Today, almost anything in the kitchen can be made to enhance the taste of our food. There are variants of appetizers or sides to choose from, but my admiration goes to the ones made of out one’s labor of love. One of which is Atchara, or pickled green papaya placed in an airtight container and soaked for a week in vinegar and sugar mixture with selected spices and vegetables. Atchara is famous in every Filipino household, an instant partner for fried foods.
We all have our own preferences for side dishes. It comes easily for me to go for salads, mixed vegetables, potatoes or pasta as sides but I’ve never been a fan of atchara all my life. AS IN. The combination of sweet and tangy taste doesn’t go well with my palate. When eating Chicken Inasal, Barbecue, Tapsilog or anything fried, I’d usually set it aside and my friends couldn’t be any happier.
When I was introduced to Lola Deling’s Traditions, a new brand of Atchara revealed during the annual Thanksgiving Party of UPB, I already settled in my mind to bring it home for my family. Little did I know that opening that jar and tasting a spoonful of it, would change my reservations for once. That supposedly “trial taste” became the start of my fondness for atchara.
Lola Deling’s Atchara is made out of organic coconut vinegar, leaving a strong biting taste. The other ingredients are green papaya, carrots, pineapple, raisins, red bell pepper, garlic, black pepper, salt, and sugar. With that, every bottle is packed with nutrients that the body needs. The combined sweetness of the pineapple and raisins creates a flavor profile that counters the sourness of the vinegar.
I was not able to take photos but I already tried partnering it with Adobo, Fried Tilapia, Liempo and fried Longanisa. I even tried eating it alone and it was not as bad as I think.
From the brand name itself, Lola Deling’s is a product of preserved culinary traditions rolled from one generation to another —but is a great accompaniment to the modern food we have today. Thanks to Lola Deling’s Traditions, I became a convert of atchara. I may still be picky eating it, but the same quality as Lola Deling’s would surely do the trick.
Lola Deling’s Traditions
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Diamond in the Rough 