CHUTNEYS AND
SAUCES
Introduction
The preparation of chutneys
and sauces is a well known
method of preserving fruit and
vegetables. The basic
principles of the preservation
method are the addition of
sugar and acid (acetic acid or
vinegar) combined with
concentration of the mixture by
heating to reduce the water
content. This technical brief
describes how to make
chutneys and sauces. Other
technical briefs describe how to
make lactic acid-fermented
pickles.
Making chutney on a small scale in Bangladesh. Photo: Zul.
A range of fruit and vegetables
can be used to make chutneys
and sauces. Often tomatoes
are used as a base ingredient as they are acidic. You can add other fruit and vegetables and a
range of herbs and spices according to local taste and availability.
Chutneys and sauces are safe products that have a fairly long shelf life due to the combination of
high acidity and low moisture content. They can be made without any specialist equipment so
are suitable for preparation at the home level. A pulper or juicer is needed to make sauces. Both
a pH meter and refractometer are useful pieces of equipment that are used to test for the acidity
and total solids content of sauces. However they are not essential for making sauces and
chutneys.
Chutneys
Chutneys are thick, jam-like mixtures that are made from a variety of fruit and vegetables, with
added vinegar, sugar and spices. They tend to be sweeter than pickles. The mixture is heated to
reduce the moisture content. Any edible sour fruit or vegetable can be used to make chutney.
Vinegar and sugar are often quite expensive ingredients, which make the chutney expensive to
make. Sometimes it can be more cost effective to make lactic acid fermented pickles that are
made by adding salt to vegetables and allowing them to ferment (see the technical brief on lactic
fermented pickles).
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