Papayas can be preserved by making them into chutneys, a condiment of Indian origin used to add flavor to rice and curry dishes. Papaya chutney typically contains sugar, vinegar, spices, and lime juice, and can be eaten same day or preserved for months. Chutney can also be used in Western dishes.
Papayas are sweet, fleshy fruits that grow in many areas of the world. One way to preserve them is to make them into chutneys. Chutneys are condiments of Indian origin, where they are used to add flavor to everyday rice and curry dishes. Commonly, a chutney has an important ingredient such as a fruit, which has to be preserved through the addition of substances such as sugar or vinegar. Generally, a papaya chutney also contains a mix of spices and other ingredients to add flavor to the product.
When India and surrounding regions of Asia were first settled by Europeans, Indians were preparing a food item called chatni, to complement their daily diet of rice and curry. Chatni was a condiment that Indians added spoonfuls to their daily dishes to add extra flavor if people so desired. When the first British settlers arrived, they found chatni to their liking, but due to language differences, they called it chutney. They also brought the idea of chutney back to Britain and other parts of Europe.
Traditionally, chatni is made with fruits and spices. Indians also make other types of condiments, such as dry dried powder, which technically falls under the definition of chutney. Papaya chutney, however, is typically a wet chutney, as the fruit contains a lot of water. Scientists think the papaya tree originally came from South America, but with global trade in the 1600s, the tree’s seeds made their way around the world. In the early 21st century, the fruit was growing in very hot places like Africa, Florida and India.
There is no specific way to prepare papaya chutney, but commonly the fruit is crushed to give the final product a smooth texture. Sometimes people in India make papaya chutney without preservatives and eat it same day. Other times, the chutney maker adds ingredients to prevent spoilage and packages the chutney in clean jars. Commercial manufacturers in the western world typically sell the chutney in a sterilized jar. Often a chutney takes months to meld its flavors before it’s ready to eat.
Preservatives that are traditionally part of those papaya chutneys that can remain edible for months include sugar, salt and vinegar. The addition of one or more of these substances makes the papaya fruit ingredient inhospitable to microbial growth. If that was all that was added, the chutney would taste sweet, sour and fruity. Chutney makers commonly add more flavors to the product to make it more appealing to the consumer. These include a variety of spices and lime juice, and some chutneys are extremely spicy.
Indians place a spoonful or two of chutney on the side of their plates so it can mix a bit with the rice and curry. Personal preference dictates how much chutney a diner uses, and it is commonly provided in a sharing platter so people can take as much as they like. Western dishes like ham, roast pork, and even fish can benefit from chutney additions, and some people like to put chutney in their ham sandwiches.
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