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The pick of pickles
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Summer is the time when women make their annual quota of pickles using recipes handed down by their mothers. M.V. CHANDRASHEKAR goes on a tangy trip
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Only the best will do: Hard bargaining is also part of the process. -- Photos: Sampath Kumar G.P.
IT IS that time of the year again when women (well, mostly women) get busy making the very thing that makes life worth living — pickles. It takes a certain genius to preserve food for years without the use chemicals and make it taste great. Whatever be your preferences, there's a pickle for the occasion, ranging from sweet to salty to fiery. And that king of fruits, the mango, is the hot favourite for pickle-making too.
The City's markets are full of mangoes of every variety and hordes of women are descending upon them every day to drive hard bargains. The pickling season starts in April and lasts till June, so that pickles and masalas that have to be sunned may be spared of treacherous rains.
The Krishnarajendra Market boasts of 10 to 12 shops that specialise in mangoes meant for pickles. Says Kumar of Shop No.439: "Unlike last year when the crop failed, this year, there are enough mangoes." His stock comprises nati (the country variety), Rajpuri, and Omelette. Nobody has been able to give a satisfactory explanation for the last name. However, when cut into half, its relatively small seed and large quantity of surrounding flesh make it look like a fried egg, sunny side up. Even then it doesn't quite justify the name. These mangoes come from Krishnagiri in Tamil Nadu.
According to Kumar, there are 36 nati varieties. Though the pickling season ends next month, the mango season will continue till August.
Currently, Omelette is priced at Rs. 5 to Rs. 8 apiece. Rajpuri ranges from Rs. 3 to Rs. 7 while nati goes for Re. 1 to Rs. 3 each.
Most mango sellers have facilities to have the mangoes cut according to the customer's specifications. Cutting them is risky because the knives are big and heavy. A small mistake can lop off a finger. Cutting charges, again, depend on the size of the fruit, with Omelette and Rajpuri being charged a rupee each while it's half that for nati. Kumar has employed three hands for the purpose. "This year, business is good," he says, adding that customers keep him busy from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m..
S. Imtiaz, who runs Shop No. 37 and who deals only in mangoes, claims to stock the fruit right through the year. He also sells Neelam, Benganapalli, Sheri, Malgova, Totapuri, and the like.
Most of the fruit comes from a 100-km radius though some of them come from Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, as well as Kerala, especially Kozhikode, whose variety makes for some of the best pickles, especially midis. These arrivals are mostly after the season is over here.
Imtiaz says his rates are very competitive, with Omelettes priced at Rs. 4 to Rs. 6 each and Sheri at just Rs. 6 a kilo. According to him, North Indians prefer Rajpuri for their pickles while South Indians go for nati. Omelette seems to be the universal favourite. His cutting charges are around Rs. 5 per dozen.
Sohail Khan, apart from mangoes, also sells other fruit that make for great pickles, like amtekai, heralekai, Magadi ber, manga inji, and so on. The latter come from Tamil Nadu and surrounding areas.
Susheela Narayan, who lives on H.B. Samaja Road, Gandhi Bazar, meticulously plans her pickling. Her preferred variety is Omelette. She goes so far as to use only cloth sterilised in hot water to wipe the mango pieces. Time was when she, like entire generations before her, would use only hand-pounded masalas. But now women turn to alternatives like MTR's chilli powder. The gingelli oil she uses is the best brand in the market. Pickle-making is a family enterprise and everyone chips in with labour.
Her other specialty is gooseberry pickle. Incidentally, mangoes arrive long after the gooseberries have disappeared from the market. Ms. Narayan, thousands of other women, also distributes her pickles amongst friends and relatives.
Ashwini Venkatesh gets her mangoes cut from K.R. Market. "Pickles involve great patience, care, and hygiene because they have to last at least one year," she says. She, again like thousands of her sisters, uses her mother's recipes for the three varieties of pickles she makes.
Sunita, a North Indian who is a regular at K.R. Market, says she can't dream of a meal without pickles, be it lunch or dinner.
Anita Jitendra ropes in her mother to help in making her quota. She ensures as far as possible that the masalas are hand-pounded.
She insists that this makes a world of difference because the pounding brings out the flavours of the masalas the best, something machine-ground masalas can't.
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