Chutney

chutney the ordinary English spelling of the Indian word which used to be spelled chutni and is now chatni.

In Indian cuisine a chatni is a spicy relish eaten as a side dish to add interest to less piquant food, such as rice or dal. It is freshly prepared for each meal by grinding spices and herbs (e.g. ginger, chilli pepper, mint, coriander leaves) and mixing them to a paste with (e.g.) garlic, or tamarind, or limes, or coconut. Whole pieces of fruit or vegetable (especially mango) may be in the relish. An Indian chatni is always vegetarian and has a sour tang.

The British encountered chatni early in their colonial days and adopted it with enthusiasm, tending perhaps to emphasize the sweet aspect of what is essentially sour or sweet and sour. British chutneys are usually spiced, sweet, fruit pickles, having something of the consistency of jam. Highest esteem is accorded to mango chutney, imported from India, but the sorts of chutney have been legion; Law’s Grocer’s Manual (1895), listed, among others, chutneys called Bengal, Cashmere, Colonel Skinner’s, Lucknow, Calcutta Howrah, and Major Grey’s. The last named is famed in India as well as Britain.