Spoiler alert: Nature does it for us!
Usage of pickles in food is not new. Like sweeteners and flavouring agents, they have also become a part of the food we consume. But are they safe?
Preservatives are usually used to prevent spoilage of food, to maintain food as fresh as the day it was made, to increase its shelf life, and in some cases to prevent the growth of microorganisms. While it does not defy logic, preservatives don’t come with zero consequences.
Some artificial preservatives have been proved to cause (or aggravate) asthma, allergies and several other health risks. Experts have also observed that using preservatives lowers the nutritional value of food over time by degrading the vitamin & mineral content. In addition to this, preservatives also interfere with the taste of food. And beware that regular consumption of food with preservatives also means consumption of chemicals. Apart from health issues, production and usage of preservatives also poses several environmental hazards.
But how will our food be safe if we stay away from preservatives?
Well, Indian kitchens have been doing that since long ago! Enter, natural preservatives. These are derived from nature to prevent food from being spoiled and help them live their shelf life in the safest way possible. Most of these natural preservatives such as Turmeric (Manjal or Haldi), Salt (Uppu or Namak), Mustard Oil (Kadugu Ennai or Sarson Ka Tel), Lemon (Elumicchai or Nimbu) and much more have been part and parcel of our Indian cookbooks for centuries now.
This is why every product from our kitchen here at Ammatha’s is absolutely free from any form of chemical or synthetic pesticides. We believe that when it comes to health and safety, nature knows best.