[Sca-cooks] chutney (was compost)

[Louise Smithson]

Just a thought,
I was getting rid of my last batch of green tomatoes last night, by making chutney (recipe below) when the similarity between current english chutneys and compost struck me.  I had always thought that we got chutneys from the Indians, but the chutneys that I find in Indian cuisine are fresh ground or mixed ingredients, eg tamarind chutney is a mix of tamarind pulp, mint and sometimes onion, coconut chutney is a mix of cocunut, chili and coriander and so on.  The Indians have pickles but they are salted, fermented and in oil.  It really appears that only the english have chutneys.  A mix of vegetables/fruit with dried fruit and spices, cooked together with vinegar and sugar until thick.  Many of the ingredients remind me so strongly of medieval sauces, the combination of sour/sweet is also very remeniscent.  Added to which are the occaisions on which chutney gets used:  cold meats, cold pies, cheese and my favorite with breakfast sausages.  So are chutneys place in english cooking a hangover from medieval cuisine.  Any thoughts on this matter gladly entertained.
Helewyse de Birkestad
Marshe of the Marches
Bowling Green Ohio (just south of Toledo)

Green Tomato Chutney
4lb green tomatoes, roughly chopped
1lb apples, peeled, cored and chopped
1lb onions, peeled, cored and chopped
2 large garlic cloves (optional) crushed
8 oz sultanas (golden raisins)
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon pickling spice
1 oz root ginger roughly chopped
1 chill
1 pint vinegar (20 fluid oz US)
1 lb sugar, brown or white or mixture.
Place first four ingredients in a large pan with half the vinegar (10 fl oz).  Wrap pickling spice, ginger and chilli in a muslin bag and add to the pan.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour until vegetables are reduced to a pulp and the mix is thick.
Dissolve the sugar in the remaining vinegar and add to the pan.  Simmer for about 1 1/2 to 3 hours until the chutney is thick. (It mounds on a spoon, when you drag a spoon across the bottom of the pan liquid does not rush in to fill it).  Stir frequently at the end of cooking (if you don't stir it scorches on the bottom and never gets thick, be prepared to stand over the pan like you were making risotto for the last 30 minutes.)
Remove the spice bag, spoon into prepared canning jars.  Lid and process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.
Store for at least two weeks before eating (gives the flavors a chance to mellow).
Serve with everything.