What is Mango Chutney?
Mango chutney is a popular Indian condiment often used with meat or served as a spread. The chutney is similar to jam, but doesn't use pectin as a thickening agent and has larger chunks of fruit. The chutney is made of small mango cubes cooked with sugar, onions, vinegar, raisins, sweet pepper and spices. The flavors of this chunky golden/red colored condiment are sweet, with a hint of tartness and savory flavors.
What does Mango Chutney Taste Like?
Sweet is one of the five main tastes. It has smooth and round notes in its flavor profile. Sweet is a naturally occurring flavor in many foods, including fruits, berries, winter squashes, sugarcane, and honey. The sweet taste in these foods is due to a higher sugar content. Sweetness is characteristic of desserts and is used as an accent in savory foods.
Sour is one of the five main tastes. It is tart and bright, sometimes with a mouth-puckering quality. Sour is a naturally occurring flavor found in many foods, including citrus, vinegar, various dairy products, and certain fruits. Sour is used to enhance a dish or drink and is used as both a main and complimentary flavor.
Ingredients
Mangoes are a large tropical fruit, with a thick glossy skin, juicy flesh and a large flat seed in its center, that encompasses much of the fruit. There are many varieties of mango, some have yellow skin, while others have a reddish skin that is green when unripe. Most mangoes are round and oblong, while others are kidney shaped. They are 2-9 inches in length and heavy. The flesh is smooth, though fibrous and golden in color. It is an extremely juicy fruit with a rich sweet flavor, that is unique to the mango.
Apples have been around since nearly the beginning of human evolution. However, domesticated varieties are newer to the scene and much sweeter, as wild apples are extremely sour. The apple is a round fist-sized fruit with a smooth skin that is either green, or variations of red, and may have yellow tones. The white flesh has a crunch and is sweet and crispy. Apples are a common fruit in the USA and eaten raw and cooked in desserts, salads and savory dishes.
Sugar comes from sugar cane and sugar beets. The sugar is extracted from the juice of both plants and refined into the granulated substance known as sugar. Sucrose, the sweet substance of sugar is a combination of glucose and fructose. White sugar is composed of tiny white, dry granules. The flavor is sweet and neutral. Brown sugar is brown and has more moisture, with a richer flavor that hints at molasses. Sugar is used in both sweet and savory foods.
The onion is a bulb vegetable, meaning its bulb and not its leaves are eaten. Onions come in many varieties, including white, yellow and red. Shallots are small and mild onions. Vidalias are sweet, while red onions are strong and sharp. The onion is usually round and has a thin dry skin around its juicy layers. This skin depends in the color of the onion, as does the flesh. The flesh, or body of the onion is made of multiple round layers, that get smaller towards the center. The flavor of onions are sharp and sweet when raw, with an astringent taste. When cooked, these flavors mellow and the sweetness emerges. Onion are a very common flavoring and ingredient for many savory dishes.
Vinegar is made from alcohol. It can be made from wine, fermented apple, grains and other sources. Healthy bacteria is used to ferment this product. The final result is a thin liquid used to season foods. All vinegar is sour. White vinegar has a sharp sour flavor and is clear. Red wine vinegar is a clear red color and tastes a bit more rounded. Balsamic vinegar is dark red or brown and tastes rich, fruity and sour. There are many other kinds of vinegar, each with its own unique flavor profile. Some types of vinegar are suited to specific flavors and cuisines. It is used in sauces and in dishes both sweet and savory.
Raisins are made from dried grapes. Usually they are made from red grapes and occasionally they are made from green grapes. Raisins are small and roughly the size of a cooked black bean. They are wrinkly and dark purple with a shiny exterior. The texture is chewy, sticky and soft. The flavor is sweet and fruity. Raisins pair well with sweet and savory foods.
There are a number of varieties of sweet red peppers, including red bell peppers, pimentos and red marconi among others. These peppers are all mild in flavor with a sweet and vegetal taste that varies between each type. The skin of these peppers are thin and the flesh is crunchy, crisp and juicy. Some peppers are long and others are round, or bell shaped. The inside of the pepper is hollow and contains seeds. Sweet red peppers can be used fresh, roasted or pickled. Pimentos are often preserved and added to a dish in small amounts for flavor.
Ginger is a spice whose root is used in food around the world. The root is grown underground and has a hard body and thin beige skin. The root has many rounded and long shoots and is often fat. The flesh of the ginger is golden colored with a flavor that is earthy, spicy and bright. Ginger is made into tea, used in sauces, desserts and savory dishes.
Lemon juice is made from the flesh of the pulpy yellow lemon fruit. The juice is squeezed from the flesh of the lemon and is a pale yellow color. The flavor is very sour and bright. Lemon juice is used in multiple cuisines around the world to brighten and enhance the flavors of the other ingredients. Lemon juice is used to make lemonade and goes well on fish. It has many uses.
There are many varieties of curry powder. One of the most common ones is made from a mixture of coriander, cumin, black pepper, turmeric, mustard and cinnamon. The spices vary, but the first four of these spices are almost always present in a curry powder. The powder is fine and light and ranges from golden to brown or orange. The flavors are spicy, bright, earthy and sometimes sweet. Curry powder is added to many Indian dishes to give a delicious complexity of tastes.
Salt is a mineral composed mostly of sodium chloride. It is the main flavoring used in food and is naturally occurring in certain foods, such as cheese, beets, meat and celery, plus many others. Salt is white and has finer granules than sugar. Many commercial salts include iodide, while others exclude it. Most salts are white, while some are naturally pale pink with minerals. Salt brings out the flavor of something and can create a tangy mouthfeel, if used in excess.
Ground cinnamon is a fine aromatic powder made from the bark of the cinnamon tree, also known as cassia; another variety. The bark is peeled from the tree, dried and ground into the warm brown powder that is known as cinnamon. The flavor is spicy, warm and sweet and savory at the same time. It is extremely popular in many cuisines and common in American desserts.
Nutmeg is the seed of a fruit. The seed has a lacy skin around it, commonly called mace in cooking and is used as a separate spice. Nutmeg is a small, woody spice, with an oblong and muted brown body. Ground nutmeg is a similar color to fresh nutmeg. It is a sweet spice with a warm flavor that is rich and inviting. Nutmeg is commonly used in desserts and can be found in savory dishes as well. Nutmeg is a key ingredient in the flavoring of eggnog.
