A cookbook that puts chutneys at the centre of the table

These recipes celebrate India's diverse condiment culture and offer chutney the attention it deserves

- Rituparna Roy

'Ranika', a red chilli chutney.

(RUSHINA MUNSHAW-GHILDIYA)

Do you know of a chutney prepared with tamarind blossoms in Marathwada? Or one that is made with pomegranate-like seeds of the prickly water lily plant in Manipur? You may have heard of Odisha’s GI-tagged kai chutney made of red weaver ants. But did you know versions of it exist across India’s indigenous communities—as chigli chutney in Karnataka, chaapda in Bastar and kreshma chutney in Assam?

Pickles and preserves, chutneys and relishes may be considered as accompaniments, but a typical Indian meal is incomplete without these flavour pairings. Chutney: A Compendium of Stories and Recipes, curated and edited by Rushina Munshaw-Ghildiyal, is a deep-dive into India’s vast and varied condiment culture through an exhaustive compilation of chutney recipes.

The book has its roots in 2017 when the Dehradun-based culinary chronicler and author realized that unlike international food observance days, India hardly had anything similar for its diverse food traditions. She came up with an Indian Food Observance Day, or IDOF, calendar and included a “Chutney Day”.