# Cheese and pickle sandwich (British) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [June 28, 2022, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016 "2022-06-28T02:50:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2022, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016/181 "2022-10-07T11:41:28Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I haven’t really figured out what else to eat it with, other than the traditional ploughman’s lunch and/or cheese & pickle sandwich. Cold cooked meats, to taste. Try it with a [pork pie or gala pie](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pork_pie) ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2022, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016/182 "2022-10-07T11:52:52Z")
…or a [scotch egg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotch_egg). Had that for lunch yesterday. Lovely. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016/183 "2022-11-03T02:11:28Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > So this thread made me want to try this sandwich. I went on Amazon and Branston pickle was not cheap. And it came with a $10 shipping charge. Didn’t feel like spending that. > > There used to be some British themed groceries around here but doing a Google search seemed to suggest they are no more. > > So I went to the local supermarket and checked out the tiny British food section. I found Heinz ploughman’s pickle. I read online that Branston is just a brand of ploghman’s pickle. So I tired that. After all that I didn’t feel like making another stop too get genuine English cheddar, so I went with what looked like the best quality American cheddar at the place where I was (it was Vermont cheddar). And I used the low-carb sandwich bread I had at home. > > Put it all together. It was okay. Probably not something I would crave, but it was fine. Could use some meat in it. Came across a jar of Branston pickle. Maybe this thread shot across the Internet and algorithmed an inventory system into stocking one. So I bought it and tried it out, this time with real English farmhouse cheddar. Again … meh. It’s fine. I’d eat it if given one, but it’s not something I would choose of my own volition. English cheddar is always great, but the English pickle I can take or leave. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016/184 "2022-11-03T21:16:33Z")
I’ve had quite a lot of people tell me that UK style chutney is not really anything like an Indian chutney (some of them were quite angry that we call it chutney in fact). ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016/185 "2022-11-03T21:18:50Z")
Branston is probably the most well known British style pickle, and it’s not a terrible product, but I think it’s a bit generic and it’s very easily surpassed by homemade pickles and some of the smaller more obscure local brands and varieties ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016/186 "2022-11-03T21:22:35Z")
Yeah, for the most part, it’s considerably different, but there are so many types of Indian/South Asian chutneys around that I would t be surprised if some are closer than others. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016/187 "2022-11-03T21:44:41Z")
I prefer a more vinegar forward chutney. Branston was a little overly sweet for my taste. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016/188 "2022-11-03T21:51:29Z")
Yeah, but how many of us have the time to go haring off to the Cotswolds, scouring every farmer’s market and roadside stand for the “Good Stuff?” ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016/189 "2022-11-03T22:40:39Z")
You’ve just described my retirement plan. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016/190 "2022-11-03T22:52:19Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I’ve had quite a lot of people tell me that UK style chutney is not really anything like an Indian chutney (some of them were quite angry that we call it chutney in fact). Yeah, English chutney isn’t chutney. In Bengali cuisine in fact, chatni is not a condiment; it’s a pre-dessert dessert. It’s sort of a sweet and sour glop usually with bits of boiled fruits in it. You just stick your fingers in it, grab a gloppy soury-fruity mess and suck it up. Then you move on to the real super-sweet desserts, usually dairy-based. Indeed, the word _chatni_ literally means “something you lick (off your fingers).” English chutney is often referred to as a pickle. Indian chutney isn’t a pickle, that is, something preserved to be stored and eaten over a long period. Chatni is meant to be eaten fresh. Achar is the Indian version of pickle. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016/191 "2022-11-03T23:13:01Z")
I worked with a guy named Acharya. Any connection with achar? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016/192 "2022-11-03T23:18:15Z")
What I tend to see here in my area, which is more Northern Indian (Gujarati and Punjabi) is green chutney made from coriander/cilantro and mint and tamarind chutney, typically served with all sorts of _chaat_. It’s more of a sauce than a chunky thing. With South Indians I also see coconut chutney, as well. (And occasionally I see some others). Are those all properly called chutneys, or are they something else? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016/193 "2022-11-03T23:32:24Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > I worked with a guy named Acharya. Any connection with achar? No, they are unrelated. Achar is from Persian آچار, meaning pickle. Acharya is from Sanskrit आचार्य, meaning teacher. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016/194 "2022-11-03T23:33:23Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Are those all properly called chutneys, or are they something else? They wouldn’t be called chatni in Bengali cuisine. I don’t know about other cuisines. Chat of those kinds isn’t part of Bengali cuisine. Incidentally, chat is from the same root as chatni, to lick. (I don’t use the “aa” to transliterate Bengali because in Bengali there is no distinction between short and long vowels. All vowels are by default long. And there is no reduction of unstressed vowels (“schwa”).) ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016/195 "2022-11-03T23:50:26Z")
I’m from Pakistan (Urdu speaking area) but of South Indian ancestry and a chutney was either a sweet & spicy relish (i.e. chunky) or a sweet & spicy sauce (smooth) made from a very wide array of fruits, vegetables or seafood. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016/196 "2022-11-03T23:54:53Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Achar is from Persian آچار, meaning pickle. > > Acharya is from Sanskrit आचार्य, meaning teacher. Cool! There was a dessert at an Indian restaurant I went to with coworkers with the unfortunate name of barfi. The Persian woman in the group said that meant ‘snow’ in Persian. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2022, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016/197 "2022-11-04T00:04:24Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > barfi. The Persian woman in the group said that meant ‘snow’ in Persian Yes, in Bengali also, ice or snow is boroph বরফ. The dessert item is বরফি borphi. (Incidentally I’m not crazy about the idea of judging a word in X language as sounding “unfortunate” in Y language. Every language should be approached on its own terms.) ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2022, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016/198 "2022-11-04T00:10:33Z")
I apologize if I offended. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2022, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016/199 "2022-11-04T00:21:53Z")
Thanks! (And you, too, Acsenray). I was wondering whether this was two different words folded into one in English, or whether both the relish and sauce kinds fell under the same heading. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2022, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016/200 "2022-11-04T00:32:00Z")
India is as diverse as or maybe more diverse than the entirety of Europe. So words traveling across the subcontinent will be used in a variety of ways. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016.md?page=11)