 London's sophisticated restaurants and culinary circles have seen an impressive recent comeback in Chutney reflecting that seen in posh eateries, around the world. Celebrity chefs are chattering about their new and exciting chutney recipes, and foodies worldwide are drooling enthusiastically about their latest “chutney finds”.
New Yorkers, it would appear, can’t get enough of the modern spin on posh pickles, chutneys and relishes. And would you believe it? Even Parisian restaurateurs, who are notoriously reluctant to embrace new-fangled food trends, are serving up piquant pickles and chutneys with their traditional cheese courses? The reason for this break with tradition, I am reliably informed, is that today’s French diners have acquired a taste for a dollop of chutney - and lime chutney in particular - as their preferred accompaniment for all types of cheeses. Londoners, too, are increasingly choosing chutneys as the perfect partner for a whole range of dishes and different cuisines.
The basic chutney recipe, however, is no newcomer to modern methods of food preparation; today’s versions are merely variations on an ancient culinary tradition. The original chutney recipes, introduced to Britain from India, during the Colonial era, used fresh fruits and vegetables preserved in spices and brine. Chutneys were also hugely popular at that time in other British colonies besides India, especially in Africa and the Caribbean Islands.
But the real charm of contemporary chutneys is their ability to complement and enhance the flavours and textures of so many different types of global cuisines, both traditional and modern. Most countries have developed their unique recipes using locally available, fresh ingredients.
Take Indian cuisine, for example. Arguably, the pioneer of modern-day chutneys, most dishes would not be complete without an array of mouth-watering chutney accompaniments. Sweet, tangy, spicy or mild, smooth or chunky, made typically from a panoply of ingredients including limes, lemons, mangos, apples, pears, raisins, coconut, tamarind, turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, onions, chillies, coriander, garlic …the list is endless.
Indian cooking aside, other global cuisines also have a great deal to offer in terms of original chutney recipes. Japanese mint and cucumber preserves, for instance, unusual Chinese combinations, not to mention speciality Caribbean and South African chutneys made from mango, papaya and other exotic fruits. Top British chefs are also coming up with some terrific, new chutneys made from local produce such as gooseberries, pears, even rhubarb!
What’s really hot on the London chutney scene?
For a taster of what’s new and exciting, head straight for one of London’s many fine, modern Indian restaurants. According to a recent article in The Observer, London is the place to be as “the poshing of Indian food has mainly taken place in the capital”. For example, The Cinnamon Club, 30 Great Smith Street, Westminster, London, SW1P 3BP, has scaled new heights with its inspirational chutneys as the ideal accompaniments for modern Indian cuisine.
And, in response to popular demand from customers who can’t get enough of the chutneys served up in London restaurants, some of the city’s up-market eateries have developed sideline sales of their signature chutneys for diners to take home with them! Several London pubs and wine bars are also latching on to the idea, by offering bowls of chutney to accompany appetisers, arranged along the bar. These chutney combos are certainly pleasing the punters who seem more than happy to order another round of drinks on the strength of the special array of nibbles and accompaniments that they simply cannot resist! Chutneys, after all, are cheap to make and are great for business!
On a more general note, the latest trend in British chutney consumption is for healthy, fresh fruit chutneys. Nutritious chutneys are big in the city, this season. These chutneys, without compromising on flavour and texture, verge on the medicinal, with a high nutritional content, to boot. Fruit, according to ayurvedic principle, is one of the most pure types of food available. Fresh fruit chutneys, or so the argument goes, are cram-packed with health giving ingredients and natural antioxidants that protect us from damaging free-radicals.
Now, what has happened to change our modern perception of the less than glamorous, take-it-or-leave-it traditional style chutney recipes? The fact of the matter is that top chefs have gone creative – creative in the combination of ingredients that go into their unique household chutney recipes, and more significantly, creative in the diversity of dishes that are now served with a dollop of these classy, new generation chutneys.
So here we have it - at last a food product that can be both wicked and healthy.
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