Chutney: simmered sweet and sour, served savory

A chutney is a flavorful condiment made from fruits or vegetables that is simmered with vinegar, sugar, and spices. It tastes simultaneously sweet, sour, and often a little spicy, and is a perfect accompaniment to savory dishes: cheese, roasts, grilled food, or curry. Chutneys originally come from Indian cuisine and found their way to Europe via Great Britain. This category includes chutneys from the Allgäu, Styria, and the Oberberg region – from mild pumpkin-apple to tangy beer-onion.

What distinguishes a chutney from jam

At first glance, a chutney looks like a chunky jam. The difference lies in the vinegar and the onions: almost every chutney gets a dash of vinegar during the cooking process, such as apple or white wine vinegar, along with onions, and often ginger, mustard seeds, chili, or pepper. This makes it a topping for a savory plate rather than a breakfast roll. The fruits generally remain recognizable in small pieces, and the consistency is thicker than that of a sauce.

Sweet, sour, spicy: the varieties

Fruity-mild chutneys are made from pumpkin, pear, or medlar; they pair well with young cheese and poultry. Things get exotic with mango, pineapple, or curry – the classic partner for rice dishes and shrimp. Tangy and hearty is a beer and mustard onion chutney, which belongs with pork roast and bratwurst. And it gets spicy with horseradish or chili.

Our chutney producers

Our top seller is the Allgäu Organic Pumpkin-Apple Chutney from sell g'machts in Weiler im Allgäu: 35% Hokkaido pumpkin with apple, onion, and ginger, hand-simmered in organic quality. From the same kitchen come the fruity-tangy Organic Beer-Onion Chutney with 20% organic beer, plums, and capers, as well as the sweet-and-sour Organic Pear-Bell Pepper Chutney made from purely plant-based ingredients.

Most varieties come from Gruber's Fruchtzauberei in Reigersberg near Ilz in Styria. Very popular is the Pumpkin Curry Chutney, sweet-and-sour with exotic spices. The Medlar Chutney uses the medlar, an old fruit variety, and the Grape-Horseradish Chutney combines grape pulp with the sharpness of horseradish. These are joined by a fruity pumpkin chutney and a tart redcurrant chutney, all handmade in small jars.

Königskind from Wiehl in the Oberberg region makes its Mango Chutney from 60% mango and 16% pineapple with ginger and chili, and the tart-sweet orange chutney from 55% oranges with lemon and chili. The "& Co." in this category name is provided by two other jars from the same kitchen: The Balsamic Onions are preserved in balsamic vinegar with brown sugar and olive oil, absorbing their color and acidity. For the Black Walnuts, green, unripe-harvested walnuts are soaked for weeks and simmered in syrup with orange, lemon, and spices; they are available in both large and small sample jars. Everything is handmade.

Chutney with cheese, roasts, and raclette

On a cheese board, it is best to place two or three chutneys side by side: medlar or pumpkin with young soft cheese, orange with Manchego, grape-horseradish with strong mountain cheese, and thin slices of black walnuts with goat cheese. With raclette and fondue, pumpkin-apple and pear-bell pepper pair well with melted cheese and potatoes. Beer-onion chutney belongs with roast pork and sauerkraut, while grape-horseradish chutney is perfect for boiled beef (Tafelspitz). Balsamic onions go well with steak and on burgers; add mango chutney to shrimp, potato pancakes, or alongside a curry with rice. A spoonful of redcurrant chutney makes a dark gravy more vibrant, and a spoonful of pumpkin curry chutney rounds off a cream sauce. Chutney also has a place on burgers or cheese toast. The pumpkin chutney from Gruber's even tastes great as a spread on an Austrian "Jausenbrot" snack, and for a quick salad dressing, stir a spoonful of orange chutney until smooth with vinegar and oil.

Buying and properly storing chutney

• For tasting: The 100 to 120 g jars are enough for two or three cheese evenings – this way you can test several varieties side by side.
• Organic: The three chutneys from sell g'machts are simmered in organic quality.
• Check for allergens: The beer-onion chutney contains barley malt and mustard; mustard seeds are also found in several of Gruber's varieties.
• Storage: An unopened chutney can be kept in the pantry. Once opened, store the jar in the refrigerator; always take some out with a clean spoon and follow the instructions on the label.
• Serving at room temperature: Take the jar out of the refrigerator half an hour before eating so that the fruit and spices can fully develop their flavor.

More accompaniments from Cooking & Enjoying

Chutney & Co. belongs to the Cooking & Enjoying category. For pasta, you will find green, red, and wild herb pesto under Pesto, partly from the same producers in the Allgäu and Styria. And if you want the main roast ready on the table, you'll find beef roulades and pork cheeks from the butcher under Meals.

Order chutney online

Whether one jar for your next cheese board or three varieties for a raclette evening: at Leni & Hans, you can order chutney online, and your package will arrive in 1–3 days.