Cheers for Chutney

I have not been in England more than a few weeks, but already I have noticed several intriguing peculiarities. Top on my list are a) a penchant for standing in line, or “queuing,” for no apparent reason, i.e. queuing ten deep in front of one ATM while a few yards away another is free; b) apologizing at any and every opportunity, even if the fault is clearly not theirs, and c) a habit of conducting business not in coffee shops, as Seattleites do, but in pubs . . . counterproductive, one might think, but a custom of which I wholly approve.

On the gastronomic front, I must add to the list a vigorous enthusiasm for chutney. They slather it on sandwiches, burgers, and curries of a sorts, and usually provide an army of different chutneys choices to go with chicken or pork. There are the classics, such as mango, apple, cranberry, and onion; then there are more elaborate concoctions such as pineapple, fig, and ginger; spiced beetroot and orange; pear and dried apricot . . . the list is endless.

The British passion for chutney is imbedded in the country’s imperial history. Just as the Brits raided, appropriated, and promptly bastardized such foreign refinements as tea, coffee, and sugar, they did the same to chutney. The word itself comes from the Hindi “chatni,” meaning “to taste” and is used to describe a wide range of sauces and seasoning preparations. From smooth to chunky, sweet to spicy, chutney in its native India was and still is a common accompaniment to many a meal. Traditional chutneys however were freshly made from seasonal fruits and vegetables—a far cry from the often sticky, hyper-sweet versions that you find on supermarket shelves today. And yet before I am too hard on the my forebears, I must admit that sometimes a dab of good quality chutney is ideal for enlivening a meal. The best chutneys seem to me a wonderful fusion of English and Indian flavors—lively and complex, a sophisticated preserve.

So while my sourdough starter is bubbling away, collecting yeasts from the air, I have decided to attempt a few different chutneys. As it is early autumn, this is also the perfect time to preserve some of the season’s harvest for those dour winter days ahead. To begin I’m going for a simple apple chutney, eager as I am to cook with that quintessential English cooking apple, the Bramley.