strongly flavoured ingredients are locally traditional or available at the time. It would not normally contain preserving agents, since it is intended to be consumed soon after preparation. Chutney, as a genre, is often similar to the salsa of Latino cooking, or European relish insofar as it usually involves a fresh, chopped primary vegetable/fruit with seasonings added, to be used as a condiment for another food.
The Hindi translation of "to make chutney" is a common idiom meaning "to crush". This is because the process of making chutney often involves the crushing together of the ingredients.
The use of a stone chutney maker is often regarded as vital to create the ideal chutney. It is a small stone bowl (called a "kharal" or "khal" in Hindi), or a flat piece of stone (called a "sil") on which the ingredients are crushed together with a rounded stick of stone or wood (called a "batta", pronounced with a hard 't').
Chutney is more familiar in North America and Europe in a form that can be stored. To this end, vegetable oil, vinegar, or lemon juice are used to enhance the keeping properties.
Types of chutney
Many authentic chutneys contain significant amounts of fresh green chilli peppers; the other main ingredient can be any of a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. Most vegetable chutneys are prepared cold in a blender, while many fruit chutneys do require cooking.
Popular chutneys include:
- Coconut chutney
- Onion chutney
- Tomato chutney
- Cilantro (coriander leaves) and/or mint chutney (both are often called Hari chutney, where 'Hari' is Hindi for 'Green')
- Tamarind chutney (Imli chutney)
- Mango chutney (made from unripe, green mangos)
- Lime chutney (made from whole, unripe limes)
- Garlic chutney made from fresh garlic, coconut and groundnut
- Green tomato chutney. Common English recipe to use up unripe tomatoes
In temperate countries, chutneys are sometimes made using local main ingredients such as apples, peaches or tomatoes.
Flavourings are always added to the mix. These may include sugar, salt, garlic, tamarind, onion, or ginger.
Spices most commonly include fenugreek, coriander, cumin and hing (asafoetida).
In South Africa there is a traditional commercial variety that is made with dried fruit.
History
Beginning in the 1600s, chutneys were shipped to European countries like England and France as luxury goods. Western imitations were called "mangoed" fruits or vegetables. In the nineteenth century, brands of chutney like Major Grey's or Bengal Club created for Western tastes were shipped to Europe.
Chutney by Indian region
- Gujarat - athanah and hot lime chutneys
- Haryana - tamarind chutney
- Himachal Pradesh - guava and eggplant chutneys
- Karnataka - coconut, coriander, green chilli, mango, onion, peanut, tomato, tamarind,ridgegourd.
- Kerala - coconut, urad dal (a kind of legume), mango, dry fish, shrimp, and onion chutney
- Maharashtra - hot mango chutney, guramba, and panchamrit,Mirachicha Thecha
- Punjab - pudina (mint) chutney, onion chutney, tamarind chutney, mango chutney
- Tamil Nadu - coconut, tomato, onion, and mango chutneys
- Uttar Pradesh - garlic, sweet and sour mango, and peanut
- West Bengal - fruit (mango, plum, apple, and apricot) chutneys
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