The Diversity of Mango Pickles in South Asian Cuisine

Mango pickles hold a cherished place in South Asian culinary heritage, reflecting a rich interplay of flavor, preservation, and cultural identity. With roots tracing back centuries, these condiments are more than side dishes—they are bold expressions of regional tastes and preservation science. The three primary types—sour, sweet, and dried mango pickles—demonstrate this diversity with distinctive preparations and flavor profiles.

Sour mango pickles remain the most iconic. Made with unripe green mangoes, they are mixed with salt and a robust blend of spices like mustard seeds, turmeric, fenugreek, and red chili powder. Fermentation plays a key role, not only preserving the mango but also enhancing its tangy, spicy bite. Variants differ across India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka—some using sesame oil for depth, others emphasizing garlic or asafoetida for added pungency.

Sweet mango pickles are popular in western India, especially Gujarat and Maharashtra. These use semi-ripe mangoes combined with jaggery or cane sugar, creating a syrupy consistency. Spices like cardamom, nigella, and fennel lend aromatic complexity. These pickles strike a balance between tartness and sweetness, and are often served with plain parathas or mild lentil dishes.

Dried mango pickles, or “sun-dried pickles,” use a traditional technique of solar dehydration after marination. Popular in arid regions, these pickles offer extended shelf life and intense, concentrated flavors. The drying process also gives them a chewy texture and makes them ideal travel foods or compact seasoning elements in curries and rice.

Today, mango pickles continue to evolve with modern twists—reduced oil versions, probiotic blends, and artisanal small-batch variants. Whether sour, sweet, or sun-dried, these pickles remain a flavorful testament to the ingenuity and cultural richness of South Asian food traditions.
The Diversity of Mango Pickles in South Asian Cuisine

Mango pickles

Pickle is a general term used for fruits or vegetables preserved in vinegar or brine, usually with spices or sugar or both.

Indian pickles play an important role in fruit and vegetable preservation industry. Among the Indian pickles the ones from mango are very popular.

Mango pickles are the traditional export item of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The export of mango pickle is directed mainly to Canada the United States, Denmark, Germany and the U.K.

There are three types of mango pickle:
*Sour mango pickles
*Sweet mango pickles
*Dried mango pickles

Peeled or unpeeled raw mango slices are mixed with 10-20% powdered salt to extract some moisture from the slices for 2 months.

A partially ground mixture of spices, including garlic and onions is added to the drained slices. The spices are coriander, fenugreek seeds, nigella, fennel, cumin seeds, powdered turmeric and red chilies. Mango pickles vary mainly in the proportion and kinds of spices used in their preparation.

The ingredients are mixed together and filled into wide-mouthed bottles.  Three days later, the whole mixture is poured into a clean jar and covered with mustard oil. The addition of a small amount of sugar along with the spices produces a tasty blend.

Pickles are considered the permanent part of the food table all over the India and its demand is rising after its production on commercial scale.
Mango pickles

Mango chutney

In Indian cuisine a chatni is a spicy relish eaten as a side dish to add interest to less piquant food, such as rice or DAL.

There are many versions of chutneys. The mango chutney is by far the most popular of all chutneys.

Mango chutney is the product prepared from washed, clean, sound mango fruits which have been peeled and are sliced, chopped, shredded or comminuted, then heat processed with basic ingredients before or after being sealed in containers so as to prevent spoilage. The mangoes turn nicely translucent when cook in its syrup of vinegar, sugar and seasoning.

The recipe from the north-eastern Indian state of Bihar shows, fresh mango are simmered in palm sugar with ginger, garlic and spices to make a sweet chutney which when bottled, will keep in the fridge for several weeks.

Generally, ingredients vary according to region and tastes. Thus coconut chutney is the most popular relish in S. India, while herb and coconut chutney is typical of W. India; purely herb chutneys are eaten in W. and N. India.
Mango chutney