The pickle — sweet-sour preserve from the pantry

Piccalilli from the Cupboard

Name: Piccalilli from the Cupboard
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: Cauliflower — 300 g in small florets; Pearl onions — 150 g; Cucumber — 1 small, diced; Coarse salt — 30 g; White or malt vinegar — 400 ml; Mustard powder — 2 tbsp; Turmeric — 1 tsp; Sugar — 80 g; Flour or cornstarch — 2 tbsp

PreservingDocumented🍋 🫙moyen45 min + maturation

A marinade of crunchy vegetables (cauliflower, onion, gherkin) in a turmeric-mustard sauce, tangy and spicy. Electric yellow, it bites and revives everything.

Why this dish? The bright yellow pickle that lurks in every British cupboard: a preserving condiment that livens up a cold sandwich or a hunk of cheese eaten in a hideout. For someone living on the margins and stocking what keeps, it's the ally of improvised meals.

There's always a jar of this fluorescent yellow stuff at the back of the cupboard, older than half my works. It's ugly, it's sour enough to make you wince, and that's exactly why I love it. A spoonful on cheese and stale bread, and your pauper's meal becomes almost a party. The colour? Turmeric — the only thing more flashy than a tag on a white wall.
— Banksy

Ingredients

•Cauliflower — a few florets (main crunch)
•Small onions — a handful (bite)
•Cucumber or gherkin — 1 (freshness)
•Salt — for drawing out water (water extraction, preservation)
•Vinegar — enough (preserving acidity)
•Mustard powder — generously (heat)
•Turmeric — 1 tsp (colour and signature)
•Sugar — a little (sweet-sour balance)
•Flour — a little (sauce thickener)

How it was made : Piccalilli, an English pickle inspired by Indian achars brought back by colonial trade from the 18th century, is a classic of home preservation. These pickles were made in autumn to last through winter, the vinegar and salt ensuring long keeping without refrigeration.