Spices for pickles and preserves
Achaar, kimchi, chutney and cured meats: spice as a way to keep food.
Preserves use spice as a flavour and as a help against spoilage. Pickles, chutneys, chilli pastes, spiced jams and cured meats rely on salt, acid, oil and spice.
Pickles and chutneys
Indian achar uses mustard seed, fenugreek, chilli and turmeric in oil. Korean kimchi is seasoned with gochugaru and garlic. British chutneys use mustard seed, ginger and vinegar, and German and Eastern European pickles use dill and mustard seed.
Cured meats and fish
Pimenton gives Spanish chorizo its colour, black pepper and juniper season salami and pastrami, and Scandinavian cures use allspice and dill.
Why spice helps
Many spice oils have a mild antimicrobial effect in the lab, but safe preserving depends on salt, acid, correct heating and clean jars. Follow tested recipes.
Pickles and preserves on EveryMasala
The spices written up so far, best known first.
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreTurmericहल्दी
The dried rhizome of a tropical ginger relative, prized for its golden color and earthy bite.Root · Warm and sweet-spiced · Bitter
🇭🇺 Hungary and 5 moreHorseradish
A pungent root vegetable from Southeastern Europe used as a spicy condiment.Root · Hot and fiery · Sharp and pungent
🇮🇹 Italy and 1 moreFriggitello
A mild sweet Italian chilli often pickled, known for its complex flavour and slight heat.Sweet and mellow · Hot and fiery
🇮🇳 IndiaBanaras Lal Bharwamirchबनारसी लाल भरवा मिर्च
A thick-skinned chilli from Uttar Pradesh, prized for making traditional stuffed pickles.Chilli · Hot and fiery · Bitter
🇮🇳 India and 3 moreZedoarytemu putih
A bitter rhizome from the ginger family, once common in Austronesian kitchens.Root · Bitter · Sharp and pungent
🇹🇷 Turkey and 5 moreBay Laurelδάφνη
The dried leaf of a Mediterranean evergreen, used to infuse slow-cooked dishes with herbal depth.Sharp and pungent · Bitter
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreFenugreekحلبة (hilba)
The cuboid seed of an annual legume, prized for its bitter warmth and maple aroma.Seed · Bitter · Warm and sweet-spiced
🇹🇭 Thailand and 5 moreKaffir limeมะกรูด
The bumpy-skinned citrus fruit and double-leafed shrub of Southeast AsiaFruit · Citrus and bright · Sharp and pungent
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Turmeric: J.M.Garg, CC BY 3.0, source
- Horseradish: Pethan, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Friggitello: User:CFang, Public domain, source
- Banaras Lal Bharwamirch: Dinesh Chaubey, CC0, source
- Bay Laurel: Forest and Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0 us, source
- Fenugreek: Yak, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Kaffir lime: David Monniaux, CC BY-SA 3.0, source