Chutneys and sauces

A range of fruit and vegetables can be used to make chutneys and sauces. Often tomatoes are used as a base ingredient as they are acidic. Other fruit and vegetables can be added with a range of herbs and spices according to local taste and availability. Chutneys and sauces are safe products that have a fairly long shelf life due to the combination of high acidity and low moisture content. They can be made without any specialist equipment so are suitable for preparation at the home level. The preparation of chutneys and sauces is a well known method of preserving fruit and vegetables. The basic principles of the preservation method are the addition of sugar and acid (acetic acid or vinegar) combined with concentration of the mixture by heating to reduce the water content. This technical brief describes how to make chutneys and sauces.