear from people who did. SemiDesiMasala, I’m going to go find that short story — thanks for the tip!
Anyway: lime pickle rocks, as does mango pickle (MMMMM, Mangga Thokku!). I eat both kinds in cheese sandwiches, I stir them into curries, I chop them fine and stir them into salads (in moderation). And I eat pickle and curd rice maybe three times a week.
Personally prefer garlic pickle (yummmm…). But yeah, I add it to EVERYTHING π
mango thokku and lime pickle are definitely my favorites. my family eats pickle with mac and cheese. it’s so good that i’ve converted some of my non-desi friends.
Pickle is the one thing that I think all desis take with them no matter where they go. Amrikis tend to be put off by the smell at first, but somehow all my friends kept sneaking in the jar after a while. I got my elderly French landlady totally addicted as well, to the point where I had to get her a few bottles before leaving. No wimpy lime pickle for her, she liked the flaming red chilli stuff.
Siddhartha if you like lime pickle in sandwiches, you have to try Moroccan harissa with preserved lemon – best sandwich spread ever, perfect with tuna or sardines.
Lime or mango pickle (or even vaddu maanga thanni) in a grilled cheese sandwich=delicious.
I love pickle achar, more so than the mango flavor. But i never know how much to eat with my food, i mean one “block about a half cm is enough right? then how come i keep going for more..? I think that pataks secretly put nicotine in there somewhere..im getting a fix right now.
I’m more of a Mango pickle kind of girl. I grew up on Bedekars in India but learnt to switch to Pataks a long time ago after I didn’t like the quality of Bedekars in the US. Nothing brings comfort like some varan bhaat and mango pickle yummmoo. Or even plain parathas and mango pickle will do any day. I also use almost all their range of sauces as well in my cooking. Pretty good stuff.
Sorry, but I have to draw the line at “curry pastes” and “simmer sauces.” It’s really not that hard to put something together with ginger-garlic paste and/or onions + spices. Patak’s pastes are quite mediocre. And I don’t quite approve of the ABD embrace of the term “curry” either shuffles off grumbling about kids these days
Am I the only ABD here who doesn’t eat Achar? Heck, I rarely eat any sort of pickle in general. I just can’t get used to the smell of rotting fruit / vegetables. I like all my produce fairly fresh, won’t eat it canned either. I know I know I’m a philistine, but still. I just cannot do it.
Am I alone in this? It’s my strongest desi food dislike, and one of my only ones.
have never replied to any of the posts, but this one was too tempting to stay away…did somebody say amb da achaar..miss those days when the whole family use to make preparations for putting up new vessels of the acchaar..and in order to really enjoy the aloo parantha you gotta have amb da acchar…
Yes all of us have that kind of luxury of time to whip up rich sauces π
Oh come on whether it’s Vindaloo or Korma or Rogan Josh or Madras it’s still curry isn’t it?
Luxury of time? How much more time does it take to put in the ginger-garlic/onion, fry it for 5-10 minutes, and then add the spices, compared with a paste that’s chock full of sodium and sugary stuff? Or just toss in some panchphoran or namak-mirchi-haldi-dhania on a sabzi? Indian food takes a certain amount of time to cook, and the masalas are the least of it, if you’re making desi, might as well take the extra few minutes. I stand by my grouchy old auntiness, and I work full time dammit :p
I sincerely hope the last line was meant facetiously, JOAT, or I’m coming to get you.
I’m with SP on this one (sorry JoAT). Prepping achar doesn’t take very long, and can be easily done if you’re multitasking your cooking. Especially since the key component is to let it sit out in the sun π I have to post it my achar jar, though, otherwise I forget when I put it out :-/
Speaking of nimbu paani (#31)… Given the vast quantity of nimbu paani my parents consume, I am flummoxed that none of us thought to achar the nimbu (not a verb, I know) before. What a brilliant idea!
Um, Camille, I wasn’t talking about prepping achar (I don’t make my own), just regular dishes. I actually don’t know anyone of my generation who makes achars. We’d better learn or the recipes will die out.
Sorry to conflate sauces with achar π Although I don’t think it’s terribly hard to do most sauces. Although I like buying curry powder (I know, talk about kicking you in the gut), just because I have NO NEED to keep a full bottle of fenugreek, whereas garam masala and cumin are much more useful across sauces.
You know what I can’t do, and generally don’t enjoy eating? Nearly all chutneys, mint (padena) and coconut chutney excluded. I even hate imli (tamarind – gasp!). I know. Withdraw my brown membership card.
Ahem, I would like to point out that the word curry is not just an ABD cop-out — it is the Tamil word for any generic dish that goes with rice, at least among the Tamil speakers I know. In fact, housewives ask each other “What curry did you make today?” when they mean “What did you cook today?” We also use the word to refer to the gravy/sauce in a dish, as opposed to the pieces of vegetable or meat. And I know this isn’t the case in India — I grew up in Malaysia, but most Indians there speak an Indian language and eat Indian food and generally cling to their culture more than many ABDs — but we’ve even been known to call sambar “paruppu curry” (lentil curry).
Self-respecting Tamil cooks certainly don’t stoop to curry powder or curry pastes π , but we still call it curry, and not just when we’re speaking English. So there.
Also, Only My Liver, if you think pickle smells like “rotting fruit/vegetables,” you’ve never smelled rot. There’s a difference between pickling and leaving things to rot — by your logic, jam is rotten fruit because it’s been cooked and packed in sterilised jars (just like pickle). Good for you for eating fresh veggies — I agree that they taste better than canned 95% percent of the time (though I’m not with you on pickle, no!) — but I was dismayed to find out a few years ago that frozen or canned veggies actually contain more vitamins, unless your fresh veggies came out of your garden or someone else’s that morning. If you’re buying them from a supermarket, they’ve lost most of their vitamins during the long wait to be bought. Just thought you’d like to know.
SP #30, BrownElf #33: Yes, the Passage Brady was the reliable desi spot. I suspect it still is though I haven’t spent much time in Paris in a long while. I did grow up in Paris though subsequently my parents moved en province — near the Mediterranean. Paris is a great city and all but the Mediterranean is the way to go. Especially for food. The tomatoes alone… And BrownElf, I didn’t grow up in any kind of desi community, so I can’t really speak to your question. In the past we’ve had commenters turn up with interesting stories of growing up desi in non-UK Europe; maybe someone will speak up here.
JOAT #39, #43, SP $40, #44: I’ve used the pastes in my time, not the simmer sauces which I too find suspect. The pastes can really help accelerate or liven up a dish, especially when you are short on time and cooking just for yourself (or for people who don’t know the difference). I wouldn’t use the pastes alone, however; you gotta use your own onions at a minimum, and calibrate your own spice mix and final flavor.
I do agree with SP when she says:
A blender/food processor thingy helps as well. Freshly chopped and blended ginger + garlic + tomatoes is a beautiful thing and for me, a crucial aesthetic way-station en route to a good curry. Or whatever you want to call it.
SP #36: Yes to harissa! Love that stuff. Mmm, fresh sardines….
Finally and speaking of fish, let me not forget my mellow Red Snapper #5, #6: You are right, brother. That title was sitting right there for me to use. Big up to Orwell!
my dad always made the pickles in our house … mango, lime, and even fish pickle (its a mallu thing, i think) …. but if we were to buy, we always bought the “Grandma’s” brand …
sorry siddhartha, i never like patak’s (or bedekar’s for that matter) …
my pickle abomination: pickle in soups (all kinds) and noodles … in fact i’m having thai noodle soup for lunch today … and you know that i have my little debba of Grandma’s spicy prawn pickle to go with it !!