Trade, Exoticism and the English Appropriation of South Asian Pickles, c. 1600–1750

Abstract

South Asian pickles, or achar, were the first processed food to arrive from the subcontinent to Europe. While the earliest European references stem from Portuguese texts of the sixteenth century, evidence of cooking instructions date from the second half of the seventeenth century. Utilizing sources like botanical literature, travelogues, and recipes, this paper focuses on the introduction of achar to England in between 1600 to 1750. The first part investigates the initial trade of these pickles to Europe, in particular to England. The second part discusses how English authors developed an understanding of achar, which promoted the use of certain ingredients and preparation methods. This understanding did not account for the multiple diverging types of achar in South Asia, but represented an essentialized concept of the dish, which found its expression in English achar-recipes. The third part argues that this style of achar constituted an appropriation of the food, as it was adapted to European tastes and made ‘exotic’ enough but not too ‘exotic’ for the English palate. Thus, this article offers a case study on the introduction of South Asian food to England, which shows the power structures involved in global culinary exchanges.