If food fills our stomach, chutneys fill our heart. Even an ounce of them can take us back to our childhood and unlock a box of memories. We had a similar experience when we sampled products from Chutney Collective, the pandemic baby of Chef Velton Saldanha, former sous chef at O Pedro.  

The first jar we opened was of Aged Dates+Black Lime, a reminder of khatti-mithi chutney made from khajoor (dates) and imli (tamarind) that is used in North Indian chaats—a must with dahi bhalle and papdi chaat. Here though, the fermented dates are paired not with tamarind, but their in-house black lime (made from limes that have been boiled in salt water brine and then sun-dried). The chutney had just the right sweetness and tanginess to it.