The Amazing Pickle Shop

Just behind the bathing ghats in Haridwar is a very interesting market, with all kinds of spices and pickles and herbs and what not. I spent an hour walking through this market, so now I have a zillion photos, but for today I thought I'd just share this one:

THE AMAZING PICKLE SHOP

Just *look* at all the varieties he has got!

I tried to count all the types of pickles, in tubs and bottles, but gave up when I reached 50.

If you find the image too small to see, try this facebook page: The Amazing Pickle Shop

As it turns out, I can't name most of them!! So here is my first attempt at labelling at least some of them, and I hope you guys reading this will be able to identify the rest!

And here's the second set:

As if all these achars were not enough, he had loads and loads of interesting bottles too! Pickles, murabbas, chutneys, powders, sherbets, juice extracts, “health” drinks, ayurvedic balms, and what not.

I was soooo tempted to hang around at that shop, looking at all his stuff (and tasting it!). But we we still needed to get to the ghats, so I dragged myself away. What a shame. The shopkeeper was the friendly chatty sort too. You know the type that are proud of their wares? Those are the best :) because you can get lots of info from them.

Seriously, some day I am going back again. Or at least, the next Amazing Pickle Shop that I spot, I'm going to stop and spend a happy half hour tasting and clicking and furiously scribbling notes. Oh and I'll buy myself a lassi to drink in-between tiny achaar nibbles. Heaven!