An Afternoon Experiment in Pune That Grew Into a Global Pickle Brand – 87 Years & Counting
My family has this closely guarded secret passed down through the generations. That’s some intense ‘Chinese Whispers’, isn’t it?
I’ve grown up hearing stories of the secret’s ancestry; how some generations passed it through oral instructions, while other more fortunate ones had scribbling in the margins of yellowing recipe books to bank on. Considering its long winding route to the present, I’ve often wondered if its originality has sustained.
The answer to my scepticism lies in many Sunday lunches at home, which feature plump fried mackerels stuffed with the ‘trade-secret’ recheado masala (a tangy Goan paste made with chillies, vinegar and spices). Every time, I’m amazed at how the secret has remained unaltered; if at all, it has only seasoned with time.
Advertisement While masalas in Indian homes are prepared through a similar process, each home has its specialities, giving a unique flavour to the dishesMasalas in Indian homes are a cultural lifeline. Whilst most curries borrow from common cooking principles, each is set apart by a nuanced difference, rendered by the masalas. Like potion bottles in an apothecary, the labelled jars stack up, promising a culinary alchemy the minute you twist off the lid.
It is fascinating though, in a world dominated by dry powdered forms, how their moist counterparts rose to fame. For this, we have an Indian woman and her afternoon experiments to thank.
When the British stumbled upon their favourite pickles
For Brian Fernandes (47), his memories of masalas are mainly allegorical. It brings to mind his grandmother Nataline Fernandes who, he says, had the ingenious idea, one day, of adding water and vinegar to a dry powdered masala to turn it into a paste that could be bottled.
Advertisement“It was her way of preserving the dry masalas,” Brian explains, to date marvelling at the futuristic kitchen hacks his grandmother had in the early 20th century. “She was the one who pioneered the concept of the wet masala paste,” he adds.
Currently at the helm of affairs at Ferns’ Pickles — a corollary of Nataline’s culinary experiments — Brian speaks about how the brand’s range of products is an ode to his nana’s (grandmother) knack for coaxing flavour out of the humblest of ingredients. He then delves into the story of how she did it.
Ferns’ Pickles was born in Nataline Farnandes’ kitchen in her home in Pune in 1937In 1927, Nataline moved to Pune with her pharmacist husband Benjamin, who set up a store in the family home in Khadki (then Kirkee). Business was slow, and in 1937, a........
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