What are pickles? Classify them and describe the preparation of mango pickle.
How to lay out the answer. Follow the frame, then write it in your own words.
1 · Open in two lines. Pickles are fruits or vegetables preserved in salt, vinegar, oil or sugar with spices. Indian pickles rely mainly on salt and oil.
2 · How salt preserves. Osmosis draws water out of microbes and lowers water activity; low salt allows lactic fermentation.
3 · Classification.
Salt (brine) pickles: salted lime.
Oil pickles: mango, lime, gongura.
Vinegar pickles: onion, mixed vegetables.
Sweet pickles and chutneys: sweet mango chutney.
4 · Draw the flow chart. [Flow: raw mango → wash → dry → cut → mix salt and spices → add heated, cooled oil → fill jar → mature → store]
5 · Steps for mango pickle.
Firm, sour, unbruised mangoes; wash and dry fully.
Cut; mix with salt, turmeric, chilli, mustard and fenugreek powders.
Add heated, cooled gingelly oil to cover; fill dry jars; mix daily with a dry spoon.
6 · Spoilage and prevention. White scum, softening, darkening and mould; prevent with dry handling, enough salt and an oil layer.
7 · Nutrition link. Pickles are very high in sodium; avoid them in low-salt diets for hypertension, heart and kidney disease.
8 · Close in one line. Dry handling, correct salt and a sealing layer of oil keep mango pickle good for many months.
Scoring tip: Say why each ingredient is there (salt, oil, spices, acid); that turns a recipe into a science answer.
