Major Grey's Chutney is a type of

chutney A chutney is a spread in the cuisines of the Indian subcontinent. Chutneys are made in a wide variety of forms, such as a tomato relish, a ground peanut garnish, yogurt or curd, cucumber, spicy coconut, spicy onion or mint dipping sa ...

, reputedly created by a 19th-century British Army officer of the same name who, though likely apocryphal, presumably lived in

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

. Its characteristic ingredients are mango,

raisins A raisin is a dried grape. Raisins are produced in many regions of the world and may be eaten raw or used in cooking, baking, and brewing. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia, the word ''raisin'' is reserved for the dar ...

vinegar Vinegar is an aqueous solution of acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains 5–8% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting simple sugars to eth ...

lime Lime commonly refers to: * Lime (fruit), a green citrus fruit * Lime (material), inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide * Lime (color), a color between yellow and green Lime may also refer to: Botany ...

juice,

onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus ''Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onio ...

tamarind Tamarind (''Tamarindus indica'') is a leguminous tree bearing edible fruit that is probably indigenous to tropical Africa. The genus ''Tamarindus'' is monotypic, meaning that it contains only this species. It belongs to the family Fabaceae ...

extract (occasionally), sweetening, and

spices A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of plants used for flavoring or as a garnish. Spices are ...

. It has been described as a mild chutney compared to others that have a spicier flavour profile. In 1982, Major Grey's Chutney was described as being the most popular type of chutney used in the United States. The product was long associated with Sharwood’s Mango Chutney, Major Grey version, but this is no longer manufactured for sale in the United Kingdom.

Commercial varieties

Vegetable samosas with Major Grey's chutney

Commercial Major Grey's Chutney products typically contain similar ingredients, with some variations occurring in the formulations of the various products.

India

Major Grey's Mango Chutney is manufactured by Sun Brand in India and by Desai Brothers Ltd. in Poona, India under the brand name Mother's Recipe, and has been exported to Singapore.Originally all Indian condiments were fiery hot. Hence they were too spicy for the European settlers' palates. It is reputed that a British army major named Grey had a sweet variety of mango chutney made especially to suit his taste. Thus Major Grey Chutney is thought to have been born, made by Merwanjee Poonjiajee, established in the year 1876. Mango chutney & curry powder made under the "SUN BRAND" were some of the first of their kind to be exported from India.

North America

A number of manufacturers

mass-produce Mass production, also known as flow production or continuous production, is the production of substantial amounts of standardized products in a constant flow, including and especially on assembly lines. Together with job production and batch ...

a "Major Grey's Mango Chutney" for sale in the United States and Canada, for example Patak's and

Sharwood's Sharwood's is a British food company, which specialises in Asian food, established in 1889 and acquired by RHM in 1963, which was then merged into Premier Foods in March 2007. Company products The company produces Indian, Chinese and South Eas ...

. One of the oldest brands, reputedly the first manufacturer to popularise the chutney in the West, is

Crosse & Blackwell Crosse & Blackwell is a British food brand. The original company was established in London in 1706, then was acquired by Edmund Crosse and Thomas Blackwell in 1830. It became independent until it was acquired by Swiss conglomerate Nestlé in 1960. ...

, now partly owned by the J.M. Smucker Company. It has been suggested that Crosse & Blackwell purchased the formulation for Major Grey's Chutney, "probably in the early 1800s".

References

External links

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Major Grey's Chutney
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Saveur ''Saveur'' is an online gourmet, food, wine, and travel magazine that publishes essays about various world cuisines. The publication was co-founded by Dorothy Kalins, Michael Grossman, Christopher Hirsheimer, and Colman Andrews, who was also th ...

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Chutney
Recipezaar.com. Brand name condiments Premier Foods brands Anglo-Indian cuisine Sn

Commercial varieties

India

North America

See also

References

Further reading

External links