South Asian pickles, also known as avalehikā, pachchadi, achaar (sometimes spelled as aachaar), athaanu, loncha, oorugaai, or aavakaai, is a pickled food made from a variety of vegetables and fruits preserved in

brine Brine is a high-concentration solution of salt (NaCl) in water (H2O). In diverse contexts, ''brine'' may refer to the salt solutions ranging from about 3.5% (a typical concentration of seawater, on the lower end of that of solutions used for ...

vinegar Vinegar is an aqueous solution of acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains 5–8% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting simple sugars to eth ...

, edible oils, and various South Asian spices. The pickles are popular across the

South Asian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographical region in Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geopolitically, it includes the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, ...

, with many regional variants.

Etymology

Etymology for pickles in South Asia varies regionally. The pickles are known as ''uppinakaayi'' in

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

, ''avakaya'' in

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode ...

, ''oorugaai'' in

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, na ...

, ''uppillittuthu'' in

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry ( Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam wa ...

, ''loncha'' in Marathi, ''athanu'' in

Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub- ...

, and ''achaar'' in Hindustani (Hindi-Urdu),

Nepali Nepali or Nepalese may refer to : Concerning Nepal * Anything of, from, or related to Nepal * Nepali people, citizens of Nepal * Nepali language, an Indo-Aryan language found in Nepal, the current official national language and a language spoken ...

and

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

. Early

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion ...

and Tamil literature uses the terms ''avalehika, upadamzam'', ''sandhita,'' and ''avaleha'' for pickles.The Story of Our Food by K.T. Achaya (2003) ''Āchār'', a loanword of Persian origin, entered popular use as the Hindustani term for pickles under the

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

. In Persian, the word ''āchār'' is defined as "powdered or salted meats, pickles, or fruits, preserved in salt, vinegar, honey, or syrup."

History

Early pickle recipes in

Ayurvedic Ayurveda () is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. The theory and practice of Ayurveda is pseudoscientific. Ayurveda is heavily practiced in India and Nepal, where around 80% of the population repo ...

and Sangam period texts mention several varieties of pickles, including the earliest known mention of

mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree '' Mangifera indica''. It is believed to have originated in the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in Sout ...

pickles. ''Nalachampu'', a Sanskrit epic written by Trivikrama Bhatta in 915 CE, describes pickles made from green mango, green peppercorns,

long pepper Long pepper (''Piper longum''), sometimes called Indian long pepper or ''thippali'', is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. Long pepper has a taste simi ...

, raw

cardamom Cardamom (), sometimes cardamon or cardamum, is a spice made from the seeds of several plants in the genera '' Elettaria'' and '' Amomum'' in the family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to the Indian subcontinent and Indonesia. They ar ...

lemon The lemon (''Citrus limon'') is a species of small evergreen trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, native to Asia, primarily Northeast India (Assam), Northern Myanmar or China. The tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culin ...

, lime,

myrobalan The common name myrobalan can refer to several unrelated fruit-bearing plant species: * Myrobalan plum (''Prunus cerasifera''), also called cherry plum and myrobalan plum * Emblic myrobalan (''Phyllanthus emblica''), also called Amla and Amalaki In ...

, hog plum, stone apple, and fragrant manjack. Early

medieval cookbooks In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

such as ''Lokopakara'' (1025 CE), '' Manasollasa'' (1130 AD), ''Pakadarpana'' (1200 AD), and ''Soopa Shastra'' (1508 AD), Kshemakutuhala (1549 AD) mentions pickle recipes that use green mango, green peppercorns, longpepper, lemons and limes,

turmeric Turmeric () is a flowering plant, ''Curcuma longa'' (), of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, the rhizomes of which are used in cooking. The plant is a perennial, rhizomatous, herbaceous plant native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast ...

root, mango-ginger root,

ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is a herbaceous perennial which grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of ...

, radish, bitter gourd,

bamboo shoots Bamboo shoots or bamboo sprouts are the edible shoots (new bamboo culms that come out of the ground) of many bamboo species including '' Bambusa vulgaris'' and ''Phyllostachys edulis''. They are used as vegetables in numerous Asian dishes and ...

. The religious text ''Lingapurana'' by Gurulinga Desika (1594 CE) mentions more than fifty kinds of pickles. Unique pickles made from edible flowers are also mentioned in the ''Ni'matnama'' (1500 CE) cookbook. Chili peppers were introduced to South Asia by Portuguese traders in ports controlled by the Mughal Empire on the western coast of Gujarat. It is unclear when red chili peppers came to be used in pickles as they are today, since medieval texts do not mention their use in pickles. Before the introduction of chili peppers by the Portuguese, black pepper, long pepper, and ''Piper chaba'' (in both fresh and dried forms) were the main source of heat in ancient and medieval pickles.

Ingredients

Chili peppers are the decisive ingredient in South Asian pickles, though other ingredients vary by region within the Indian subcontinent. Some commonly used ingredients are limes, lemons, mangoes, ginger, and eggplants. In India, there are two main types of pickles: pickles made with

sesame Sesame ( or ; ''Sesamum indicum'') is a flowering plant in the genus ''Sesamum'', also called benne. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cul ...

or mustard oil, and pickles made without oil. Pickles without oil use salt to draw out the moisture from green mangoes or lemons to create a brine. A mixture of lemon or lime juice with salt or traditional ''ganne ka sirka'' (

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, perennial grass (in the genus '' Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalk ...

vinegar) may also be used as brine. In some pickles from

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

and

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern ...

jaggery Jaggery is a traditional non-centrifugal cane sugar consumed in the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and Africa. It is a concentrated product of cane juice and often date or palm sap without separation of the molasses and crystals, and ...

is used as the main preserve. Homemade pickles are prepared in the summer. They are matured through exposure to sunlight for up to two weeks. The pickle is tradtionally covered with

muslin Muslin () is a cotton fabric of plain weave. It is made in a wide range of weights from delicate sheers to coarse sheeting. It gets its name from the city of Mosul, Iraq, where it was first manufactured. Muslin of uncommonly delicate hands ...

while it is maturing.

Regional variations

India

Despite using the same main ingredients, differences in preparation techniques and spices have led to wide variation in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

n pickles. A

pickle from

South India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union terr ...

tastes very different from one made in

North India North India is a loosely defined region consisting of the northern part of India. The dominant geographical features of North India are the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas, which demarcate the region from the Tibetan Plateau and Cen ...

, as the southern states prefer sesame oil and tend to produce spicier pickles, while the northern states prefer mustard oil. The city of

Panipat Panipat () is a historic city in Haryana, India. It is 95 km north of Delhi and 169 km south of Chandigarh on NH-1. The three major battles fought in 1526, 1556 and 1761 took place near the city. The city is famous in India as the ...

Haryana Haryana (; ) is an Indian state located in the northern part of the country. It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 Nov 1966 on a linguistic basis. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with less than 1.4% () of India's land ...

is well-known as a hub for commercial ''achaar'', and is particularly famous for ''pachranga'' (literally "five colors," prepared with five vegetables) and ''satranga'' (literally "seven colors," prepared with seven vegetables). ''Pachranga'' and ''satranga'' ''achaar'' are matured in mustard oil and whole spices with ingredients like raw mangoes,

chickpeas The chickpea or chick pea (''Cicer arietinum'') is an annual legume of the family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. Its different types are variously known as gram" or Bengal gram, garbanzo or garbanzo bean, or Egyptian pea. Chickpea seeds are ...

, lotus stem,

karonda ''Carissa carandas'' is a species of flowering shrub in the family Apocynaceae. It produces berry-sized fruits that are commonly used as a condiment in Indian pickles and spices. It is a hardy, drought-tolerant plant that thrives well in a wide ra ...

, and limes. ''Pachranga'' ''achaar'' was first created in 1930 by Murli Dhar Dhingra in Kaloorkot, a village in the

Mianwali District The Mianwali District ( ur, ), is a district located in Sargodha Division of Punjab province, Pakistan. It was separated from NWFP in 1901, and has a border with the Chakwal, Attock,Kohat, Karak, Lakki Marwat, Dera Ismail Khan, Bhakkar, a ...

of what is now

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. Dhingra's descendants brought the pickle to India in 1943. As of 2016, Panipat produced over worth of ''achaar'' every year, supplied to local markets as well as exported to the UK, USA, and

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

.Our desi drive-ins
/ref>
/ref>
/ref> In South India, most vegetables are

sun-dried Food drying is a method of food preservation in which food is dried (dehydrated or desiccated). Drying inhibits the growth of bacteria, yeasts, and mold through the removal of water. Dehydration has been used widely for this purpose since ...

with spices, taking advantage of the immensely hot and sunny climate in the region. The sun-drying process naturally preserves the vegetables, along with spices such as mustard,

fenugreek Fenugreek (; ''Trigonella foenum-graecum'') is an annual plant in the family Fabaceae, with leaves consisting of three small obovate to oblong leaflets. It is cultivated worldwide as a semiarid crop. Its seeds and leaves are common ingredients ...

seeds,

chili powder Chili powder (also spelled chile, chilli, or, alternatively, powdered chili) is the dried, pulverized fruit of one or more varieties of chili pepper, sometimes with the addition of other spices (in which case it is also sometimes known as chili ...

, salt, asafoetida, and turmeric. To speed up the process, vegetables may be cooked before drying. Mangopickle

The states of

Telangana Telangana (; , ) is a state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the eleventh-largest state and the twelfth-most populated state in India with a geographical area of and 35 ...

and

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

are particularly well-known for their spicy pickles. Unripe mango with garlic and ginger ( in Telugu) and unripe tamarind with green chilies ( in Telugu) and red chillies ( in Telugu) are a staple with everyday meals.

Gooseberry Gooseberry ( or (American and northern British) or (southern British)) is a common name for many species of '' Ribes'' (which also includes currants), as well as a large number of plants of similar appearance. The berries of those in the gen ...

( in Telugu) and lemon ( in Telugu) pickles are widely eaten as well. In the state of

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...

, the mango pickle is a staple condiment. is usually made early in the summer season, when mangoes are barely an inch long. The preservation process uses

castor oil Castor oil is a vegetable oil pressed from castor beans. It is a colourless or pale yellow liquid with a distinct taste and odor. Its boiling point is and its density is 0.961 g/cm3. It includes a mixture of triglycerides in which about ...

, giving the pickle a unique taste. Tamil Nadu is also known for the , which consists of unripe citrons cut into spirals and stuffed with salt, and for , which consists of sun-dried chillies stuffed with salted yogurt. In the state of

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO 15919, ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reor ...

, the tender whole mango pickle is made by dehydrating tender whole mangoes with salt. South Indians living in the coastal areas also pickle fish and meats. In Tamil Nadu, is made by salting and sun-drying fish. , made from anchovies, is among the more popular varieties of . In Kerala, tuna and sardines are finely chopped, marinated in spices, and cooked on the stove top to make in . While fish and shrimp pickles are eaten in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, they are not as popular as lamb and chicken pickles. Unripe mangoes, lemon, green chilis, (''

Cordia dichotoma ''Cordia dichotoma'' is a species of flowering tree in the borage family, Boraginaceae, that is native to the Indomalayan realm, northern Australia, and western Melanesia. Common names include fragrant manjack, snotty gobbles, cummingcordia, ...

''), and '' kerda'' are commonly used as key ingredients in Gujarati pickles. Common Gujarati pickles include salted mango pickle made with

groundnut oil Peanut oil, also known as groundnut oil or arachis oil, is a vegetable oil derived from peanuts. The oil usually has a mild or neutral flavor but, if made with roasted peanuts, has a stronger peanut flavor and aroma. It is often used in Americ ...

and spiced with

seeds and red chili powder; hot and sweet mango pickle made with

groundnut Groundnut may refer to: * Seeds that ripen underground, of the following plants, all in the Faboideae subfamily of the legumes: ** ''Best Basketball Player'', Obinna Udunni ** ''Arachis villosulicarpa'', a perennial peanut species ** ''Vigna subt ...

oil and

fennel Fennel (''Foeniculum vulgare'') is a flowering plant species in the carrot family. It is a hardy, perennial herb with yellow flowers and feathery leaves. It is indigenous to the shores of the Mediterranean but has become widely naturalized ...

seeds, dry dates (), mustard, and red chili powder; and hot and sweet mango pickle made with sugar syrup,

cumin Cumin ( or , or Article title
) (''Cuminum cyminum'') is a

Burmese word for pickle is ''thanat'' (). Mango pickle () (''thayet thi thanat'') is the most prevalent variety. The pickle is made with green, ripe, or dried mangoes cured in vinegar, sugar, salt, chili powder,

masala Masala, Massala or MASALA may refer to: Spice * Masala (spice), any of the many spice mixes used in South Asian cuisine ** Masala chai, a flavoured tea beverage ** Masala incense, Indian incense using a spice mix ** Masala dosa, an Indian dish Pl ...

, garlic, fresh chilies, and

mustard seed Mustard seeds are the small round seeds of various mustard plants. The seeds are usually about in diameter and may be colored from yellowish white to black. They are an important spice in many regional foods and may come from one of three diff ...

s. Mango pickle is commonly used as a condiment alongside curries and biryani in

Burmese cuisine Burmese cuisine () encompasses the diverse regional culinary traditions of Myanmar, which have developed through longstanding agricultural practices, centuries of sociopolitical and economic change, and cross-cultural contact and trade with ne ...

. It is also a mainstay ingredient in a traditional Burmese curry called ''wet thanat hin'' ().

Nepal

Dalle Khursani And Fermented Bamboo Shoot Pickle

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is ma ...

, ''achaar'' () is commonly eaten with the staple Dal-Bhat-Tarkari. Many ''achaar'' factories in Nepal are women-owned or operated by women. Nepalese ''achaar'' is made with spices such as mustard seeds, ''timur'' ( Sichuan pepper), cumin powder,

coriander Coriander (;

powder, turmeric powder, and chili powder. Some of the popular varieties of achar eaten in Nepal are: * '' Lapsi'' ''achaar'' - Hog plum pickle (can be sweet, savoury, or both) * ''Khalpi achaar'' - Ripe

cucumber Cucumber (''Cucumis sativus'') is a widely-cultivated creeping vine plant in the Cucurbitaceae family that bears usually cylindrical fruits, which are used as culinary vegetables.Dalle khursani Dalle Khursani (), ''Akabare Khursani'', red cherry pepper chilli or simply ''Dalle'' is a variety of chilli pepper primarily cultivated in Nepal, Indian state of Sikkim, and Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts of Indian state of West Bengal. It ...

achaar'' - Nepali round chili pickle * ''Tama achaar'' - Fermented bamboo pickle * ''Gundruk achaar'' - Fermented mustard leaves pickle * ''Mula ko achaar'' - Sun-dried radish and

daikon Daikon or mooli, ''Raphanus sativus'' var. ''longipinnatus,'' is a mild-flavored winter radish usually characterized by fast-growing leaves and a long, white, root. Originally native to continental East Asia, daikon is harvested and consume ...

preserved in oil and spices * ''Karkalo achaar'' - Pickled stems of ''Colocasisa'' * ''

Kinema ''Kinema'' () is a fermented soybean food, prepared by the Nepali communities of the Eastern Himalayas region: Eastern Nepal, and Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Sikkim regions of India. Kinema is a traditional food of the Limbu people, as well as p ...

achaar'' - Fermented

soybean The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean, which has numerous uses. Traditional unfermented food uses of soybeans include soy milk, from which tofu ...

pickle * ''Buff achaar'' - Pickled

buffalo meat Buffalo meat is the meat of the water buffalo, a large bovid, raised for its milk and meat in many countries including India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Philippines, Bulgaria, Italy, Russia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Australia and Egypt. B ...

* ''Chicken achaar'' - Pickled chicken * ''Aanp ko achaar'' - Unripe mango pickle (can be sweet, savoury, or both) * ''Kagati ko achaar'' - Lemon pickle * ''Timur ko chop'' - Powdered Sichuan pepper with spices * ''Jhinge machha achaar'' - Freshwater

shrimp Shrimp are crustaceans (a form of shellfish) with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are ref ...

pickle

Pakistan

The

Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

province of modern-day Pakistan is noted for Shikrarpuri ''achaar'' and Hyderabadi ''achaar''. Both of these ''achaar'' varieties are commonly eaten in

and abroad. Shikrarpuri ''achaar'' is believed to have originated during the 1600s in medieval India. The most popular of variety of Shikarpuri ''achaar'' is a mixed pickle comprising carrots, turnips, onions, cauliflower, chickpeas, garlic, green chillies, lime, and mango.

Sri Lanka

Pickles are known as ''acharu'' in Sinhala or ''oorugai'' in

Africa

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

and

Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label= Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kal ...

, Indian pickles are called ''atchar''. They are made primarily from unripe mangoes and are sometimes eaten with bread.