‘I am still writing for the lonely soul’: At 91, Ruskin Bond looks back at his literary life
A plentitude of pickles
Anglo-Indians grew up on chutneys. “Sugar and spice and everything nice” – and it was only when I was in my teens that I discovered the pleasure of those “pickled peppers that Peter Piper picked”!
Mango pickles are probably the most popular to set the tongue on fire, closely followed by lime or lemon, sharp and sour. But I have a weakness for the Punjabi shalgam-gajar achaar (turnip-and-carrot pickle), preferably home-made. It was first introduced to me by my Punjabi landlady some seventy years ago, and I am always on the lookout for it when turnips are in season.
Another home-made pickle that I enjoy is jackfruit. Jackfruit is an all-purpose vegetable that can be served up as a curry, pickle or even jam!
There is an array of pickle jars on my dining table, including lotus stem, green chillies, garlic, ginger and haldi. Yes, haldi makes a great pickle. Spread a little on your breakfast toast or paratha, but don’t overdo it.
The other day, a doctor friend dropped in to see me, took one horrified look at my collection of pickles, and exclaimed, “But all that salt, Mr Bond! It can’t be good for your blood pressure!”
“Just a peck of pickle at...
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