I have vivid memories of summer afternoons when Maa would finish her chores and line up pickle bottles out in the backyard. We were lucky to have a spacious bungalow, complete with mango trees in the garden.
Every summer, Maa would make Aamer Jhaal Achar, a spicy mango pickle for Baba, and Mishti Achar, a sweeter version of the same for Dada and me enough to last a year.
Many summers have come and gone since those long, hot afternoons. I left home for studies, moved three cities and got married. It’s been years since I tasted Maa’s Mishti Achar, but its memory, like a well-made pickle, remains fresh on the tongue.