How We Make Our Pear Pickle
Crafted in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh
High up in the hills of Kullu, when the pear trees are heavy with fruit, my mother begins one of her most loved traditions — making our Himalayan Pear Pickle. It’s a recipe passed down through generations, made the same slow, patient way it has always been made: by hand, in small batches, with nothing but real fruit, real spices, and real time.
Where It Starts
The pears we use aren’t the soft, sweet kind you’d eat straight off the tree. We choose firm, slightly raw hill pears — the kind that hold their shape and soak up flavor without turning mushy. These are handpicked from orchards around Kullu, right when they’re at their best for pickling.
The Process
1. Washing and Cutting Every pear is washed by hand and cut into even pieces, keeping the texture firm and consistent — no shortcuts, no machines.
2. Sun-Drying The cut pears are laid out to dry gently in the Himalayan sun. This step draws out excess moisture and lets the fruit begin absorbing the mountain air’s flavor before the spices ever touch it.
3. Spicing, the Traditional Way This is where my mother’s hand really shows. A blend of traditional hill spices — mustard, fennel, and a mix passed down in our family — is prepared and worked into the pears by hand, the same way it’s been done in Kullu kitchens for generations.
4. Slow Maturing Once spiced, the pickle is left to mature slowly in the jar, allowing the flavors to deepen and settle over time. This patience is what gives our pear pickle its rich, tangy, slightly sweet character that’s so loved in the hills.
5. Small-Batch, By Hand There’s no mass production here. Every jar is made in small batches by my mother and a small team, so we can stay close to quality and tradition instead of scaling for speed.
Why It’s Special
Pear pickle isn’t something you’ll find on every shelf — it’s a true hill favorite, deeply loved in Himachal but rarely known outside it. That’s exactly why we wanted to bring it to you: an authentic taste of the mountains, made the way it’s always been made, with nothing added that doesn’t belong.
Taste the tradition. Order our Pear Pickle →
The Himalayan Jar — Crafted in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh
