A relish (a pickle-based condiment) is a cooked and

pickled Pickling is the process of preserving or extending the shelf life of food by either anaerobic fermentation in brine or immersion in vinegar. The pickling procedure typically affects the food's texture and flavor. The resulting food is called ...

culinary dish made of chopped

vegetable Vegetables are edible parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. This original meaning is still commonly used, and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including edible flower, flo ...

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

s or

herb Herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal purposes, or for fragrances. Culinary use typically distingu ...

s, typically used as a

condiment A condiment is a preparation that is added to food, typically after cooking, to enhance the Flavoring, flavour, to complement the dish or to impart a specific flavor. Such specific flavors generally add sweetness or pungency, or sharp or piquant ...

to enhance a staple. Examples are

chutney A chutney () is a spread typically associated with cuisines of the Indian subcontinent. Chutneys are made in a wide variety of forms, such as a tomato relish, a ground peanut garnish, yogurt, or curd, cucumber, spicy coconut, spicy onion ...

s and the North American relish, a

pickled cucumber A pickled cucumber – commonly known as a pickle in the United States, Canada and Australia and a gherkin ( ) in Britain, Ireland, South Africa, and New Zealand – is a usually small or miniature cucumber that has been Pickling, pickled in ...

jam eaten with

hot dog A hot dog is a grilled, steamed, or boiled sausage served in the slit of a partially sliced bun. The term ''hot dog'' can also refer to the sausage itself. The sausage used is a wiener ( Vienna sausage) or a frankfurter ( Frankfurter Würs ...

s. In North America, the word "relish" is frequently used to describe a single variety of finely chopped pickled cucumber relish, such as pickle,

dill Dill (''Anethum graveolens'') is an annual herb in the celery family Apiaceae. It is native to North Africa, Iran, and the Arabian Peninsula; it is grown widely in Eurasia, where its leaves and seeds are used as a herb or spice for flavouring ...

and sweet relishes. Kyopoolu bg

Relish generally consists of discernible vegetable or fruit pieces in a

sauce In cooking, a sauce is a liquid, cream, or semi- solid food, served on or used in preparing other foods. Most sauces are not normally consumed by themselves; they add flavour, texture, and visual appeal to a dish. ''Sauce'' is a French wor ...

, although the sauce is subordinate in character to the vegetable or fruit pieces. Herbs and seeds may also be used, and some relishes, such as

chermoula Chermoula (Berber: ''tacermult'' or ''tacermilt'', ) or charmoula is a marinade and relish used in Algerian, Libyan, Moroccan and Tunisian cooking. It is traditionally used to flavor fish or seafood, but it can be used on other meats or vegetabl ...

, are prepared entirely using herbs and spices. Relish can consist of a single type or a combination of vegetables and fruit, which may be coarsely or finely chopped; its texture will vary depending on the slicing style used for these solid ingredients, but generally a relish is not as smooth as a sauce-type condiment such as

ketchup Ketchup or catsup is a table condiment with a sweet and sour flavor. "Ketchup" now typically refers to tomato ketchup, although early recipes for different varieties contained mushrooms, oysters, mussels, egg whites, grapes, or walnuts, amon ...

. Relish typically has a strong flavor that complements or adds to the primary food item with which it is served.

Varieties

This is a list of notable relishes. *

Ajika Ajika or adjika ( Abkhazian: Аџьыка; ) is a Georgian subtly flavored sauce or dip made mainly in the Samegrelo and Abkhazia regions. It is often used to flavor food. Ajika is primarily capsicum-based and usually includes other spices su ...

Ajvar Ajvar ( ; sr-Cyrl, Ajвар, ) is a condiment made principally from sweet bell peppers and eggplants. The relish became a popular side dish throughout Yugoslavia after World War II and remains popular in Southeast Europe. Homemade ajvar is ma ...

* Achar *

Atchara ''Atchara'' (also spelled ''achara'' or ''atsara'') is a pickle made from grated unripe papaya originating from the Philippines. This dish is often served as a side dish for fried or grilled foods like pork barbecue. History The name '' ...

Bostongurka Bostongurka (Swedish language, Swedish meaning "Boston cucumber") is a type of relish with pickling, pickled gherkins, red bell pepper and onion with spices such as mustard seeds. It is so popular in Sweden that it is considered by some to be a ...

Biber salçası Biber may refer to: * Biber (surname) * Biber (geology), a timespan in the glacial history of the Alps * ''Biber'' (submarine), a World War II German midget submarine * Biber, a bridge-carrying version of the German Leopard 1 tank * Biber (La ...

* Branston relish *

Chakalaka Chakalaka is a South African vegetable relish, usually spicy, that is traditionally served with bread, pap, samp, stews, or curries. Chakalaka is said to have originated in the townships of Johannesburg or in the gold mines surrounding Johann ...

Chermoula Chermoula (Berber: ''tacermult'' or ''tacermilt'', ) or charmoula is a marinade and relish used in Algerian, Libyan, Moroccan and Tunisian cooking. It is traditionally used to flavor fish or seafood, but it can be used on other meats or vegetabl ...

Chow-chow The Chow Chow is a spitz-type of dog breed originally from Northern China. The Chow Chow is a sturdily built dog, square in profile, with a broad skull and small, triangular, erect ears with rounded tips. The breed is known for a very dense doub ...

Chrain (; ; or ; ; ; ; ; ; ; meaning 'horseradish' in all these languages) is a spicy paste made of grated horseradish. It is a common condiment for meat and fish dishes in Eastern and Central European cuisines (Slovene cuisine, Slovene, northern Cro ...

Chutney A chutney () is a spread typically associated with cuisines of the Indian subcontinent. Chutneys are made in a wide variety of forms, such as a tomato relish, a ground peanut garnish, yogurt, or curd, cucumber, spicy coconut, spicy onion ...

Cranberry Cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines in the subgenus ''Oxycoccus'' of the genus ''Vaccinium''. Cranberries are low, creeping shrubs or vines up to long and in height; they have slender stems that are not th ...

relish * Ćwikła – Polish beet relish *

Dill Dill (''Anethum graveolens'') is an annual herb in the celery family Apiaceae. It is native to North Africa, Iran, and the Arabian Peninsula; it is grown widely in Eurasia, where its leaves and seeds are used as a herb or spice for flavouring ...

relish *

Doenjang ''Doenjang'' * () or soybean paste is a type of fermented bean paste made entirely of soybean and brine used in Korean cuisine. It is also a byproduct of soup soy sauce production. It is sometimes used as a relish. History The earliest soyb ...

Gentleman's Relish Gentleman's Relish, also known as Patum Peperium (meaning "pepper paste" in Latin), is a British commercial brand of anchovy paste created in 1828 by John Osborn. It is a savoury paste with a salty and slightly fishy taste, and contains salted an ...

– was invented in 1828 by John Osborn and contains spiced anchovy. It is traditionally spread sparingly atop unsalted butter on toast. *

Giardiniera ''Giardiniera'' (, ) is an Italian cuisine, Italian relish of pickling, pickled vegetables in vinegar or cooking oil, oil. Varieties and uses Italian ''giardiniera'' is also called ''sottaceti'' (), a common term for pickled foods. It is typi ...

Gochujang ''Gochujang'' or red chili paste * is a savory, sweet, and spicy fermented condiment popular in Korean cooking. It is made from '' gochugaru'' (red chili powder), glutinous rice, '' meju'' (fermented soybean) powder, ''yeotgireum'' (barley m ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, 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 by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

relish *

Lecsó Lecsó ( , ; Czech and ; ; ; ; , ), also anglicized as lecho, is a Hungarian thick vegetable ragout or stew which traditionally contains yellow pointed peppers, tomato, onion, salt, and ground sweet and/or hot paprika as a base recipe. The o ...

Ljutenica ''Lyutenitsa'', ''ljutenica'', ''lütenitsa'' or ''lutenica'' (, , , ''lyuto'', ''ljuto'' or ''luto'', , , , ); meaning "spicy", is a (sometimes spicy hot) vegetable relish or chutney in Bulgarian, Macedonian, Serbian and Turkish cuisines. ...

Kachumbari Kachumbari is a fresh tomato and onion salad relish that is popular in the cuisines of the African Great Lakes region. It is an uncooked salad dish consisting of chopped tomatoes, onions, and chili peppers. Variations of kachumbari can be found ...

– common in East Africa * Kimchi relish – prepared using

kimchi Kimchi (; ) is a traditional Korean side dish (''banchan'') consisting of salted and fermented vegetables, most often napa cabbage or Korean radish. A wide selection of seasonings are used, including '' gochugaru'' (Korean chili powder), ...

as a main ingredient *

Kyopolou Kyopolou (, , more often , ; In Turkey this dish is colloquially called ''köpoğlu'' and in meze-serving fish restaurants it is a cold eggplant dish with tomato-red pepper paste in olive oil which gives it the red color. Речник на ч ...

Kuchela Sudama (), also known as Kuchela (), is a childhood friend of the Hindu deity Krishna. The story of his visit to Dvaraka to meet his friend is featured in the Bhagavata Purana. In their legend, Sudama and Krishna study together as children ...

Malidzano Malidzano is a traditional Macedonian spread made from puréed bell peppers, eggplant, oil, salt and mustard (optional). It derives its name from the Italian word for eggplant, ''melanzane''. Malidzano is usually served as an appetizer with a sid ...

Mango pickle Mango pickle is a variety of pickle prepared using mango. It is very popular in South and Southeast Asia. These sour/spicy pickles are also available commercially. Varieties The pickling process in India differs from other regions mainly d ...

Mixed pickle Mixed pickles are pickles made from a variety of vegetables mixed in the same pickling process. Mixed pickles are eaten much like other pickles: in small amounts to add flavor and to accent a meal. Mixed pickles appear in many different world cu ...

s * Mostarda – prepared as a relish, fruit pickle, fruit preserve or chutney *

Muhammara The muhammara or mhammara (, "something that has turned red") is a dip made of walnuts, red bell peppers, pomegranate molasses, and breadcrumbs. It is commonly associated with Syria,. Muhammara can also be found in Western Armenian cuisine. In ...

Matbucha Matbucha (, ''maṭbūkhah''; ) is a North African condiment or cooked salad consisting of cooked tomatoes and roasted bell peppers seasoned with garlic and chili pepper, and slow-cooked for a number of hours. It is traditionally served in North ...

Pear Pears are fruits produced and consumed around the world, growing on a tree and harvested in late summer into mid-autumn. The pear tree and shrub are a species of genus ''Pyrus'' , in the Family (biology), family Rosaceae, bearing the Pome, po ...

relish *

Pebre Pebre is a Chilean condiment made with coriander, parsley, chopped onion, vinegar, a neutral oil, ground or pureed spicy ají, and usually chopped tomatoes. Pebre is most commonly used on bread. It is also used on meat, or when meat such as cho ...

Piccalilli Piccalilli, or mustard pickle, is a British interpretation of South Asian pickles, a relish of chopped and pickled vegetables and spices.Spelling as per The Chambers Dictionary, 1994, . Regional recipes vary considerably. Etymology The ''Oxfo ...

Pickled cucumber A pickled cucumber – commonly known as a pickle in the United States, Canada and Australia and a gherkin ( ) in Britain, Ireland, South Africa, and New Zealand – is a usually small or miniature cucumber that has been Pickling, pickled in ...

Pico de gallo ''Pico de gallo'' (; ), also called ''salsa fresca'' ('fresh sauce'), ''salsa bandera'' ('flag sauce'), and ''salsa cruda'' ('raw sauce'), is a type of salsa commonly used in Mexican cuisine. It is traditionally made from chopped tomato, oni ...

Pinđur Pindjur or pinjur or pinđur ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", pinđur, пинђур; ; ; ), is a relish form and is commonly used as a summer spread. Pindjur is commonly prepared in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Bulgaria, Serbia and North Mac ...

Salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (food), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: Arts and ent ...

Sambal Sambal is an Indonesian chili sauce or paste, typically made from a mixture of chillis with secondary ingredients such as shrimp paste (terasi), garlic, ginger, shallot, scallion, palm sugar, and lime juice. ''Sambal'' is an Indonesia ...

* Tapenade *

Vinagrete Vinagrete or molho à campanha is a typical Brazilian condiment made of chopped tomato, chopped onion, olive oil, vinegar, either parsley or sweet peppers, and salt. It usually accompanies salads, grilled meat, feijoada, pastel and roasted chick ...

In the United States, the most common commercially available relishes are made from pickled cucumbers and are known in the food trade as pickle relishes. Pickle relish is one of the most commonly used spreads in the U.S. Two variants of this are hamburger relish (pickle relish in a tomato base or sauce) and hot dog relish (pickle relish in a mustard base or sauce). Another readily available commercial relish in the U.S. is corn (maize) relish.

Heinz The Kraft Heinz Foods Company, formerly the H. J. Heinz Company and commonly known as Heinz (), is an American food processing company headquartered at One PPG Place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company was founded by Henry J. Heinz in 1869. ...

, Vlasic, and Claussen are well known in the U.S. as producers of pickled cucumbers and pickle relishes. Chicago-style relish is a sweet pickle relish that is a standard ingredient on the

Chicago-style hot dog A Chicago-style hot dog, Chicago dog, or Chicago red hot is an all-beef frankfurter on a poppy seed bun, originating from the city of Chicago, Illinois. The hot dog is topped with yellow mustard, chopped white onions, bright green sweet pick ...

. Pickle relish is an important ingredient in many varieties of the U.S. version of

tartar sauce Tartar sauce (; often spelled tartare sauce in the UK, Ireland, and Commonwealth countries) is a condiment made of mayonnaise, chopped gherkins or relish, capers, and herbs such as tarragon and dill. Tartar sauce can also be enhanced with ot ...

. File:Coconut and Mango Chutney (chammandi).jpg, A coconut-mango

File:Gentleman's Relish (cropped).jpg,

File:Mostarda vincentina - 20071207.jpg, Homemade mostarda

References

External links

USDA Standards for Grades of Pickles (including relishes)

Relishes at recipe source
{{Lists of prepared foods Condiments Pickles Sauces Fruit dishes Vegetable dishes

Varieties

See also

References

Further reading

External links