Swadeshi Achar

Swadeshi Achar is located right in the middle of all the action at Azad Nagar, near the nai Sham Ki Sabji Mandi. If you have ever walked through the vegetable market, you know it is loud and crowded, but that is where all the energy is. Our place is filled with the heavy smell of mustard oil and spices every single day. It is a strong scent that stays on your clothes even after you go home, but we have grown to love it. We have these big jars lined up along the walls, and we are constantly checking on them. Making pickles isn’t something you can rush; it takes time and the right kind of weather. Most of our day is spent cleaning fresh mangoes or mixing the red chilies with salt and oil by hand. It is a lot of manual work. The floors are made of stone and they stay cool, which is nice when it gets really hot outside in the summer. We don’t have a big storefront with glass windows; it is more of a traditional setup where you can see the work happening. Sometimes the neighbors come by just to chat because the Mandi is such a social place. We aren't some big factory making things with machines. It is just a few local people using recipes that have been around for generations. Every batch turns out a little bit different depending on the season’s produce. Being at Azad Nagar helps a lot.