Chutney divides into two fundamentally different preparations that share a name: fresh chutneys (chutney in the original Sanskrit sense — something freshly ground) and cooked, preserved chutneys (the colonial British preserve that adopted the word). Fresh chutneys are made immediately before service from raw ingredients — herbs, coconut, tamarind, fruit — ground to a paste or coarsely pounded. They last 24–48 hours at most and represent the peak intensity of their ingredients. Cooked chutneys are slowly reduced, sweet-sour preparations that last for months — closer to jam in structure than to fresh condiment.
**Fresh chutneys (the original form):** - Green chutney (coriander-mint): coriander, mint, green chilli, lime juice, salt, sometimes garlic — pounded or blended. The volatile aromatic compounds (linalool in coriander, menthol in mint) are at maximum when freshly made. - Coconut chutney (South India): fresh coconut ground with green chilli, ginger, curry leaves, and a mustard-curry leaf tarka. Must use fresh coconut — desiccated coconut cannot produce this chutney. [VERIFY] Alford and Duguid's specific coconut chutney preparation. - Tamarind chutney: tamarind water, jaggery (raw cane sugar), ginger, chilli, cumin. Sour, sweet, complex — the condiment for chaat and fried snacks. **The shelf-life principle:** Fresh chutneys must be made fresh because their primary flavour compounds are volatile. Green chutney made 4 hours before service has already lost a significant proportion of its coriander and mint volatile aromatic character.
Mangoes & Curry Leaves