Scents can trigger memories, and Yachika Chopra, a Goa-based food entrepreneur, knows it well. Her earliest recollections are of growing up in Bareilly, where the heady aroma of home-made pickle was a constant; almost like an escapist lo-fi soundtrack. “I still remember those batches of achaar that my gran would wrap in muslin cloth. No pickle was ever bought from the store.” The tradition continued as her mother, Poonam, took on the mantle. “A few years ago, mom broached the idea of starting a business [around pickles] and we were thrilled. But she insisted that I do it, but working as a flight attendant meant there was little time to manage a business on the side.” Sadly, Chopra’s mother passed on last year before she could realise her dream.

Chilli Pickle