Pickles, Integral to Indian Meals

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Steve Kowalsky

Author: Minnie

Imagine, one summer morning, you are standing in the middle of large farm where you have a problem of plenty; fruits trees and vegetables, ladened fully. Your task, how would you preserve all these perishable foods so that they remain edible for the coming winter season?

Visualize this, you are a part of a large trader caravan in ancient times, travelling across vast expanse of land. You have been given the ardent task to provide food at regular intervals to others.

Or in the recent past you are a quarter master of an army and it is your job to provide ready to eat ration to your troops.

They say, necessity is mother of invention. I can only presuppose how many situations mankind would have found itself in, where it felt that it was necessary to preserve perishable foods.

The Propitious Pickle happened to us.

It all started with salting of the perishable and preserving them in acidic liquids like vinegar. The word ‘Achar’ is of Persian origin. It actually means powdered or salted meats, fruits and vegetables.

In his book, A Historical Dictionary of Indian Foods, K.T. Achaya (popularly known as Indian Food Scientist), says – pickling is cooking without fire🔥.

• • Hindu Text Linga Purana (5th CE to 15th CE) by Gurulinga Desika contains 50 pickle recipes.
• • The word ‘Achar’ was also popularly used by King of Keladi – Basavappa Nayaka (1697 CE to 1714 CE) in a work popularly known as Sivatattvaratnakara.
• • Archaeologists believe that our romance with pickle started approximately 4000 years ago. Indian traders carried the first pickled cucumbers from the homeland to Tigris Valley somewhere in 2300 BCE.
• • The Egyptians and Greeks, in 850 BCE, encouraged consumption of pickles for enhancing physical strength and uplifting spirits.
• • It is believed that in 50 BCE, Cleopatra included variety of pickles in her diet as she considered them to be imperative for augmenting her beauty.
• • Julius Caeser in 45 BCE categorized pickle to essential-diet list for his men. He was of the view that the pickles were source of vigour.
• • Romans also pickled fish into a sauce known as ‘Garum’ that in today’s avatar is known as Worcestershire sauce.
• • By 900 AD, ‘Dill’ from Sumatra, South East Asia reached Western Europe and became a new addition to the salted cucumber.
• • As seafarers began to map the open wide seas, the ship-captains realized the medicinal value of pickles and how it protected the sailors from Scurvy (A dreaded disease caused due to lack of vitamin C).
• • The famous sailor Columbus, was a great pickle enthusiast and planted cucumbers on island of Hispaniola.
• • The famed map maker, Amerigo Vespucci was actually a pickle merchant.
• • During World War II, pickles were mainstay ration item for the troops.
• • 14th Nov is National Pickle Day in the United States. Interestingly it coincides with Children’s Day in India and don’t they love pickle? 😋

Pickles, Achar, Acar, Actchara or whatever other names we call them, they have been part of the human history all throughout. If your tryst with pickles is yet to start, you are at the right place.

Minnie’s Pickle are a step up as they are not merely preserving vegetables and fruits in vinegar or brine with permitted flavours or preservatives. They are carefully crafted, seasoned over stipulated time to bring a fine balance among nutrition, taste and shelf life.

Our pickles and chutneys (a type of Indian home-made sauce) will take you down the memory lane as they are all about keeping the traditions alive. Our home-recipes have been refined over generations and stood the test of times. We use no preservatives and prepare afresh.

Where do you think the phrase –‘In a pickle’ was first said? That’s the trivia I leave you with. Pickle your way to the answer 🙂.