Piccalilli is a pickled condiment with chopped vegetables in a mustard sauce, popular in Britain and India. It can be made at home with varied ingredients and spices. It can be stored at room temperature and used on sandwiches or to flavor foods. There are disputes over the best recipe.
Piccalilli is a pickled condiment that classically includes an assortment of chopped vegetables in a thick mustard sauce, which turns the piccalilli bright yellow. This condiment is especially popular in Britain, where it’s often readily available in restaurants and grocery stores, and it also appears in places like India, where there’s a long tradition of Anglo-Indian cuisine. It is also possible to make piccalilli at home, for those experienced in pickling and canning.
The ingredients used in piccalilli can be quite varied, depending on regional tastes. Typically vegetables such as cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and cauliflower are common and other vegetables may be added as well. Mustard and turmeric are common spices, and piccalillis can also include things like chiles for an extra spicy kick. This condiment can be used on sandwiches, mixed with other condiments to make dressings and sauces, and to flavor a variety of foods.
Like other pickled foods, piccalilli is designed to be stored for an extended period of time at room temperature in a sealed container, providing a source of vegetables even in winter or in remote regions where farming opportunities are limited. Once opened, a container of piccalilli typically needs to be refrigerated, although heavily stored versions made in the traditional style can be stored at room temperature after opening.
This condiment is pickled in a mixture of vinegar, salt and sugar which gives it a salty taste. As a general rule, low amounts of sugar are used; just enough to cut the acidity, without making the piccalilli sweet, although there are sweet versions of this popular condiment. People have been making piccalilli since at least the 18th century, as numerous cookbooks attest, and it’s believed to be heavily influenced by Indian cuisine.
There is some dispute over the best piccalilli recipe, with most people preferring the version they were introduced to first. Some cooks like to cook the vegetables very well in their piccalilli, producing a rather mushy dressing, while others prefer finely chopped but still crunchy vegetables to give the dressing some flavor. Spices are also highly variable; cooks making their own would do well to remember that spices intensify as they age.
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