20-05-2025
How atchar became African
I recently stumbled on a fascinating phenomenon: Most black South Africans call what I, a South African of Indian heritage, know as mango pickle, 'mango atchar'. Though 'atchar' has its roots in India, the condiment is seen as African in SA.
'It's up there with pap, mogodu, and dombolo,' said chef Sanza Sandile of Yeoville Dinner Club.
About its popularity, he said: 'It must have been its accessibility first, then the taste introduction to spicy food, then its shelf life that have led to its iconic status. It's a black staple. Atchar is a local word. Pickle is English.'
I did a quick survey on Instagram, asking my followers whether they used the word 'pickle' or 'atchar' to describe the beloved spicy preserve. I also asked friends from different backgrounds. What I discovered is that all my Muslim Indian friends call it atchar and all the non-Muslim Indians call it pickle. All the black, coloured, Muslim, and white South Africans who responded also call it atchar. Most people in Durban call it pickle. Most in Gauteng, Cape Town and the rest of SA call it atchar. In India, friends are also split between atchar, pickle and other names.
To explain the phenomenon, it's necessary to understand that, while most Indians in SA speak only English, historically we would have spoken a variety of languages, as our ancestors came from different places. We have different stories about our arrival in SA. Over the past 370 years, some arrived as slaves (whose descendants are now white, black, coloured or Muslim) and some as indentured labourers who worked on sugar cane plantations in KwaZulu-Natal (my people). Others were merchants/traders who opened shops around the same time or later and, most recently, since the 1990s some have arrived as businesspeople.
Atchar is the word for pickle in Hindi and Urdu. Urdu is a dialect of Hindi and a language associated with many Muslims here, and is spoken in India and Pakistan. My ancestors spoke Tamil and Telegu, like many of the other SA Indians of indentured ancestry. There were also indentured Hindi speakers. Hindi is to India (and Urdu to Pakistan) what Zulu is to SA. Tamil is the equivalent of Sesotho and Telegu is probably the equivalent of Setswana.
Originally, the word atchar is believed to have been Persian and Sanskrit. These languages were very similar, dating back thousands of years, like the tradition of preserving food through different pickling methods.
It is highly likely the word and concept of 'atchar' in SA was spread by Muslim and/or Hindi-speaking Indians selling prepared atchar or the spices to make atchar in places that had mangoes, fruit and vegetables growing abundantly.
'People buy the spices and mix it with their favourite ingredients and resell it. The name must have come from the South African Indians who sold it,' was Sandile's guess too.
It has become its own thing, with people all over the country running successful atchar businesses. You could probably do an atchar tour around SA and find many delicious recipes. It is a beloved condiment everywhere from Limpopo to Gauteng and a popular ingredient in the kota, a quarter-loaf of bread stuffed with fillings such as chips, polony and cheese. It can also be eaten with amagwinya (vetkoek).
Atchar has become so integrated in black cuisine that many people I spoke to were surprised that its origins are Indian.
Though I never grew up using the word atchar, I knew it was an Indian word for pickle, as I would see it on the bottles of my favourite preserves.
My chef friend in Mumbai, Raffael Kably, said: 'Though there are so many different languages, atchar is the universal word used in India.'
From India to SA, there seems to be many ways to say it and even more ways to make it. Mango atchar, or mango pickle (and all the other varieties) are South African. And South African food is a perfect metaphor to understand how far we have come from our once-segregated society, forced into separate development but clearly cross-pollinating each other's cultures and cuisines.
SEVEN-INGREDIENT SA MANGO ATCHAR
Ingredients
4 cups hard green mangoes, sliced
4 tbsp mustard seeds
4 tbsp atchar/pickle masala
2 tbsp salt
4 tbsp red chilli powder
4 tbsp white vinegar
Vegetable oil
Method
Lay the sliced mangoes on a tray and leave in the sun for a week, or dry them on low heat in an oven for 5 to 6 hours.
Place mangoes in a container, add vinegar and leave for three hours.
Combine masala, mustard seeds, salt, chilli powder and half a cup of oil.
Transfer atchar to clean glass containers or plastic tubs.
Pour in enough oil to cover the atchar.
Leave in a cool place for a week.
Every few days, stir the atchar gently to mix in the oil.
Enjoy with amagwinya, curry and rice, or your favourite meal.
