Salty mango pickles

[Ducksredux]

Howdy!

Decided to be adventurous and buy 5 different brands of Mango pickle: Swad, Ahmed, Patak's, and two others. Have tried 3 so far and each is so incredibly salty that I can't bear to take another bite. I like salty food, but this is unreal. I threw away a ginger pickle a few weeks ago because it was way too salty. And when I ordered a mixed pickle at local restaurant it was also inedible.

So what's the secret here? Is it an acquired taste? Should I be burying a miniscule amount of it in a huge bowl of rice?

[Milagai]

Howdy!

Decided to be adventurous and buy 5 different brands of Mango pickle: Swad, Ahmed, Patak's, and two others.  Have tried 3 so far and each is so incredibly salty that I can't bear to take another bite.  I like salty food, but this is unreal.  I threw away a ginger pickle a few weeks ago because it was way too salty.  And when I ordered a mixed pickle at local restaurant it was also inedible. 

So what's the secret here?  Is it an acquired taste?  Should I be burying a miniscule amount of it in a huge bowl of rice?

←

just like olives, no?

my first several times eating olives i felt the same way.

now i can eat a whole bowlful.

don't throw the pickles away, gift them to a desi friend,

or mail them to me

1. it is probably somewhat an acquired taste.

2. yes, you are not supposed to take a huge bite;

but a tiny smidgen well-buried in a mouthful of rice+yogurt,

or chapati+dal, etc.

it's proverbial in india to giggle when people "eat achar like sabzi"

i.e. eat pickle like it was a veggie dish, but they usually

do this because they like it so much: i am guilty of eating

punjabi mixed veg pickle (turnips, carrots, cauliflower in mustard

seeds and a touch of sweet and hot and salt in the spice)

just as if it was mixed veg subzi instead of mixed veg achaar.

hth

milagal

Edited August 26, 2005 by Milagai (log)

[Ducksredux]

just like olives, no?

my first several times eating olives i felt the same way.

now i can eat a whole bowlful.

don't throw the pickles away, gift them to a desi friend,

or mail them to me

1. it is probably somewhat an acquired taste.

2. yes, you are not supposed to take a huge bite;

but a tiny smidgen well-buried in a mouthful of rice+yogurt,

or chapati+dal, etc.

it's proverbial in india to giggle when people "eat achar like sabzi"

i.e. eat pickle like it was a veggie dish, but they usually

do this because they like it so much: i am guilty of eating

punjabi mixed veg pickle (turnips, carrots, cauliflower in mustard

seeds and a touch of sweet and hot and salt in the spice)

just as if it was mixed veg subzi instead of mixed veg achaar.

hth

milagal

←

[JasonTrue]

I've definitely had some olives that are as salty as Indian pickles, but most of the ones that leave Europe for the US are not as salty. California olive producers see to go for fruitier, rather than brinier.

Even so, I know I balance my saltiest cured olives with some bread or cheese to cut the salt impact. I do the same with Indian pickles, but with rice or chapati.

I did find that it took me forever to make use of a single jar of lime pickle, garlic pickle, or mango pickle.

I was once a little overwhelmed by the salt on a tomato-and-onion covered papad in one Indian restaurant... and I know an Indian colleague or two who didn't complain about the mild flavors but felt Japanese food isn't salty enough (even though Japanese have a fairly high daily salt consumption). It would seem that many Indians fairly high tolerance for salt.

[Milagai]

ducksredux: try Patak's sweet eggplant pickle.

It has hot/sweet/sour flavors.

Most non-desis like this one.

Milagai

[tryska]

the patak's garlic pickle is similar. perhaps not as sweet as the eggplant - but definitely a sweet component.

and i still stand by garlic pickle and peanut butter spread on toast.

Edited August 27, 2005 by tryska (log)

[Milagai]

the patak's garlic pickle is similar.  perhaps not as sweet as the eggplant - but definitely a sweet component.

and i still stand by garlic pickle and peanut butter spread on toast.

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what kind, what brand?

there are such a jillion many different kinds of pickle,

so when someone just says "mango pickle" or "lime pickle"

one has no idea what they mean.

in mango pickle - the saltiest ones are the "south indian tender baby

mango pickle" - vadumangai,

where the juice is mainly brine, red chili, and a couple or

other things.

but there's also avakaya, sweet mango pickle,

mango pickle with or without oil, mango pickle with or without garlic,

shredded mango, chunk mango, different degree of ripeness,

there are literally too many to list.

so, to jason, dux, and others discussing mango or lime pickle -

which kind? what name? what recipe, what region?

the same brand (e.g. swad) will have several different kinds of mango

pickle.....

and tryska, what kind of garlic pickle?

milagai

[AmyDaniel]

and i still stand by garlic pickle and peanut butter spread on toast.

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[Milagai]

and i still stand by garlic pickle and peanut butter spread on toast.

←

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actually it's a great combination.

it approximates a south indian peanut / tamarind paste

called "pulikaachal" that is usually mixed with rice,

but makes fantastic sandwich spread.

usually pulikaachal is made without garlic, but there

might be a garlic version in some communties,

and the general combination of peanut + tangy is very

classic peninsular indian....

milagai

[tryska]

the patak's garlic pickle is similar.  perhaps not as sweet as the eggplant - but definitely a sweet component.

and i still stand by garlic pickle and peanut butter spread on toast.

←

what kind, what brand?

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it's the patak's brand. used to be called garlic Pickle - now they got fancy and call it Garlic Relish. in Medium. Ingredients are as follows:

Garlic, Onions, Canola Oil, Sugar, Sultanas, Dates, Salt, Chile Peppers, Mustard, Fenugreek, Coriander, Spices, Acetic Acid, Lactic Acid.

It's a sort of sweet spicy that really goes well with Peter Pan, Jif, any of the sweeter peanut butters - not so much with the natural type peanut butters.

[Ducksredux]

the patak's garlic pickle is similar.  perhaps not as sweet as the eggplant - but definitely a sweet component.

and i still stand by garlic pickle and peanut butter spread on toast.

←

what kind, what brand?

there are such a jillion many different kinds of pickle,

so when someone just says "mango pickle" or "lime pickle"

one has no idea what they mean.

in mango pickle - the saltiest ones are the "south indian tender baby

mango pickle" - vadumangai,

where the juice is mainly brine, red chili, and a couple or

other things.

but there's also avakaya, sweet mango pickle,

mango pickle with or without oil, mango pickle with or without garlic,

shredded mango, chunk mango, different degree of ripeness,

there are literally too many to list.

so, to jason, dux, and others discussing mango or lime pickle -

which kind? what name? what recipe, what region?

the same brand (e.g. swad) will have several different kinds of mango

pickle.....

and tryska, what kind of garlic pickle?

milagai

←

I've actually been using the pickles a little bit the past few days. My wife made an astounding quantity of frozen boiled chicken breast so I've been mixing in a little pickle every day at work, desperate for any flavor at all. I took a closer look at the pickles and sure enough, there are a few differences.

Shalini - Katki Diced Mango Pickle (Sweet) haven't opened this one yet. Ingredients are: Sugar, Mango, Salt, Cumin, Chili

MTR - Mango Pickle (Tender) not opened yet. Ingredients: Mango, Salt, Chili, Spices

Patak's - Mango Relish Fruity and Chunky Medium. Ingredients: Mango, Oil, Salt, Spices, Preservatives

Ahmed - Mango Pickle. Ingredients: Mango, Oil, Salt, Acid, Spices

Swad - Mango Pickle. Ingredients: Mango, Salt, Oil, Spices, Acid

I'm going to try the Shalini pickle today, since it looks to be much less salty. And the next time I buy pickles I'll look at the salt content.

[merrybaker]

Decided to be adventurous and buy 5 different brands of Mango pickle: Swad, Ahmed, Patak's, and two others... I like salty food, but this is unreal.

←

I find all the food at Indian restaurants much saltier than anything I'm used to. I've often wondered if excess salt in all dishes acted as a preservative for food in the hot Indian summer.

[anzu]

I find all the food at Indian restaurants much saltier than anything I'm used to.  I've often wondered if excess salt in all dishes acted as a preservative for food in the hot Indian summer.

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I doubt this would be the reason as most people in India - and orthodox Hindus in particular - believe in eating only food which has been freshly prepared. Preparing something earlier and eating it later (pickles are of course an exception) is not acceptable to many. As a result, there is no need to add extra salt to normal dishes to aid in their preservation.

This statement is of course a generalization, as customs vary hugely in India according to region, religion, and caste. There will of course be exceptions. In certain areas, for example, there are indeed certain foods which are prepared in advance and eaten over several days. Those foods, however, are frequently prepared in a 'pickle-like manner', i.e. water is totally avoided in their preparation and vinegar or oil are used instead. I doubt these are the type of dishes you are being served in Indian restaurants.

I can think offhand of three possible reasons why the food would be more heavily salted:

1) compared to the proportions served in Indian restaurants, people are eating a smaller proportion of the savory dishes and are eating those dishes with a higher proportion of (unsalty) starch. Therefore the ratio of salty to unsalty food is not as marked as in restaurants.

2) many parts of India are pretty hot almost all year round. People sweat a lot more. Eating more salt might actually be essential to maintain good health.

3) maybe the cooks in the restaurants you've eaten at are not particularly good and are simply oversalting the food?

[merrybaker]

Anzu, thanks for your reply. You made three good points... especially the last one.

[eipi10]

I had the exact same reaction about ten years ago. I thought I could never like it--too salty. Now I don't find it too salty to enjoy. I don't find it particularly wonderful either, and I don't think it mixes well with food because it's so strong. But I enjoy a little bit.