{{short description|British relish of chopped pickled vegetables and spices}} {{good article}} {{distinguish|Picadillo|Piccadilly}} {{use British English|date=December 2025}} {{use dmy dates|date=December 2025}} {{Infobox prepared food | name = Piccalilli | image = Piccalilli.jpg | course = | served = Cold | country = England | main_ingredient = Pickled vegetables and spices }} '''Piccalilli''' is an English adaptation of Indian pickles, a relish made from chopped and pickled vegetables and spices. The style was intentionally exotic but adapted to English taste. Early versions were published by Hannah Glasse in 1758 and by Elizabeth Raffald in 1769; they salted the vegetables and left them to dry, before adding vinegar. A piccalilli has been sold commercially by Crosse & Blackwell from the 19th century onwards. The English diaspora brought the relish to North America, where it has been adapted into forms such as "neon relish", and back to the British Raj in India.
== Etymology ==
The earliest known recipes for piccalilli are English.<ref name="british-history/piccalilli-pickling">{{cite web |title=Piccalilli...Pickling |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/no-series/traded-goods-dictionary/1550-1820/piccalilli-pickling |website=British History Online |publisher=british-history.ac.uk |access-date=12 April 2023}}</ref> The name's derivation is not known, but may be based on English 'pickle' (food preserved in vinegar), which in turn is from Middle Dutch ''pekel'' with a similar meaning.<ref>{{cite web |title=piccalilli(n.) |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/piccalilli |publisher=Online Etymology Dictionary |access-date=30 December 2025}}</ref> The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' traces 'piccalilli' to 1758, when Hannah Glasse described how "to make Paco-Lilla, or India Pickle" in her book ''The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy''.<ref name="Glasse 1758">{{cite book |last=Glasse |first=Hannah |author-link=Hannah Glasse |title=The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy |edition=6th |year=1758 |publisher=Printed for the Author: And sold by A. Millar, in the Strand; and T. Trye, near Gray's-Inn Gate, Holbourn, London |page=377}} See also [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_xJdAAAAAIAAJ/page/n412 1774 edition]</ref> An apparently earlier reference is in Anne Blencowe's ''Receipt Book'', handwritten {{circa}} 1694, which has "To Pickle Lila, an Indian Pickle" credited to Lord Kilmory.<ref name="Blencowe 1694...2004">{{cite book |last=Sharples |first=Lady Anne |title=The Receipt Book of Lady Ann Blencowe |date=2004 |orig-year=1694 |publisher=Heartsease Books |isbn=978-0-952-23365-7 |pages=85–86}}</ref><ref name="paulcouchman/piccalilli-regency">{{cite news |last=Couchman |first=Paul |title=How to make Piccalilli – Regency Style! |url=https://www.paulcouchman.co.uk/how-to-make-piccalilli-regency-style/ |access-date=12 April 2023 |work=The Regency Cook |date=1 October 2021 |location=Hove, England |quote=A recipe of 1694 states: 'To pickle lila, an Indian Pickle' describes a vinegar and brine sauce which was flavoured with ginger, garlic, pepper, turmeric and mustard seeds. In the sauce was cabbage, cauliflower and other vegetables.}}</ref> The more familiar form of the word appears in 1769, in Elizabeth Raffald's ''The Experienced English Housekeeper'', as "To make Indian pickle, or Piccalillo".<ref name="Raffald 1769">{{cite book |first=Elizabeth |last=Raffald |author-link=Elizabeth Raffald |title=The Experienced English Housekeeper |publisher=Sold by Fletcher and Anderson, St Paul's Church-yard, London, and by Eliz. Raffald, Confectioner |location=Near the Exchange, Manchester |edition=Unknown |year=1769 |page=337 |url=https://archive.org/details/experiencedengl01raffgoog/page/n352}}</ref> Richard Briggs, in his 1788 ''The English Art of Cookery'', similarly calls it "Picca Lillo".<ref>Briggs, Richard, ''The English Art of Cookery'', [https://archive.org/details/englishartcooke00briggoog 1st Ed. London: G. G. J. and J. Robinson], 1788, page 590.</ref> The spelling "piccalilli" can be seen in an advertisement in an 1789 edition of ''The Times''.<ref>''The Times'' 3 Jan 1789. (Advert)</ref>
== By nation ==
=== In England ===
==== 18th century ====
Piccallilli was created in England in the colonial era as an adaptation of Indian pickles.<ref name="Jahangir 2009">{{cite news |last=Jahangir |first=Rumeana |date=26 November 2009 |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8370054.stm |title=How Britain got the hots for curry |publisher=BBC News |access-date=29 December 2025}}</ref><ref name="Albala 2011">{{cite book |last=Albala |first=K. |title=Food Cultures of the World Encyclopedia |publisher=ABC-Clio |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-313-37627-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zG1H75z0EYYC&pg=RA1-PA286 | access-date=3 November 2017 |page=286}}</ref><ref>Sally Pasley (August 31, 2011. [https://archive.boston.com/lifestyle/food/articles/2011/08/31/piccalilli/ "Piccalilli"]. ''The Boston Globe''.</ref> The style was intentionally exotic but adapted to English taste; as such, the scholar of culture Anil Paralkar describes it as an appropriation.<ref name="Paralkar 2020">{{cite journal |last=Paralkar |first=Anil |title=Trade, Exoticism and the English Appropriation of South Asian Pickles, c. 1600–1750 |journal=Cultural History |volume=9 |issue=1 |date=2020 |doi=10.3366/cult.2020.0211 |pages=106–122}}</ref>
Hannah Glasse's recipe calls for "race-ginger" and long pepper to be soaked separately in water overnight, then sliced, salted and left to dry in the sun. The same quantity of garlic is to be sliced, and then repeatedly salted, left to stand, and washed, before being left to dry. These are then added, with mustard seed and turmeric, to a large quantity of white wine vinegar. Vegetables and fruits such as white cabbage, cauliflower, cucumber, melon, apple, French beans, or plums, salted and dried, are then added. She suggests adding more vegetables and fruits "as the things come in season", also adding more vinegar when needed.<ref name="Glasse 1758"/>
Elizabeth Raffald's recipe calls for white cabbage, cauliflower, cucumber, radish pods, kidney beans, and beetroot "or any other thing you commonly pickle".<ref name="Raffald 1775">{{cite book |first=Elizabeth |last=Raffald |author-link=Elizabeth Raffald |title=The Experienced English Housekeeper |publisher=printed for the Author, and sold by R. Baldwin |location=Pater-noster Row, London |edition=4th |year=1775 |pages=357–358}}</ref> These are to be pickled with salt and left in sunshine or "before the fire for three days to dry".<ref name="Raffald 1775"/> She then adds mustard seed, turmeric, and ale vinegar, boils it, and leaves it to stand for 12 days. She then boils more vinegar with spices, and adds that and some garlic to the pickled vegetables.<ref name="Raffald 1775"/>
<gallery class=center mode=nolines widths=200 heights=300> File:Hannah Glasse's Paco-Lilla 1758.jpg|Hannah Glasse's recipe for<br/>"Paco-Lilla or India Pickle", 1758 File:Raffald Indian pickle or Piccalillo.jpg|Elizabeth Raffald's recipe for<br/>"Indian pickle or Piccalillo", 1775 </gallery>
==== 19th and early 20th centuries ====
[[File:piccalilli-1867.jpg|thumb|upright|Piccalilli label,<br/>Crosse & Blackwell, {{circa}} 1867<ref name="Crosse and Blackwell"/>]]
Piccalilli has been sold commercially by Crosse & Blackwell from the 19th century onwards.<ref name="Crosse and Blackwell">{{cite book |first=Maxwell Alexander |last=Robertson |title=English reports annotated |volume=1 |publisher=The Reports and Digest Syndicate |year=1867 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=GFcyAAAAIAAJ&dq=piccalilli&pg=PA567 567]}}</ref>
In the British Raj, Anglo-Indian cooks tried to replicate the piccalilli that they had enjoyed in Britain, demonstrating in the words of the ''Hindustan Times'' "how food travels easily across borders and becomes a vessel for cultural exchange".<ref name="Damle 2025"/> Cauliflower in particular grew well in North India but not in the Deccan, so supplies for colonial cooks in Poona and Bombay (modern Pune and Mumbai) were limited. In 1913, a cauliflower could be purchased in Poona in the winter months for between 4 and 8 annas. The cooks made large barrels of the pickle with cauliflowers and vegetable marrows.<ref name="Damle 2025">{{cite news |last=Damle |first=Chinmay |title=Taste of Life: Piccalilli — a jarred memory of India on English tables |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/pune-news/taste-of-life-piccalilli-a-jarred-memory-of-india-on-english-tables-101762975574012.html |work=Hindustan Times |date=13 November 2025}}</ref>
==== Modern ====
Modern British recipes for piccalilli contain vegetables such as cauliflower, onion, runner bean, carrot, and courgette. They are seasoned with spices such as ginger, garlic, coriander, mustard and turmeric, and pickled in vinegar, salt, and sugar.<ref name="kilnerjar/piccalilli">{{cite web |title=Piccalilli Recipe |url=https://www.kilnerjar.co.uk/recipe/piccalilli |website=Kilner Jar Co. |access-date=12 April 2023}}</ref> Some use shallots in place of onions, and add some chili pepper.<ref name="deliciousmagazine/piccalilli">{{cite news |last=Knight |first=Olivia |title=Piccalilli |url=https://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/piccalilli/ |access-date=12 April 2023 |work=delicious. magazine |date=November 2010}}</ref><ref name="goodhousekeeping/piccalilli">{{cite news |title=Piccalilli |url=https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/food/recipes/a559932/piccalilli-559932/ |access-date=12 April 2023 |work=Good Housekeeping |date=8 April 2016}}</ref>
The English celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall proposes using the vegetables cauliflower, cucumber, onion, and carrot, spiced with mustard, turmeric, ginger, cumin, nutmeg, chili, cayenne, and black pepper, and pickled in salt, sugar, and cider vinegar. He uses cornflour to thicken the mixture.<ref name="theguardian/pickle-recipes">{{cite news |last=Fearnley-Whittingstall |first=Hugh |author-link=Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall |title=Eat it with relish |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2008/oct/25/chutney-pickle-recipes |access-date=12 April 2023 |work=The Guardian |date=24 October 2008}}</ref>
=== In North America ===
In Canada, piccalilli is consumed by the English diaspora; the cookery writer Eric Akis has published a recipe for it in the ''Times Colonist''.<ref>{{cite news |last=Akis |first=Eric |title=Ask Eric: How to get yourself in a (tasty) pickle |url=https://www.timescolonist.com/life/food-and-drink/ask-eric-how-to-get-yourself-in-a-tasty-pickle-4631599 |work=Times Colonist |date=30 January 2016}}</ref>
In the Northeastern United States, commercial piccalillis are made with a base of sweet peppers or green tomatoes. This style is somewhat similar to sweet pepper relish, the piccalilli being distinguished by being a darker red or green and, like British piccalilli, having larger chunks and being slightly sweeter.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130812150327/http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/food/articles/2011/08/31/piccalilli/ Piccalilli – The Boston Globe]. Boston.com (31 August 2011). Retrieved on 20 September 2013.</ref>
thumb|A hotdog with green "neon relish"
In the Midwestern United States, commercial piccalillis are based on finely chopped gherkins. Bright green and on the sweet side, they are often used as a condiment for Chicago-style hot dogs. This style is sometimes called "neon relish".<ref name="zeldes">{{cite web |last=Zeldes |first=Leah A. |title=Origins of neon relish and other Chicago hot dog conundrums |work=Dining Chicago |publisher=Chicago's Restaurant & Entertainment Guide |date=20 July 2010 |url=http://www.diningchicago.com/blog/2010/07/20/chicago-hot-dog-yellow-mustard-neon-green-relish/ |access-date=31 July 2010 |archive-date=10 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110710130712/http://www.diningchicago.com/blog/2010/07/20/chicago-hot-dog-yellow-mustard-neon-green-relish/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
In the Southern United States, chow-chow, a relish with a base of chopped green (unripe) tomatoes, is offered. This relish may include onions, 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.<ref name="eat">{{cite web |last=Zeldes |first=Leah A. |title=Eat this! Chow chow and piccalilli pickle the Southern harvest |work=Dining Chicago |publisher=Chicago's Restaurant & Entertainment Guide |date=18 August 2010 |url=http://www.diningchicago.com/blog/2010/08/18/eat-this-southern-pickles-and-relishes/ |access-date=10 September 2010 |archive-date=29 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101229044257/http://www.diningchicago.com/blog/2010/08/18/eat-this-southern-pickles-and-relishes/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>[http://www.practicallyedible.com/edible.nsf/pages/american_piccalilli Piccalilli (American)] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120525142628/http://www.practicallyedible.com/edible.nsf/pages/american_piccalilli |date=25 May 2012}}. Practicallyedible.com. Retrieved on 20 September 2013.</ref>
== See also ==
* {{annotated link|Pickling}} * {{annotated link|Acar}} * {{annotated link|South Asian pickles|Achaar}}
== References ==
{{reflist}}
== External links ==
* [http://www.recipesource.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi?search_string=piccalilli&filter=off&dir=.%2Fside-dishes%2Frelishes Piccalilli recipes from RecipeSource] * [https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/piccalilli British piccalilli recipe from the BBC] * [http://www.diningchicago.com/blog/2010/08/18/eat-this-southern-pickles-and-relishes/#piccalilli U.S. Southern-style chow-chow] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101229044257/http://www.diningchicago.com/blog/2010/08/18/eat-this-southern-pickles-and-relishes/#piccalilli |date=29 December 2010}}
{{Condiments}} {{Curry in the United Kingdom}} {{English cuisine}}
Category:Pickles Category:British condiments Category:American condiments Category:Curry in the United Kingdom Category:Cypriot cuisine Category:Surinamese cuisine Category:Brassica oleracea dishes Category:Vegetable dishes