RELISHES 

Many years ago, people in Middle Eastern countries began making jam and relish. Year old centuries relishes are renowned throughout the world for their natural fruit taste and fragrance. Some believe that the Campaigners traveling home from hard-fought conflicts first introduced relishes in European countries.

The utmost recipe for jam that appears in the first known cookbook: De Re Coquinaria (The Art of Cooking) which dates from the 1st century AD. In other words, it is simply that any fruit pulp heated with sugar or honey and cooled and stored can be a form of Relish. It was a way to retain food, to protect against any periods of paucity that might hit.

Relishes popularity as a gourmet food – rather than just eat the complete fruit – took off in India too, and it has now become an intrinsic part and parcel of our Indian households. The reduction of the fruits is a time-consuming job, hence people generally prefer buying these from off the shelf, which may or may not be pure.

Therefore, we at ‘Heritage On My Plate’ bring to you a range of homemade relishes, prepared in small batches so that it retains its natural flavors.

The Relishes we prepare are devoid of any preservative or artificial additives and are completely natural and homemade, especially handcrafted for people who love to eat fruits.

OUR CONCEPT FOR RELISH

People have this misconceived notion that relishes are sweet in nature and since it is fruit based, it will have added sugar.

But we have shattered this myth. We at ‘Heritage On My Plate’ create relishes using the sugar of the fruit itself, only a small amount of sugar is added based on the type of fruit to make it more palatable.

We at ‘Heritage On My Plate’ use the best quality of fruits procured from the orchards in Himachal Pradesh. Each and every relish is also mixed with a nut – roasted almonds, roasted walnuts, and peanuts to provide that crunchy texture and to make it healthier in nature. We also use the best quality Cinnamon sticks procured from Jammu to enhance its flavours.

Besides, we only use organic Sulphurless sugar. The idea behind for using Sulphurless sugar is that it removes all the impurities from sugar crystals. It retains the sweetness of sugar but does away with the side-effects of Sulphur and other chemicals.

Armed with fresh fruits, we create seasonal relishes, devoid of any preservative. From Apple Cinnamon relish to Beetroot Almond Relish, from Orange Cinnamon to Black Grapes Walnut Relish- we create condiments to accompany your snack.

Homemade Gulqand

A sweet rose preserve with a rich heritage is the simplest way to describe Gulqand. Gulqand is a luxurious sun-cooked preserve of Damask rose petals. Gul means flower in both Persian and Urdu and in Sanskrit term Phool or Pushpa meaning flower; whereas qand means sweet in Persian. It is believed to possess cooling & calming properties which is why it has been traditionally associated with regal recipes to create a wide range of desserts and bakery preparations to beat the summer heat.

Gulqand has been an intrinsic part of the households in the Indian subcontinent. It is the perfect recipe made by grandma’ to beat the heat. The best characteristic about Gulqand is that when kept in a cool dark place, or in a refrigerator; it can stay unblemished for years. One can savor it in all seasons and its sweet texture never lets you down.

The lavish costs and seasonal nature of Damask roses coupled with the arduous process of sun-cooking and curing Gulqand make it one of the finest and most sought-after delicacies coming out of the Indian sub-continent after the world famous Kashmiri Saffron. Regal, exotic, authentic & opulent, a ‘rose experience’ that remains unmatched.

We at ‘Heritage on My Plate’ make our own Gulqand, arduously sun dried for a period of 29 days and can assure you, just one teaspoonful of Gulqand will forever change the way you look at roses!

Roses have always been associated with love, romance, and adventure. It was considered to be that universal elixir which uplifted the soul opened up avenues for love and enhanced one’s beauty.

Our Traditions note that Gulqand has a calming effect on one’s nervous system and is considered to be a powerful aphrodisiac as well. It also acts as a fragrant by reducing body odor when consumed regularly during summer months. The scope of benefits extends to beautification by purifying one’s blood. This improves one’s complexion by mitigating skin conditions like rashes and acne.

There is documented proof that ancient Indian (Ayurvedic), Greek, Persian & Arabic (Unani) physicians prescribed Gulqand to mitigate a wide variety of summer/heat-related ailments. Gulqand was primarily consumed in these regions for the cooling properties it imparted to the user. Ayurvedic texts which can be traced back to 900 B.C list Gulqand as a “Rasayana” which is Sanskrit for “tonic”; a tonic which helps in alleviating summer specific health issues like sun-strokes, acidity, indigestion, lethargy, inflamed eyes, excessive perspiration.