Foodish History: A Wartime Pickle
Larders would have been full of this pickle in WWII England when it was critical to preserve summer produce for the winter months. Read MorePiccalilli is a very English version of an Indian pickle. Larders would have been full of this stuff in WWII England when it was critical to preserve locally grown summer produce for the colder winter months. The name originated in the 18th century and of course ingredients have varied over the years. The base is usually cauliflower however, you can use any other vegetable that needs using up. Turmeric gives a beautiful colour, and mustard and chilli add flavour. In Piccalilli, the vinegar is also thickened (in this case with cornflour).
This pickle is delicious especially with cold meats. It’s the perfect accompaniment to a ploughman’s lunch. Since in Australia, Christmas lunch is often cold cuts and salads (and virtually every meal between Christmas and New Year in my house is ham and salad), this is a perfect pickle for boxing day. I made a large batch to give to friends over the Christmas season.
I based this recipe on my trusty Classic Preserves (Alice May, Allen and Unwin 1994 p44) book, but also added a handful of currants for a pop of sweetness in the pickle, as well as chilli flakes and mustard seeds (not just dry mustard) for colour and texture.
Piccalilli (British pickle)
Ingredients
- 1kg mixed vegetables (mostly cauliflower, cucumbers, beans, spring onions), chopped
- 60g salt
- 750ml apple cider vinegar
- 2 chillies
- 1 Tablespoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
- 250g caster sugar
- 3 teaspoons mustard powder
- 1.5 teaspoons turmeric
- 3 teaspoons cornflower
- ½ cup currants
Instructions
Add chopped vegetables to a large stainless steel bowl and sprinkle with salt. Leave overnight, then drain off excess water, rinse off salt and pat vegetables dry.
Add vinegar, chillies, mustard and chilli flakes to a small saucepan and bring to boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Remove whole chillies.
Combine sugar, mustard, turmeric and cornflour in a separate bowl. Mix in a little bit of the vinegar from the saucepan, then add this mixture back into the main saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer for 3 minutes. Gently fold in vegetables and currants.
Pack hot pickles into dry sterilised jars. Secure lids well and stand jars on their lids to cool and seal.
