Traditional Pickles – a lost art

I remember my paati (grandmother) bringing a small earthen jar full of tasty chunky pickles. Walking from her home to her daughter’s (my mom’s) place just before noon, she would make sure we could taste the spicy stuff for lunch. Though lime and mango are the usual ones, I would wait for the seasonal ones like makaliberu, usually mixed with ginger. It is said that the fragrance of this plant is so strong that it attracts snakes.
Another kind of seasonal variety that I loved were paati’s Nellikai Urugai – mmm.. those heavenly pickles in the typical earthen jars must have somehow inflenced my fondness for spicy food. These days we dont have time or inclination for cutting, marinating and storing the pickles. Simply pick up a bottle of Priya’s or some other brand and store them in the fridge. I sometimes imagine Priya’s manufacturing place having thousands of earthen jars full of makaliberu or nellikai or avakai ready to be shipped! Nostalgia does strange things to one’s mind.