In all the Indian households, you can find the humble Indian pickle. It is interesting to share the origin story of the pickle. The majority of Indians go in their nostalgia while talking about pickles.
They have their sweet memories related to it. In the pickle preparation, the work starts from getting the right ingredients to add in the pickle from mixing the raw materials.
However, it is difficult for us to wait until the pickle is ready to eat. We remember the moments in which we lived in our ancestral. During the summer vacations, the house women use to prepare pickles using different materials and keep them in big jars.
They kept the ceramic pickle jars in the sunlight and took care of the hygiene during the pickle-making process. Children admired the pickle-making skills of their grandmothers. The Indian pickle is a collection of different tastes from sweet to sour, tangy and spicy.
Furthermore, any Indian meal does not finish without a pickle. It is the only culinary trend that unites Indians from North to South and East to West. Pickle is the only thing present in the rich and poor man’s meal. It has become an integral component of the meal over time.
Traditional Names of Pickle in India
India is a culturally diverse place. When it comes to pickles, people call them with different names in their states. Some standard traditional terms of pickle in India are:
- Hindi : Achar.
- Gujarat : Athanu.
- Kerala : UppillittuthuMaharashtra: Loncha.
- Andhra Pradesh : Pachadi.
- Tamil Nadu : Urukal.
- Karnataka : Uppinakaayi.
Indian Pickle History
The pickle-making process is thousands of years old. It goes its unique name in several Indian states. On the other hand, the English name Pickle comes from pekel Dutch word that means brine. Additionally, the word Archer has originated from the Persian word. Archer word in the Persian language means vegetables and fruits mixed in powered salt and kept in vinegar for long.
A well-known food historian named KT Archarya talked about pickles in his book, A Historical Dictionary of Indian Food. Through his book, he mentioned selected pickles and their preparation process.
He wrote about the pickle that had existed before the Indian Civilization. The Kannada text titled Lingapurana of Gurulinga Desika dated CE1594 mentioned about fifty different types of pickles.
Oil is a common ingredient used in the pickle-making process. Salt and vinegar were added to some pickles. There is no need to put the pickles in refrigerators to store them.
The ingredients added to them keep it fresh. Our travel journeys are incomplete without the presence of pickles. The most popular types of pickles are prepared using mangoes.
You can use fruits, vegetables, pawns, and chicken to make the pickles. An engaging book titled Usha’s Pickle Digest contains around 1000 recipes of pickles, and Usha P Prabakaran is the writer of the book.
Pickles have become an essential part of the Indian meal. In every Indian home, you can find it prepared from different types.
Pickles and their different types
Here are the popular types of pickles that have listed below:
- Bread-and-butter pickle: The Bread and butter pickle is widely popular. It has made by using cucumber with salt and sugar solutions. These pickles are famous from the USA to Omar since the 1920s. In comparison with other pickles, the bread and butter pickle tastes sweet.
- Kosher Dill: According to Jewish Dietary Law, the Kosher Dill pickle is prepared. Garlic and salt mixed to make the pickle, and it is served in New York since 1899.
- Gherkin: Gherkin is the small cucumber pickles. For making this pickle, people take bumpy skinned cucumbers and add tarragon and vinegar in them.
- Hungarian: Most of the year, cucumber, and vinegar mix pickles are made in the regions of Hungary. Along with the species, the cucumber has been added to a glass vessel and mixed. During the summer season, vinegar is no added to make the cucumber pickle.
Benefits of Eating Pickles
Pickles add a tangy flavour to your favourite burger and sandwich. There are loads of vitamins, minerals, potassium, and antioxidants are present in it. Antioxidants are helpful for our body that protects it from oxidative damage. Vitamin A is present in pickles that are beneficial for our immune system and vision. Therefore, the benefits of including pickles in our daily diet are as follows:
- Helpful in digestion: Fermented pickles contain a good bacteria amount known as probiotics. The bacteria are beneficial for our body to maintain our gut health. Therefore, you should include fermented pickles in your diet.
- Ease the muscle cramps issues: The athletes take the pickle juice to deal with muscle cramps in their body. They lose a massive amount of electrolytes while doing routine exercise. A study has revealed that pickle juice is beneficial and better than water to get instant relief in muscle cramps.
- Curb spike in blood sugar levels: The pickles contain vinegar in it that is beneficial in controlling the blood sugar levels in the body. Therefore, people who are suffering from diabetes can make pickles in their daily diet. It can help in keeping the blood sugar in control.
- Suitable for the immune system: Pickles has Vitamin A that is essential for our immune system, vision, and pregnancy health of females. Pregnant females should start eating pickles in the correct quantity.
Final Words
Pickles and Indians have a strong connection with each other. No Indian meal is finished without adding pickle to it. Mango and Lemon pickles are famous in India. We all remembered our childhood days in which our mom and grandmother use to make pickles together during summer. Apart from these sweet memories, we like pickle due to its multiple health benefits of boosting our immune system, controlling blood sugar, teeth health, and vision. We should have a pickle in our diet in a limited quantity to get its benefits to keep our body fit and healthy.
