Chutney

{{Short description|South Asian condiments made of spices, vegetables, and fruit}}

{{About|the condiment|the film|Chutney (film){{!}}Chutney (film)|the genre of music|Chutney music}}

{{Infobox food

| name = Chutney

| image = Chutneykarnataka.jpg

| caption = Different types of chutneys from Bengaluru, India

| alternate_name = 'blatjang' , 'pachadi, chammanthi, chatney, chatni, satni, upsecanam, thuvayal, aachar, pacchadi''

| place_of_origin = Indian subcontinent

| region = South Asia, Caribbean, and parts of Africa, Fiji

| main_ingredient = Vegetables, fruits, salt, spices, and herbs.

| associated_cuisine = Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Fiji, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom

}}

File:DakshinChutneys.jpg chutney (green, in the middle)]]File:Chutneys.jpg

File:MangoChutney.jpg chutney]]

File:Pesarattu and Ginger chutney.jpg and ginger chutney]]

A chutney ({{IPA|hi|ˈʧəʈɳiː|pron}}) 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, or mint dipping sauce.

Etymology

The word chutney derives from Hindustani/Urdu (Nastaliq: چٹنی, Devanagari: चटनी) chaṭnī, deriving from चाटना chāṭnā 'to lick' or 'to eat with appetite'.{{cite OED|chutney|access-date=17 January 2020}}{{cite Merriam-Webster|chutney|access-date=17 January 2020}} In India, chutney refers to fresh and pickled preparations indiscriminately; however, several Indian languages use the word for fresh preparations only.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024|reason=Which languages?}}

Overview

In India, chutneys can be either made alongside pickles that are matured in the sun for up to two weeks and kept up to a year or, more commonly, are freshly made from fresh ingredients that can be kept a couple of days or a week in the refrigerator.

In South India, Chutneys are also known as Pachadi ({{langx|te|పచ్చడి}}, {{langx|kn|ಪಚಡಿ}}, {{langx|ta|பச்சடி}}, {{langx|ml|പച്ചടി}}, {{langx|mr|पचडी}}) which generally refers to traditional South Indian sauces or chutneys served as side dishes. Roughly translated, it refers to a plant which has been pounded or crushed.{{cite web |date=2016-09-13 |title=Onam special: Here's what a traditional Onam sadhya consists of |url=http://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/food-wine/onam-special-heres-what-a-traditional-onam-sadhya-consists-of-3028642/ |access-date=2016-09-13 |newspaper=The Indian Express}}

Pachadis are made of fresh vegetables and are served on the side for dishes like idli, dosa, and pesarattu. Many kinds of vegetables are included. Sometimes the rind of a vegetable is used, such as the peel of the ridged gourd, known as {{lang|te-Latn|beerapottu pachadi}}{{cite web |title=Beera Pottu Kura |url=http://en.petitchef.com/recipes/beera-pottu-kura-fid-1054938 |access-date=17 May 2012 |publisher=Ptitchef- Women's era}} in Telugu.

In Tamil Nadu, thogayal or thuvayal (Tamil) are preparations similar to chutney but with a pasty consistency. In Kerala it is also called chammanthi and in Telangana it is called tokku or also pacchadi. Thengai chutney, a coconut-based chutney, is the one being referred to when only 'chutney' is said.

Medicinal plants that are believed to have a beneficial effect are sometimes made into chutneys, for example pirandai thuvayal{{cite web|url=http://www.seduceyourtastebuds.com/2013/09/pirandai-thuvayal.html|title=Pirandai Thuvayal|access-date=27 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304041954/http://www.seduceyourtastebuds.com/2013/09/pirandai-thuvayal.html|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status = dead|df=dmy-all}} or ridged gourd chutney (peerkangai thuvayal or beerakaaya tokku).{{cite web|url=http://www.padhuskitchen.com/2012/06/peerkangai-thogayal-ridge-gourd-chutney.html|title=Peerkangai Thogayal-Ridge Gourd Chutney (thuvayal) Recipe|last=Padhu|date=20 June 2012|access-date=27 October 2017}}

Bitter gourd can also serve as a base for a chutney which is like a relish{{cite web|url=http://www.smithakalluraya.com/2013/10/hagalakayi-chutney-bitter-gourd-chutney.html|title=Hagalakayi Chutney / Bitter gourd chutney|publisher=Smithakalluraya.com|access-date=27 October 2017}} or, as a dried powder.{{cite web|url=http://yousigma.com/recipes/bittergourdchutneypowder.html|title=Recipes - Bitter Gourd Chutney Powder|first=Chebbi, Deepak|last=M.|website=yousigma.com|access-date=27 October 2017|archive-date=24 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224195501/https://www.yousigma.com/recipes/bittergourdchutneypowder.html|url-status=dead}}

Occasionally, chutneys that contrast in taste and colour can be served together—a favourite combination being a green mint and chili chutney with a contrasting sweet brown tamarind and date chutney.{{cite web|url=http://www.divinetaste.com/archives/date-and-tamarind-chutney-coriander-and-mint-chutney/|title=Date And Tamarind Chutney/ Coriander And Mint Chutney » DivineTaste|website=www.divinetaste.com|date=15 September 2014 |access-date=27 October 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.tarladalal.com/Khajur-Imli-ki-Chutney-2796r|title=Khajur Imli ki Chutney recipe - Imli ki Chutney Recipes - by Tarla Dalal - Tarladalal.com - #2796|website=www.tarladalal.com|access-date=27 October 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/green-chutney-punjabi-style/|title=green chutney recipe, how to make punjabi green chutney recipe|website=www.vegrecipesofindia.com|date=15 November 2014|access-date=27 October 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.tastyappetite.net/2013/06/how-to-make-green-chutney-sweet-chutney.html|title=How to make Green Chutney & Sweet Chutney for Chats : (Mint Chutney) / (Date & Tamarind Chutney) / Chutneys for Chats|website=www.tastyappetite.net|access-date=27 October 2017}}{{cite web|url=https://www.sattvicrecipe.com/green-tomato-chutney/|title=Green Tomato Chutney/ Husk Tomatillos Chutney » Sattvic Recipe|website=www.sattvicrecipe.com|access-date=27 October 2017}}

Chutneys may be ground with a mortar and pestle or an ammikkal (Tamil). Spices are added and ground, usually in a particular order; the wet paste thus made is sautéed in vegetable oil, usually gingelly (sesame) or peanut oil. Electric blenders or food processors can be used as labour-saving alternatives to the stone grinding technique.

Western-style chutneys are usually fruit, vinegar, and sugar cooked down to a reduction, with added flavourings. These may include sugar, salt, garlic, tamarind, onion or ginger.Jellies, Jams & Chutneys, {{cite book|last1=Prince |first1=Thane|title=Jellies, Jams & Chutneys|date=19 May 2008|publisher=Penguin |isbn=9780756651794|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Mk2RNNQbjcQC&q=recipe+for+chutney+food}} Western-style chutneys originated from Anglo-Indians at the time of the British Raj. They recreated Indian chutneys using English orchard fruits—sour cooking apples and rhubarb, for example. They would often contain dried fruit: raisins, currants, and sultanas.

They were a way to use a glut of ripened fruit and preserving techniques were similar to sweet fruit preserves using approximately an equal weight of fruit and sugar, the vinegar and sugar acting as preservatives.

South Indian chutney powders are made from roasted dried lentils to be sprinkled on idlis and dosas.{{cite web|url=http://simpleindianrecipes.com/RecipesByCategory/Condiments/DryChutneyPowders.aspx|title=Dry Chutney Powders - Simple Indian Recipes|website=simpleindianrecipes.com|access-date=27 October 2017}} Peanut chutneys can be made wet or as a dry powder.{{cite web|url=http://foodviva.com/chutney-raita-recipes/peanut-chutney-recipe/#hproduct-120|title=Peanut Chutney Recipe - South Indian Style Chutney for Dosa and Idli|access-date=27 October 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.smithakalluraya.com/2014/06/peanut-chutney-powder-shenga-chutney.html|title=PEANUT CHUTNEY POWDER / SHENGA CHUTNEY PUDI|date=27 June 2014|access-date=27 October 2017}}

Spices commonly used in chutneys include fenugreek, coriander (also called cilantro), cumin, and asafoetida (hing). Other prominent ingredients and combinations include coriander, capsicum, mint (coriander and mint chutneys are often called हरा hara chutney, Hindi for "green"), Tamarind or imli (often called meethi chutney, as मिठाई meethi in Hindi means "sweet"), sooth (or saunth, made with dates and ginger), coconut, onion, prune, tomato, red chili, green chili, mango, lime (made from whole, unripe limes), garlic, coconut, peanut, dahi (yogurt), green tomato, dhaniya pudina (cilantro and mint), peanut (shengdana chutney in Marathi), ginger, red chili powder, tomato onion chutney,{{cite web|url=http://www.sinfulcurry.com/tomato-onion-chutney/ |title=Tomato Onion chutney « Sinful Curry|work=sinfulcurry.com}} cilantro, mint coconut chutney,{{cite web|url=http://www.sinfulcurry.com/cilantro-mint-coconut-chutney/ |title=Cilantro Mint Coconut Chutney « Sinful Curry |publisher=sinfulcurry.com}} and apricot.{{cite web |url=http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/5111/apricot-blatjang |title=Apricot blatjang|first=Sara|last=Buenfeld|date=1 February 2008|publisher=BBC Good Food}}

A common chutney variant in Anglo-Indian cuisine uses a tart fruit such as sharp apples, rhubarb or damson pickle made milder by an equal weight of sugar (usually demerara, turbinado or brown sugar to replace jaggery in some Indian sweet chutneys). Vinegar was added to the recipe for English-style chutney that traditionally aims to give a long shelf life so that autumn fruit can be preserved for use throughout the year (as are jams, jellies and pickles) or to be sold as a commercial product. Indian pickles use mustard oil as a pickling agent, but Anglo-Indian style chutney uses malt or cider vinegar which produces a milder product. In Western cuisine, chutney is often eaten with hard cheese or with cold meats and fowl, typically in cold pub lunches.{{cite web |author=Bateman, Michael |date=18 August 1996 |title=Chutneys for relishing |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/chutneys-for-relishing-1310363.html |access-date=27 October 2017 |work=The Independent}}

Major Grey's Chutney is a type of sweet and spicy chutney popular in the United States. The recipe was reportedly created by a 19th-century British Army officer of the same name (likely apocryphal) who presumably had resided for a period of time in the Raj. Its characteristic ingredients are mango, raisins, vinegar, lime juice, onion, tamarind extract, sweetening and spices. Several companies produce a Major Grey's Chutney, in India, the UK and the US.

History

File:Chicken chatni.jpeg

Similar in preparation and usage to a pickle, simple spiced chutneys can be dated to 500 BC.{{Cite web|url=https://mamellada.gr/history-of-chutney/|title=History of Chutney|date=2018-08-12|website=Mamellada|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-01}} Originating in India,{{cite book | last=Raghavan | first=S. | title=Handbook of Spices, Seasonings, and Flavorings, Second Edition | publisher=CRC Press | year=2006 | isbn=978-1-4200-0436-6 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bePKBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA255 | access-date=30 October 2017 | page=255}} As greater imports of foreign and varied foods increased into northern Europe, chutney fell out of favour in Britain. This combined with a greater ability to refrigerate fresh foods and an increasing number of glasshouses meant the British consumption of chutney and pickle was relegated to army usage and individuals residing in colonial India. Chutney resurged in popularity in England around the 1780s as an appetizer.

Diego Álvarez Chanca brought back chili peppers from the Americas to Spain in 1493. He had sailed with Columbus. After discovering their medicinal properties, Chanca developed a chutney to administer them. In the early 17th century, officials of the East India Company on the Indian subcontinent subsisted on preserved foodstuffs such as lime pickles, chutneys and marmalades. (Marmalades proved unpopular due to their sweetness. They were also rare due to a lack of available sugar.) Beginning in the 17th century, fruit chutneys were shipped to various European countries as luxury goods. These imitations were called "mangoed" fruits or vegetables, the word 'chutney' being associated with the working class in these countries.

Major Grey's Chutney is thought to have been developed by a British officer who had travelled to the Indian subcontinent. The formula was eventually sold to Crosse and Blackwell, a major British food manufacturer, probably in the early 1800s.{{cite book | last=Helstosky | first=C. | title=The Routledge History of Food | publisher=Taylor & Francis | series=Routledge Histories | year=2014 | isbn=978-1-317-62113-3 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ul6vBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA330 | access-date=2017-10-27 | page=330}} In the 19th century, types of chutney like Major Grey's or Bengal Club that catered to Western tastes were shipped to Europe from the Indian subcontinent. Generally, these chutneys are fruit, vinegar, and sugar cooked down to a reduction.

By regions of India

File:Fresh coconut chutney.jpg]]

File:Pudina_Chutney.jpg chutney]]

File:TomatoChutney.jpg]]

class="wikitable sortable"

!Region

!Chutneys

Assam

|Coriander, spinach, tomato chutney, curry leaf, chili, radish, carrot, cucumber, beetroot, lentil, chickpea, ghost chilli pepper chutneys

Andhra Pradesh

|Gongura, peanut, curry leaf, coconut chutney, cilantro, red chilli with mung bean, chickpea, pigeon pea, tomato, onion, eggplant, okra, garlic, amla (Indian gooseberry), citron, cucumber, carrot, Thotakooraa, bitter gourd, bottle gourd, ash gourd, raw mango, beetroot, luffa, pumpkin, lemon, sponge gourd, ridge gourd, snake gourd, chowchow, cabbage, cauliflower, ivy gourd, Dosakaayaa, Budamakaayaa, tamarind, green and red chilli, ginger, mint, mango

Gujarat

|Hot lime chutney, garlic chutney, tamarind chutney, fudina chutney, papaya chutney, besan chutney, dal chutney

Haryana

|Onion garlic chilli chutney, kachri chutney (small wild melon), hara choley chutney (unripe young green chickpea), pudina (mint) chutney, tomato chutney, potato chutney

Himachal Pradesh

|Guava and eggplant chutneys

Karnataka

|Coconut chutney, horsegram chutney, chana dal chutney, onion chutney, red chilli chutney, garlic chutney, capsicum chutney, urad dal chutney, cowpea chutney, chilli, peanut, tomato, tamarind, mango, urid dal, pudina (mint), heeray kayi (ridge gourd),{{cite web|url=https://udupi-recipes.com/2016/02/ridge-gourd-chutney-without-coconut.html|title=Ridgegourd chutney without coconut|author=udupi-recipes|date=23 February 2016 |access-date=17 March 2023}} badane kayi (eggplant), uchellu (niger seed), bende kaayi (okra or ladyfinger), agashi (flax seed), bitter gourd (Haagalakayi), ginger chutneys. Also chutneys are made from the peels of pumpkin, bottle gourd, ridge gourd and bitter gourd in Karavali and Malenadu regions of Karnataka state in India.

Kerala

|Coconut chutney, mint, urad dal, mango, dry fish, shrimp, onion chutney

Maharashtra

|Hot raw mango chutney, coconut chutney, muramba, panchamrit, mirachicha thecha: dry chutneys made with oil seeds such as with till (sesame seed), javas (flax seed), solapuri shengadana (peanut/red chili powder), karale (Niger seed), peanut/garlic (lasun), roasted dudhi (bottle gourd) skin chutney, tamarind chutney

Manipur

|Eromba

Odisha

|Coconut, mango, orange, tomato, dried fish chutneys

Punjab

|Pudina (mint) chutney, onion chutney, tamarind chutney, mango chutney

Tamil Nadu

|Raw Coconut chutney, fried Coconut chutney, coriander, mint, tomato, onion, ginger, garlic, peanut, sesame, curry leaf, green chilli, red chilli, radish, mango, mango leaf, Guva leaf, tamarind, green tamarind, tamarind flower, tamarind leaf, lentil chutneys, almost all vegetables and Indian herbs.

Telangana

|Coconut chutney, peanut, lemon, gongura, peanut, curry leaf, cilantro, red chilli with mung bean, chickpea, pigeon pea, tomato, onion, eggplant, okra, garlic, amla (Indian gooseberry), citron, cucumber, carrot, Thotakooraa, bitter gourd, bottle gourd, ash gourd, raw mango, beetroot, luffa, pumpkin, lemon, sponge gourd, ridge gourd, snake gourd, chowchow, cabbage, cauliflower, ivy gourd, Dosakaayaa, Budamakaayaa, tamarind, green and red chilli, ginger, mint, mango

Uttar Pradesh and Bihar

|Coriander seed and leaf, garlic, roasted onion, cooked tomato, mint, radish, amla (gooseberry), sweet and sour mango, green chili, boiled potato and pickled mango, red chili and jaggery chutneys

Uttarakhand

|Bhanga (cannabis) chutney

West Bengal

|Amla, coriander, lime, apple, green mango, tomato, papaya, pineapple, date, starfruit, mint, sweet and sour mango, dried mango jelly and other dry fruits, green chilli chutneys

= In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana =

Vegetable pachadi is made with vegetables like bottle gourd, aubergine, and okra. The vegetable is cooked al dente and is ground with roasted red/green chiles, fenugreek seeds and mustard seeds.
Green pachadi: The most popular one is Gongura pachadi made out of red sorrel leaves and roasted red chiles, and is unique to Andhra cuisine.{{Cite web |last=swasthi |date=2013-07-16 |title=Gongura pachadi {{!}} Gongura pickle & chutney |url=https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/gongura-pachadi-red-sorrel-leaves-chutney/ |access-date=2023-12-21 |website=Swasthi's Recipes |language=en-US}} Other than this, chukka koora (a type of sour leafy greens found in Andhra Pradesh) pachadi is also very popular.

= In Karnataka =

Thambuli is a type of sauce or chutney eaten in the Indian state of Karnataka. Thambuli is a curd based dish and is usually consumed with hot rice along with hot sambar. Thambuli is derived from the Kannada word thampu ({{lang|kn|ತಂಪು+ಹುಳಿ}} ---->{{lang|kn|ತಂಬುಳಿ}}), meaning cool/cold. It is made mostly from greens and carrots, beetroot like vegetables as their main ingredients. It is prepared by grinding the vegetable with the spices and then mixing it with yogurt. All ingredients are used raw (as they are) without any cooking.

Thambuli/Tambli/Tambuli is a form of sauce or chutney. There are many varieties of Thumbuli: Menthe Thumbuli, shunti (ginger) thaumbuli, and various other herbal thambulis. The herbal thambuli is prepared with leaves like {{lang|kn-Latn|Basale soppu}}, {{lang|kn-Latn|kaki kudi soppu}}, {{lang|kn-Latn|doddapatre soppu}} (all of them grown in all over Karnataka).

Many different seasonal vegetables/herbs can be used in the preparation of thambulis, such as doddapatre leaves (ajwain leaves/karibevu leaves), coriander leaves, poppy seeds, curry leaves and so on. Various recipes for the same exist, with slight variations in the ingredients. Thambuli/Tambli is generally prepared mild and not spicy. Fundamentally, thambuli/tambli has a few simple whole spices, roasted and ground with seasonal vegetables or herbs (some with coconut) added to buttermilk/curds. Tambuli is another authentic Karnataka recipe.

= In Tamil Nadu =

In Tamil Nadu, pachadi is eaten fresh and typically made of finely chopped and boiled vegetables such as cucumber or ash gourd, with coconut, green or red chillis and fried in oil with mustard seeds, ginger and curry leaves. Pachadi is commonly eaten with rice and lentil curry.

= In Kerala =

In Kerala, pachadi is prepared in curd similar to Tamil Nadu. Along with sour Pachadi, there exists a sweet variant in Kerala, made with pineapple, grapes or pumpkin.{{cite web |date=2016-09-13 |title=Onam special: Here's what a traditional Onam sadhya consists of |url=http://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/food-wine/onam-special-heres-what-a-traditional-onam-sadhya-consists-of-3028642/ |access-date=2016-09-13 |newspaper=The Indian Express}} Many varieties made of the same key recipe exist in different parts of Kerala. It is served at restaurants along with vegetable thali rice. It is also included with Sadhya, especially with Kerala Sadhya popular during Onam and Vishu festivals.

In other countries

In Trinidad and Tobago, chutneys are mostly made from green mangoes, coconut or tamarind.{{cite book | first=Lise | last=Winer | title=Dictionary of the English/Creole of Trinidad & Tobago | publisher=McGill-Queen's University Press | location=Montreal | date=2009 | isbn=978-0-7735-3406-3 | url= |page=214}} An eponymous music genre developed in the country.