For South Africans abroad, there’s nothing quite like the taste of the mother country. Ouma rusks, biltong and boerewors are all sold in speciality shops across the world for the South African expat community. But, the most iconic taste of all is Mrs HS Ball’s Chutney. Manufactured in Johannesburg and exported to the UK, the chutney is a slightly sweet and spicy sauce made from apricots and peaches.
What is Chutney?
Chutney is used as a sweet and sour condiment. Chutney contains fruit and sugar to give it a sweet taste as well as vinegar and perhaps onions to give it a corresponding sour flavour. The ingredients are mixed together and then simmered slowly. While chutney is primarily sweet and sour, there can also be many variations of spices, often giving it a hot and spicy flavor.
Although chutney is most widely known as a condiment originating in India, the concept has spread worldwide and the recipe changed to suit local needs. The term chutney comes from the East Indian chatni, meaning "strongly spiced," and is described as a condiment which usually consists of a mix of chopped fruits, vinegar, spices and sugar cooked into a chunky spread.
Some of the more popular ingredients for chutney, are mangoes, limes, apples, peaches, plums, apricots, tomatoes, lemons and even coconuts. Additional spices may include cloves, garlic, cilantro, mustard, cinnamon, ginger, cayenne pepper, jalapenos, tamarind and mint. Chutney is so diverse that it can be made with only a few of these ingredients or several, to make a variety of flavors and styles.
Chutney can be bought in nearly any supermarket in the western world. In the United Kingdom, offering chutney as a condiment is becoming as popular as jam, relish and even ketchup. Chutney can be served at a formal dinner as a condiment, or at a casual picnic with tortilla chips or crackers. Whatever the occasion, chutney is a tasty, sweet and sour treat that is sure to please.
Mrs Ball's Chutney
In South Africa chutney is mainly used as a marinade and a sauce to accompany meat, curries and bobotie (a traditional dish made from minced beef or lamb). Everybody loves Mrs Ball's Chutney and it has become a staple in the kitchen cupboards of most South Africans. The chutney is available in different flavours to suit all taste buds; original, chilli, tomato, peach mild, hot and extra hot. All these flavours can be bought from Cruga Biltong - the taste of South Africa.