Acar is a type of vegetable pickle from Indonesia, and popular in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. It is a localised version of Indian Achaar. It is known as atjar in Dutch cuisine, derived from Indonesian acar. Acar is usually prepared in bulk as it may easily be stored in a well-sealed glass jar in refrigerator for a week, and served as the condiment for any meals. Pickling originated in India in 2400 BCE, Indian achaar pickle transmitted in antiquity to Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei as acar, and then on to the Philippines as atchara.
The Southeast Asian variations are usually made from different vegetables such as cucumber, carrots, cabbage, shallot, bird's eye chili and yardlong beans, which are pickled in vinegar, sometimes added with kaffir lime to add citrus aroma, and also dried chillies. Some recipes might have the vegetables tossed in ground peanuts. Acar is commonly served as a condiment to be eaten with a main course, such as nasi goreng, satay, and almost all varieties of soto. Just like common pickles, the sour taste of acar is meant to freshen up a meal, especially fishy dishes such as ikan bakar or the rich and oily dish such as mutton satay to neutralize the fat.
In Indonesia, acar is commonly made from small chunks of cucumber, carrot, shallot, bird's eye chili and occasionally pineapple, and marinated in a sweet and sour solution of sugar and vinegar. Some households add lemongrass or ginger to spice it up. It is usually used as condiment to accompany grilled foods such as satay. Nevertheless, acar is can also be consumed as a whole, complete dish. For example, ikan acar kuning is a fish dish served in acar pickles of cucumber, carrot, shallot and red chili, mixed with yellow spice paste made of ground turmeric, candlenut, ginger, garlic and shallot. It is known as atjar in Dutch cuisine, derived from Indonesian acar, since the Netherlands and Indonesia share colonial ties. Variations of Malaysian acar include Acar Awak or Nyonya acar and Malayacar. Acar Awak is more elaborate, containing additional vegetables such as eggplants as well as aromatic spices in the pickling mix. The salad has also been adopted into Thai cuisine, where it is called achat. It is made with cucumber, red chilies, red onions or shallots, vinegar, sugar and salt. It is served as a side dish with the Thai version of satay. With Indian and Malay slaves initially brought by the British Empire, Atchar became a favourite condiment in South Africa. The local variation is usually made with green mangoes.
