Piccalilli

Piccalilli, ormustard pickle, is aBritishinterpretation ofSouth Asian pickles, arelishof chopped andpickledvegetables and spices.Regional recipes vary considerably.
TheOxford English Dictionarytraces the word to the middle of the 18th century when, in 1758,Hannah Glassedescribed how "to make Paco-Lilla, or India Pickle".An apparently earlier reference is inAnne Blencowe'sReceipt Book, writtenc.1694, which has "To Pickle Lila, an Indian Pickle" credited to Lord Kilmory.
The more familiar form of the word appears in 1769, inElizabeth Raffald'sThe Experienced English Housekeeper, as "To make Indian pickle, or Piccalillo".Richard Briggs, in his 1788The English Art of Cookery, similarly calls it "Picca Lillo".The spelling "piccalilli" can be seen in an advertisement in a 1799 edition ofThe Times.
Britishpiccalilli regularly contains the common vegetablescauliflower,onion, shallot, runner bean, carrot,courgetteandgherkin, with the seasonings flour, vinegar, ginger, garlic, coriander,mustardpowder andturmeric.
Available from major British supermarkets, more finely chopped, is "sandwich piccalilli". It is used as an accompaniment to foods such as sausages, bacon, eggs, toast, cheese, and tomatoes. It is eaten as a relish with cold meats such ashamandbrawn, and with aploughman's lunch.
It is usually made in the autumn, when pickling onions become available. As well as being a commercial product, piccalilli is a mainstay ofWomen's Instituteand farmhouse product stalls.
An unsweetened variation of British piccalilli is found inCyprus(including northern Cyprus). It is withoutbaby onions, with a milder mustard sauce, and with the addition ofcarrotpieces. Piccalilli is known in Cyprus asπίκλα(pikla) in Cypriot Greek, andbiklain Cypriot Turkish. It is served as acondiment, and occasionally as amezedish.
In theNortheastern United States, commercial piccalillis are made with a base ofsweet peppersor green tomatoes. This style is somewhat similar to sweet pepper relish, with the piccalilli being distinguished by having a darker red or green color and, like British piccalilli, the chunks are larger and it is slightly sweeter.It is commonly used as a topping on such foods ashamburgersandhot dogs. British-style, yellow, piccalilli is also available.
In theMidwestern United States, commercial piccalillis are based on finely choppedgherkins. Bright green and on the sweet side, they are often used as a condiment forChicago-style hot dogs. This style is sometimes called "neon relish".
In theSouthern United States, piccalilli is not commonly served.In its place,chow-chow, a relish with a base of chopped green (unripe)tomatoes, is offered. This relish may also includeonions,bell peppers,cabbage,green beans, and other vegetables. While not similar to other piccalillis, chow-chow is often called as such and the terms may be used interchangeably.
In theWestern United States, piccalilli is uncommon.
A far spicier variant of piccalilli comes from the former Dutch colony ofSuriname, where traditional British piccalilli is mixed with asambalmade ofgarlicand yellowMadame Jeanettepeppers. This piccalilli is often homemade but can also be bought in jars in Dutch corner shops. Whilst Surinamese piccalilli is similar in appearance to ordinary piccalilli, the taste is much spicier.
As a term for a mixed collection, piccalilli lends its name to several books of poems, for example,Piccalilli: A Mixture, by Gilbert Percy (1862),andDilly Dilly Piccalilli: Poems for the Very Young(1989), byMyra Cohn Livingston.Mr Piccalilli is the name of a character in the children's bookMr Pod and Mr Piccalilli(2005), by Penny Dolan.
The song "Lily the Pink", recorded in 1968 by UK comedy groupThe Scaffold, includes a humorous reference to piccalilli when describing Lily's eventual demise, in the lyric "...and despite her medicinal compound, sadly Picca-Lily died".The song was based on an earlier folk song "the Ballad ofLydia Pinkham", which celebrated a herbal remedy invented by the eponymous heroine, marketed from 1876 as "Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Compound". The connection between piccalilli and the vegetable compound is in name only, as the recipes differ completely.