Fruit

Also called ఆవకాయ, ఊరగాయ (uragaya, 'pickle'), aavakaaya, avakai.

Avakaya is a Telugu pickle of sour raw mango, cut into pieces and dried, then coated thickly in mustard powder, red chilli powder and salt. It is packed tight in a jar, sealed under heated and cooled sesame oil and left in direct sun for several days, then matures over several weeks. Whether and how far it truly ferments has not been studied.

1. Cut firm mangoes in swift strokes and dry the pieces
2. Coat with mustard powder, chilli powder, salt and fenugreek
3. Pack tight in a jar and seal under sesame oil
4. Cure in direct sun, then matureSeveral days in direct sun; matures over several weeks

Safety: No safety study of avakaya was found. FAO notes that the high acidity of finished green mango pickles keeps the risk of food poisoning low, but that is for brined mango pickle in general.

• English Wikipedia, Avakaya (ingredients and preparation, citing The Hindu 2020 and 2023 and Pant, India, The Cookbook, 2010), read 2026-10-23
• Battcock M., Azam-Ali S. 1998, Fermented fruits and vegetables, a global perspective, FAO Agricultural Services Bulletin 134, chapter 6, 6.2.1 Green mango pickle

Also called bambangan, buah mawang, buah embang, tonsom bambangan, jeruk bambangan, fermented bambangan.

sour, fragrant mango relish eaten with rice and grilled fish

1. Peel (the latex layer burns lips), slice flesh, grate the seed
2. Mix with about 1 tablespoon coarse salt; seal airtight3–5 days (home); LAB peak at day 4 at both 28 and 35 °C (lab)
3. Finish as tonsom with sliced shallots, bird's-eye chilli, lime or calamansi, sugar optionalabout 1 week at room temperature before serving

• Malaysia Arts and Culture Information Gateway (JKKN), bambangan recipe, pemetaanbudaya.jkkn.gov.my/en/senibudaya/detail/1303
• Antioxidant properties and phenolic compounds of fermented bambangan (Mangifera pajang), Universiti Malaysia Sabah (eprints.ums.edu.my/9766); J. Food Sci. Technol. 2022, doi 10.1007/s13197-022-05615-w
• English Wikipedia, Mangifera pajang

Also called บ๊วยดอง, kiam-buay-dorng.

brown, salty-sour plums; storage 4 months; eaten as condiment or with sugar and ice as a drink

1. Boil fruit 5 min, cool in the water, drain, jar
2. Cover with boiled-and-cooled 10% w/v brine, weigh down, close, shade30 days · 10 % salt

• JIRCAS, Database of Fermented Foods of Thailand, buay-dorng card, read 2026-10-16. Microbe lists mostly cite The traditional fermented foods of Thailand (ASEAN, 1995).

Also called chanh muối, salted lime, preserved lime (Vietnamese).

Chanh muối is whole thin-skinned limes rubbed with salt, blanched, soaked in alum water and kept in a jar under a brine strong enough to float a grain of cooked rice. The salted limes are pressed with sugar and water to make a salty lemonade, served over ice or hot. No study of its microbes or chemistry was found.

1. Rub limes with salt to score the skin and release the oils; rinse
2. Blanch, then soak in alum water2 h
3. Pack in a jar under strong brine

Safety: No safety study of chanh muối was found.

• Vietnamese Wikipedia, Chanh muối (recipe and uses), read 2026-10-23
• Battcock M., Azam-Ali S. 1998, Fermented fruits and vegetables, a global perspective, FAO Agricultural Services Bulletin 134, chapter 6, 6.1.1 Dry salted lime pickle

Also called dereń kiszony, квашеный кизил, kızılcık turşusu, pickled cornel, cornelian cherry olives.

firm, sour fruit 'very similar to olives'

1. Pick hard, unripe fruit; cover with brineweeks (typical)

• Polish Wikipedia, Dereń jadalny (uses: unripe fruit can be fermented in brine to give an olive-like product), read 2026-10-16

Also called नींबू का अचार, lamoun makbous (related), garam nimboo achar, lemon pickle.

soft, brown, salty-sour limes; oil and spices optional

1. Cut limes, mix with saltbrine forms in about 24 h
2. Sun exposureabout a week
3. Ferment and mature1–4 weeks

• FAO Agricultural Services Bulletin 134 (1998), ch. 6.1–6.2, https://www.fao.org/4/x0560e/x0560e11.htm

Also called jeruk, jeruk mempelam, jeruk betik, jeruk halia, Malaysian pickles.

sweet-sour-salty pickled fruit snacks

1. Salt or brine the fruit (the fermenting stage in traditional forms)
2. Desalt and steep in sugar syrup, often with vinegar and colouring (commercial)

• FAO Agricultural Services Bulletin 134 (1998), 6.2.10

Also called カリカリ梅, カリカリ梅漬, karikari umezuke, karikari-zuke, crunchy ume.

crunchy, sour, salty small plums (no sun-drying, so it is umezuke, not umeboshi)

1. Wash, de-stem, splash with white liquor; rub hard with salt until the green deepens
2. Add calcium and the rest of the salt in a jar; raise salt day by day (oi-jio)several days until ume vinegar (plum brine) seeps out
3. Separate plums from brine; optionally colour with salted red shiso cycled through the brine every other day

Safety: Kernels contain cyanogenic glycosides; do not eat them. Add salt when storing shiso-coloured brine or white mould grows.

• Japanese Wikipedia, カリカリ梅, read 2026-10-16

Also called kiamoy, ciamoy, 鹹梅 kiâm-muî, champóy, kiam muy, li hing mui (ancestor).

red, orange or brown salty-sweet-sour dried plums sold near schools

1. Preserve fruit in brine and vinegar (salt-stock stage)
2. Dry; coat with kiamoy powder

• English Wikipedia, Kiamoy, read 2026-10-16

Also called 甲州小梅漬.

crunchy red small plums, packed by end of May

1. Soak to remove bitterness, salt-rub until greener
2. Salt under weight with a bag of crushed eggshell at the bottomuntil ume vinegar (umezu) rises
3. Add salted red shiso, rice vinegar, shochu; refrigerateedible after about 1 month

• MAFF うちの郷土料理, 甲州小梅漬, slug kousyuu_koume_zuke_yama_nashi

Also called กระท้อนดอง.

sour-salty santol; storage 1 week (longer for whole fruit); candied with palm sugar and chilli

1. Peel, cut flesh from seed mass, pack in a pasteurised jar
2. Cover with brine (2 parts salt/5 parts water by volume), close3–5 days

• JIRCAS, Database of Fermented Foods of Thailand, kra-thorn-dorng card, read 2026-10-16. Microbe lists mostly cite The traditional fermented foods of Thailand (ASEAN, 1995).

Also called ลูกจันทน์เทศน์ดอง, look-jan-dorng-waan.

sweet-salty nutmeg flesh; storage 1 month

1. Deseed, quarter, slice not quite through
2. Cover with 10% brine, shade10 days
3. Soak in heavy syrup overnight

• JIRCAS, Database of Fermented Foods of Thailand, look-jan-teyt-dorng card, read 2026-10-16. Microbe lists mostly cite The traditional fermented foods of Thailand (ASEAN, 1995).

Also called ลูกปลิงดอง, dta-ling-pling-dorng.

sweet-sour-salty bilimbi; storage 2–3 months

1. Boil spiced sugar-vinegar liquid, strain, pour on fruit, boil 3 min
2. Rest submerged in shade5–7 days

• JIRCAS, Database of Fermented Foods of Thailand, look-pling-dorng card, read 2026-10-16. Microbe lists mostly cite The traditional fermented foods of Thailand (ASEAN, 1995).

Also called ลูกท้อดอง.

salty-sour peaches; storage 6 months

1. Pack and cover with 23% brine; weigh down with a bag of 23% brine; shade5–7 days · 23 % salt
2. Optional candying in 40 °Brix syrup overnight, then sun-dry 1–2 days

• JIRCAS, Database of Fermented Foods of Thailand, look-tor-dorng card, read 2026-10-16. Microbe lists mostly cite The traditional fermented foods of Thailand (ASEAN, 1995).

Also called หลุมพีดอง, ระกำดอง.

sour-salty salak; storage 1 month

1. Cover with boiled-cooled brine (1 cup salt, 2 tbsp sugar, 4 cups water per 30 fruit), shade3 days

• JIRCAS, Database of Fermented Foods of Thailand, lum-pee-dorng card, read 2026-10-16. Microbe lists mostly cite The traditional fermented foods of Thailand (ASEAN, 1995).

Also called มะดันดอง.

sour green fruit; storage 1 month

1. Halve, deseed; cover with brine (4 cups salt + 1 cup palm sugar in 4 cups water per 60 kg); close3 days

• JIRCAS, Database of Fermented Foods of Thailand, ma-dan-dorng card, read 2026-10-16. Microbe lists mostly cite The traditional fermented foods of Thailand (ASEAN, 1995).

Also called มะขามดอง.

greenish-yellow sour-salty tamarind; storage 1 month (the card's Thai name field mistakenly repeats บ๊วยดอง)

1. Blanch 1 min, peel; cover with boiled brine (4 cups salt, 1/2 cup sugar, 6 cups water per 60 fruits)3 days

• JIRCAS, Database of Fermented Foods of Thailand, ma-kaam-dorng card, read 2026-10-16. Microbe lists mostly cite The traditional fermented foods of Thailand (ASEAN, 1995).

Also called มะขามป้อมดอง.

sour-salty-sweet snack; storage 1–2 months

1. Sun-wilt fruit, soak in about 20% w/v brine, add cha-em extract5 days

• JIRCAS, Database of Fermented Foods of Thailand, ma-kaam-pom-dorng card, read 2026-10-16. Microbe lists mostly cite The traditional fermented foods of Thailand (ASEAN, 1995).

Also called มะกอกน้ำดอง.

brownish-green sour fruit; storage 3–6 months

1. Cover with 20% v/v brine under cheesecloth, shade10 days

• JIRCAS, Database of Fermented Foods of Thailand, ma-kork-nam-dorng card, read 2026-10-16. Microbe lists mostly cite The traditional fermented foods of Thailand (ASEAN, 1995).

Also called มะม่วงดอง.

whole sour-salty mangoes; storage 1 year

1. Pack whole fruit in an earthenware jar, cover with boiled-cooled salt + CaCl2 brine, weigh down, shade14–28 days
2. Optional candying (40 °Brix syrup, re-boiled to 30–40 °Brix over 2–3 days)

• JIRCAS, Database of Fermented Foods of Thailand, ma-muang-dorng card, read 2026-10-16. Microbe lists mostly cite The traditional fermented foods of Thailand (ASEAN, 1995).

Also called มะนาวดอง.

brown, aromatic salted limes for soups; storage 1 year

1. Scrape off oil cells (prevents bitterness), steam until cooked, sun-dry a few days
2. Cover with very salty boiled brine (3 cups salt per 30 fruits); sun daily15 days

• JIRCAS, Database of Fermented Foods of Thailand, ma-nao-dorng card, read 2026-10-16. Microbe lists mostly cite The traditional fermented foods of Thailand (ASEAN, 1995).

Also called มะปริงแช่อิ่ม.

green sweet-salty-sour snack; storage 1 month

1. Halve, deseed, firm in alum water 1.5 h
2. Soak in weak salt solution (1 tsp salt in 1.25 cups water per 100 fruits)2 days
3. Wash, dry, then syrup-candy, re-boiling daily3–4 days

• JIRCAS, Database of Fermented Foods of Thailand, ma-pring-chae-im card, read 2026-10-16. Microbe lists mostly cite The traditional fermented foods of Thailand (ASEAN, 1995).

Also called มะยมดอง.

sour-salty snack; storage 1 month

1. Soak in lime solution 2–3 h, wash
2. Cover with 10–15% w/v brine in an earthen jar, shade3 days

• JIRCAS, Database of Fermented Foods of Thailand, ma-yom-dorng card, read 2026-10-16. Microbe lists mostly cite The traditional fermented foods of Thailand (ASEAN, 1995).

Also called 매실청, 매실액, maesil extract, plum syrup.

sour-sweet plum syrup diluted as a drink or used in cooking; it IS a (yeast) ferment, not just a syrup

1. Layer fruit and sugar alternately (1–2 cm), sugar top and bottom, in a sealed jar
2. Remove fruitabout 100 days (folk rule) or 3 months
3. Mature the syrup9–12 months

Safety: Mature at least 9 months to lower amygdalin. Ethyl carbamate forms when maesil is steeped in soju, not with sugar alone.

• Ramalingam S. et al., 2024, The effect of one-year fermentation of maesil fruit sugar syrup on amygdalin level, Foods 13(16):2609, PMC11353800
• Food Sci. Biotechnol. 2024, yeasts from fermented maesil extract (Clavispora lusitaniae, Pichia kluyveri), scholarworks.bwise.kr/cau/handle/2019.sw.cau/67358
• Ethyl carbamate in maesil steeped in soju, db.koreascholar.com/Article/Detail/241435

Also called мочёные яблоки, Йӳҫӗтнӗ панулми (Chuvash), Russian soaked apples, moched apples, ivitilgan olmalar.

fizzy, sweet-sour, slightly alcoholic whole apples

1. Line oak barrel or tub with scalded straw; layer apples tightly with straw between layers; 2–3 cm straw on top, cloth or wooden disc
2. Pour in the wort (through the bung hole of a closed barrel; under a weight in a tub)
3. Warm start, topping up liquid12–14 days (top up during days 1–6 as apples absorb liquid)
4. Cold maturation in cellarready after about 30–40 days in total
5. Storagecellar until May–June; icehouse until next harvest

• Russian Wikipedia, Мочёные яблоки (stage temperatures and times; varieties; straw)

Also called nata de piña, pineapple gel, Nata de pina.

chewy, sweet-sour cubes for fruit salads, desserts and candies

1. Extract and sweeten pineapple juice; inoculate with a mother culture (typical)
2. Static surface fermentation in trays7–14 days
3. Cut, wash out acid, boil and syrup

• English Wikipedia, Nata de piña, read 2026-10-16

Also called nhút mít, nhút Thanh Chương, nhút, fermented young jackfruit.

sour, salty jackfruit strands eaten mixed with peanuts and herbs, in soups or stir-fries

1. Peel under running water (sticky latex); shred into strands; optional rice-water soak to whiten
2. Sun-dry on trays until the strands firm (not fully dry)
3. Mix with salt and pound roughly in a stone mortar
4. Mix with maize flour and dried herbs; pack in a stoneware jar; add cooled boiled water just to cover; press with a bamboo mat and a heavy river stone; cover with cloth and lidabout 5 days to edible; kept and eaten all year

• Vietnamese Wikipedia, Nhút mít (công thức, cách làm), read 2026-10-16

Also called आम का अचार, aam ka achar, keri ka achar, mango pickle, mango pickle in oil.

Aam ka achar is raw green mango cut into pieces, salted, mixed with spices and packed under mustard oil, then left to cure in the sun. Salt, acid and the oil layer preserve it, and yeasts such as Pichia kudriavzevii live in home-made pickles. How much true fermentation happens has not been measured.

1. Cut the firm raw mango in single strokes
2. Salt the pieces20 % salt
3. Mix with spices and pack under oil; sun the jars

Safety: FAO notes that the high acid level of finished mango pickle keeps the risk of food poisoning low, and that it keeps for several months if stored in a cool place.

• Battcock M., Azam-Ali S. 1998, Fermented fruits and vegetables, a global perspective, FAO Agricultural Services Bulletin 134, chapter 6, 6.2.1 Green mango pickle
• Lata P., Kumari R., Sharma K.B., Rangra S., Savitri 2022, In vitro evaluation of probiotic potential and enzymatic profiling of Pichia kudriavzevii Y33 isolated from traditional home-made mango pickle, J. Genet. Eng. Biotechnol. 20:132 (abstract)
• Ragul K., Syiem I., Sundar K., Shetty P.H. 2017, Characterization of probiotic potential of Bacillus species isolated from a traditional brine pickle, J. Food Sci. Technol. 54(13):4473–4483 (abstract)
• Codex Alimentarius, Proposed draft standard for pickles (step 5), appendix III, hosted by FAO
• English Wikipedia, South Asian pickle (history: Nalachampu 915 CE, citing Kamat 1980; Manasollasa 1130 CE) and Mango pickle (kadumanga)

Also called パパイヤ漬け.

miso-pickled papaya, served with keihan; soy and kasu versions exist

1. Halve, peel, deseed, salt and weight2–3 days
2. Layer with miso-sugar under weightabout 10 days

• MAFF うちの郷土料理, パパイヤ漬け, slug papaiyazuke_kagoshima

Also called 梨菹, 漤, 藏蕨.

soured pears

1. Pears submerged in water in a mud-sealed bottleautumn to spring (or about 1 month)

Safety: Quick versions with vinegar keep no more than 5 days in summer.

• QMYS ch. 88

Also called พุทราดอง.

sour-salty jujube; storage 1 month

1. Cover with boiled-cooled brine; sun3 days

• JIRCAS, Database of Fermented Foods of Thailand, poot-sa-dorng card, read 2026-10-16. Microbe lists mostly cite The traditional fermented foods of Thailand (ASEAN, 1995).

Also called الليمون المصير, lamoun makbous, l'hamd markad, citron confit, salted lemons, msir.

soft, salty, fragrant lemon rind

1. Quarter lemons almost through, pack with salt
2. Press and cover with juice
3. Ferment or cure3–4 weeks at room temperature
4. Cold storage6–12 months

• Clemson HGIC, Traditional preserved lemons
• startercultures.eu, Preserved lemons
• FAO Bulletin 134 (lamoun makbous)

Also called สมอดอง.

dark green sweet-salty-sour snack; storage 3–6 months

1. Sun-wilt, knead with 40% salt, add cha-em extract, cover with cloth, shade7 days · 40 % salt

• JIRCAS, Database of Fermented Foods of Thailand, sa-mor-dorng card, read 2026-10-16. Microbe lists mostly cite The traditional fermented foods of Thailand (ASEAN, 1995).

Also called солёные арбузы, квашеные арбузы, мочёные арбузы, Russian pickled watermelon, barrel watermelon.

fizzy, salty-sour watermelon

1. Pack whole small melons (pricked) in barrels or wedges in jars; cover with brine
2. Room-temperature start2–4 days until bubbles and light sourness
3. Cold storage / barrel maturationwinter barrels taste ready after 3–4 weeks; kept through winter

Safety: Russian sources advise choosing the watermelons with care and avoiding early-season ones, because of nitrate worries.

• Darra Goldstein, Brined watermelon, https://darragoldstein.com/brined-watermelon
• vikna.tv, Kvashenye arbuzy na zimu (Russian recipe article)

seasonal sour side dish

1. Remove the hard rind; ferment the inside with rice waterabout 1 week

• Bo Bo and Aye Aye Win 2022, Bacterial Empire 5(3):e430

Also called 紫錦梅.

red crushed-plum relish

1. Crush, pit, salt 10–15%10–15 % salt
2. Salt red shiso half a day, discard black scum, add to plumsuntil salt has blended and colour has transferred

• MAFF うちの郷土料理, 紫錦梅, slug shikimbai_ibaraki

Also called ทุเรียนดอง.

creamy, sulphurous sour durian condiment; storage 7 days (compare round-1 tempoyak)

1. Mix and pack in a bowl under cloth, shade2 days · 7–8 % salt

• JIRCAS, Database of Fermented Foods of Thailand, too-rian-prieo card, read 2026-10-16. Microbe lists mostly cite The traditional fermented foods of Thailand (ASEAN, 1995).

salted jackfruit for later pickling

1. Brine with rising salt8–10 days

• FAO Bulletin 134, ch. 6.2

Also called مسلالة, zitoun mslalla, meslalla, mslalla, Mslalla (Campbell-Platt spelling), cracked green olives.

crunchy, slightly bitter cracked olives eaten at breakfast and with tagines

1. Pick in September as olives start to yellow; crack each olive
2. Soak in changes of water to remove bitterness, then brine (typical)days to weeks (typical)
3. Flavour with preserved lemon, bitter orange, garlic or chilli for sale

• English Wikipedia, Meslalla (cultivar used for pickling with garlic and hot peppers)
• Robert Carrier 1987, market descriptions of cracked olives with preserved lemon or bitter orange (via ckbk excerpt)
• Morocco World News 2019, Moroccan pickled olives (September picking)