Recipe Manuscript

Indian Pickle

Name: Indian Pickle
Prep time: PTP14D
Cook time: PTPT0M
Yield: 20
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: 450g fresh ginger root; Salt (for soaking, salting, and curing vegetables); 100g garlic cloves (about 3 small heads); 20g long pepper (or black peppercorns, crushed); 20g yellow mustard seed (crushed); 20g ground turmeric; 4 liters white wine vinegar (or cider vinegar, or malt vinegar); 1 small head cabbage; 1 small head cauliflower; Assorted optional vegetables: 200g green beans (kidney beans), 1 cucumber, 2 celery stalks, 4 radishes, 2 apples, 4 plums, etc.

1780

From the treasured pages of English receipt book

Unknown Author

Culinary Enlightenment (1700 - 1800)European Intermediate Other

Original Recipe • 1780

Original Manuscript(circa Culinary Enlightenment, 1700 - 1800)

As inscribed by the original author's hand, transcribed with care by Lost Kitchen Scrolls

Indian Pickle

"Take a Pound of Ginger lay it in Salt and Water one Night scrape it and cut it in thin Slices put it in a Bottle with dry Salt and let it stand till the other Ingredients are ready take a large handful of Garlic Peel of the skins and Salt it for three Days then wash it and Salt it again and let it lie three Days longer then wash it and lay it upon a Sieve to dry in the Sun. Long-pepper, Mustard-seed bruised & Turmerick finely bruised of each a good deal, put all these ingredients into an Earthen-Pot with four Quarts of Vinegar — Take Cabbages & Colly-flowers cut them in Quarters Salt them and let them lie three Days, then Squeez out the Water and lay them to dry in the sun, when dry put them into the Pickle and keep your pot full. After the same manner and in the same Pot may be put anything you please as Kidney-Beans, Melons, Cucumbers, Celery, Radishes, Apples, Plumbs, &c"

Note on the Original Text

Recipes from the late 18th century often read like a conversation: they assume a base level of kitchen know-how, providing broad measurements such as "a pound of ginger" or "a large handful of garlic." Quantities and methods were flexible, designed for cooks to adapt to household needs and available produce rather than follow rigid instructions. Words like "lay" mean 'place' or 'leave,' and "Colly-flower" is an old spelling of cauliflower. The relish for salting, drying, and pickling reflects food preservation needs before refrigeration—and a taste for spicy, tangy complements to meats and breads.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

English receipt book - Click to view recipe in book

Title

English receipt book (1780)

You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome

Writer

Unknown

Era

1780

Publisher

Unknown

Background

A delightful 18th-century manuscript containing 64 charming recipes penned by multiple hands, from Dutch blancmange to bride cake and sauces for every fowl and fish. Home remedies and clever kitchen conversions are tucked alongside famed concoctions like walnut ketchup, making this a flavorful peek into English culinary tradition.

Kindly made available by

Penn State University Libraries

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This lively Indian-style pickle hails from an English manuscript recipe book compiled around 1780. The book, penned by multiple authors, blends culinary and household wisdom for its era's aspiring home managers. Such pickles, inspired by Indian preservation methods introduced through British colonial connections, delighted 18th-century English tables with their bold flavors and striking colors. The manuscript also contains sweetmeats, sauces, and preserves, showing the rich interplay between imported ideas and local tastes during a period of dynamic food exchange and experimentation.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

Cooks would have used sharp knives for slicing and peeling, large earthenware or stoneware jars for brining and storing the vegetables, and heavy wooden pestles or mortars for bruising spices. Sun-drying was essential, so sieves or shallow baskets were used to allow vegetables to dry thoroughly outdoors. Vinegar was stored in large glass demijohns or ceramic flagons, and hands did most of the mixing. Everything was done by hand without any modern kitchen aids, relying on patient preparation and careful sun-drying to keep spoilage at bay.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

P14D

Cook Time

0 mins

Servings

We've done our best to adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, but some details may still need refinement. We warmly welcome feedback from fellow cooks and culinary historians — your insights support the entire community!

Ingredients

1 lb fresh ginger root
Salt (for soaking, salting, and curing vegetables)
3.5 oz garlic cloves (about 3 small heads)
0.7 oz long pepper (or black peppercorns, crushed)
0.7 oz yellow mustard seed (crushed)
0.7 oz ground turmeric
1 gallon white wine vinegar (or cider vinegar, or malt vinegar)
1 small head cabbage
1 small head cauliflower
Assorted optional vegetables: 7 oz green beans (kidney beans), 1 cucumber, 2 celery stalks, 4 radishes, 2 apples, 4 plums, etc.

Instructions

Begin by peeling about 1 lb of fresh ginger, then slice it thinly after soaking overnight in lightly salted water.
Place the ginger slices into a glass jar with dry salt, allowing them to rest while preparing the next elements.
Take a generous handful (about 3.5 oz) of garlic cloves, peel them, and salt heavily for three days.
After this, rinse, re-salt, and let them cure for another three days.
Once finished, rinse well and lay them on a tray to dry for a day or two in bright sunlight, or until thoroughly dry.
Separately, measure about 0.7 oz each of long pepper (or substitute with black peppercorns), yellow mustard seeds (crushed), and ground turmeric.
Mix these spices and garlic with the salted ginger in a large ceramic or glass pot, and pour over 1 gallon of good-quality white wine vinegar.
Now, take about 1 small head each of cabbage and cauliflower, cutting into quarters or manageable pieces.
Salt generously and let them sit for three days, then squeeze out moisture and dry in the sun until no moisture remains.
Once dried, combine the cabbage and cauliflower with the rest of the pickle in the pot.
The pickling jar should always be topped up with more vegetables as you wish: beans, cucumber, celery, radish, apple, plums—anything desired, always salting and sun-drying as per the method above.
Store in a cool, dark place and start sampling after several weeks.

Estimated Calories

25 per serving

Cooking Estimates

Preparing this pickle takes several days, since you need to soak, salt, and sun-dry the vegetables. The garlic and cabbage need at least 6 days of salting each, and all vegetables must be dried before mixing with vinegar. There is no active cooking time, just preparation and waiting.

As noted above, we have made our best effort to translate and adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, taking into account ingredients nowadays, cooking techniques, measurements, and so on. However, historical recipes often contain assumptions that require interpretation.

We'd love for anyone to help improve these adaptations. Community contributions are highly welcome. If you have suggestions, corrections, or cooking tips based on your experience with this recipe, please share them below.