Mesu Pickle is one of the most popular pickles from the Sikkimese cuisine. It is an excellent pickle made with fermented bamboo shoots in a very scientific and hygienic process and spices added and stored in air-tight containers. Mesu is native to Darjeeling hills and Sikkim and is purely vegetable based food. The use of Mesu as a pickle and as the base of curry is a tradition in the Darjeeling hills and Sikkim of India. Mesu pickle is sour-acidic in taste and is used as a condiment which may also be made from the pith of the young shoots.

The cuisine of Sikkim offers multitude of delicious food items along with a wide range of homemade pickles which gives delicious taste to any dish. One of the popular varieties is the Mesu pickle which is a less common name in the pickle family of India. Though this pickle belongs to an uncommon family from the other Indian pickles but the taste of it is fantastic and attracts the food lovers to relish it with a grand meal.

Etymology of Mesu Pickle
In the Limbu dialect "me" means young bamboo shoot and "su" means sour, the word Mesu is directly derived from the Limbu dialect.

Processing of Bamboo Shoots
A bamboo shoot is the start of a young bamboo plant that, if not harvested, will grow into a tall bamboo plant. There are many different varieties and sizes of bamboo shoots depending on the plant. Big ones are usually sliced and used as an ingredient in a main course dish or the little (tender) ones are cut into finger size pieces and eaten as a vegetable with sauces. The leaves that cover the shoot are black and covered with tiny hairs. The black leaves are peeled off until you can see the off-white meat inside. The white meat turns yellowish after it is cooked. When the shoot is cooked on the day it is harvested it is very sweet.

Preparation of Mesu Pickle
Preparing the Mesu pickle is quite very simple and easy. Just mix together Mesu, crushed garlic, chilli powder, mustard oil and salt to taste in right proportion and fill in glass jar which is a precious treasured property in the Sikkimese cuisine. Made with simple ingredients and methods, Mesu pickle is usually eaten with dal and rice mixture or chapati and vegetable combination.

Ingredients for Mesu Pickle:

•Mesu - 250 gms
•Chilli powder - 3 tsp
•Mustard oil - 1 tbsp
•Garlic - 4 pieces, crushed
•Salt - 1 tsp

Method for Mesu Pickle:
1. Mix all ingredients with Mesu.
2. Keep in a closed jar.
3. Mesu is ready to serve with cooked rice.

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