Brined - India, Pakistan and North Africa

Lime pickle, brined

Name: Lime pickle, brined
Cuisine: India, Pakistan and North Africa

The same fruit as the dry-salted lime pickle and a different process: a hot-water dip first, then brine rather than dry salt, then the sun. Comparing the two pages is the shortest lesson on this site in what the two methods actually do.

8 steps, every one quoted from FAO Bulletin 134 6.2.2. The step labels are this site's; the sentences under them are not.

Quantities

No source consulted here states a quantity for Lime pickle, brined - not a percentage, not a ratio. The method below is what was recorded and the amounts were not, so this site prints none. Judging the salt by eye is exactly the part of a ferment worth not guessing at, and the general method for this family of pickles carries figures that this one does not.

Every number the source states

Held under the brine: 24 hours
Hot-water dip: 60 to 65°C
Sun-dried after fermentation: 2 to 3 days

Substrate

Lime

Region

Method

Numbered for your place in the list. Every sentence below is the source's own, verified against the page it came from when this table was last built from the sources.

Select
Only fully ripe limes without bruising or damage should be used.
Wash
All the limes need to be washed in potable cold water and drained.
Dip in hot water
The limes are dipped in hot water (60-65°C) for about five minutes.
Cut
They are then cut into pieces in order to expose the interior and allow salt to be absorbed more quickly.
Brine
The prepared limes are covered with a brine solution. This causes water to be drawn out of the pieces by osmosis.
Keep them under
It is important to ensure that the surface is covered with juice, and leave for 24 hours. If necessary, the fruits should be pressed down to hold them below the liquid.
Ferment
Once the limes have been placed in the brine, there is a rapid development of micro-organisms and fermentation begins.
Sun-dry
After fermentation the limes are dried in the sun until the skin becomes brown.

The source's own flow diagram

Five of these recipes are printed in the bulletin with a process diagram beside the prose. It is lifted whole here, cells and all, because it is the closest thing the source has to a written recipe and it sometimes carries a detail the prose leaves out.

Stage	Note
Sort	Select ripe (but not overripe) healthy lime fruits
Wash	-
Heat	Dip in hot water (60-65°C) for about five minutes
Cut	Cut into four pieces or alternatively cut into smaller, uniform-sized pieces
Brine	Ensure that the surface is covered with juice
Dry	Dry in the sun for 2-3 days
Mix spices	To local preference
Pack	-
Store	In a cool place, away from sunlight

What else the source says

What it should be like: Lime pickle is made from salted pieces of lime packed in a salty, spicy liquor, like a semi-solid gravy.

Before you make this

This site is a reference and not a food safety authority. It reports what named sources published and does not certify that any preparation is safe. The safety page sets out what the sources themselves say about acidity, about surface growth and about when to throw something away, and equipment lists the instruments the numbers above cannot be checked without.

The full record for this pickle, including every source consulted and the ones that disagree, is on its tradition page.

Other brined recipes

Method and asides from FAO 134 Battcock, M. and Azam-Ali, S. (1998) Fermented fruits and vegetables: A global perspective. FAO Agricultural Services Bulletin No. 134. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome. Numbers from the same source, extracted separately and listed on methodology.