All about achaar (and Brooklyn Delhi, too, for that matter!)

Achaar (uh-char) is a South Asian relish condiment. It’s often referred to as an Indian pickle or South Asian pickle, but as Chitra Agarwal, founder of Brooklyn Delhi and author of Vibrant India, explains, “it has nothing to do with the flavor of dill pickles and more to do with, say, kimchi (Korean), sriracha (Thai), or harissa (Tunisian).” Adding, “For those that are unfamiliar with achaar, it’s a spicy, savory, sour, and sweet relish made from local vegetables, fruits, spices, and oil.”

Agarwal and her husband, Ben Garthus, launched Brooklyn Delhi to share modern Indian pantry staples, the kinds of condiments they loved, but couldn’t find on grocery store shelves in the U.S. Brooklyn Delhi thoughtfully sources the best ingredients they can find for their plant-based, small-batch sauces, never including preservatives or artificial ingredients. Brooklyn Delhi’s recipes are rooted in time-honored Indian culinary traditions and layered with Agarwal’s own modern spin, like using less salt, so the flavor of the produce is really able to shine through. 

Our Achaar Flavors

We carry two of Brooklyn Delhi’s achaars, Tomato Achaar and Roasted Garlic Achaar: 

• Tomato Achaar is savory, spicy, and tangy; made with tomatoes, tamarind, unrefined cane sugar, sesame oil, and a blend of spices including fenugreek, turmeric, and ground red chili peppers. 
• Roasted Garlic Achaar is spicy, sweet, and bright; made with roasted garlic, lemon juice, canola oil, and again, a bit of sugar and a blend of spices including turmeric and ground red chili peppers. 

We’ll happily take the blame if they become your new go-to condiments, and you won’t be alone. Of these achaars, New York magazine says, “Hot, sweet, sour, bafflingly complex, and addictive enough to make you consider carrying a jar of it wherever you go.” Brad Hedeman, Marketer Manager at Zingerman’s Mail Order, is a big fan of their Roasted Garlic Achaar, saying, “Flavor-wise, it’s got a big garlic punch, then a note of ‘spicy-lemon-sweet-rich-bright.’ It’s everything at the same time, all those sensations all at once. Wicked stuff.” Traditionally, achaar is eaten with rice, curry, dal, and yogurt, but if you’re already ready to branch out, we have a few more ideas to get you going.

 Photo credit to Brooklyn Delhi

5 of Our Favorite Ways to Use Achaars

1. Stir into soups and stocks. Use Roasted Garlic Achaar to give greater garlicky depth to dishes like miso soup. Swirl Tomato Achaar into brothy braised beans for an extra kick or into tomato soup, like the Bakehouse’s Creamy Tomato De-Vine.
2. Top your toasts. Ari Weinzweig, Zingerman’s co-founder and CEO, likes to top Sicilian Sesame Semolina bread from the Bakehouse with Fresh Goat Cheese from the Creamery and Tomato Achaar, adding, “If you’re like me, once you try it, you’ll find yourself putting it on pretty much everything! In the “Breezy Breakfasts” cookbooklet from Zingerman’s, one suggested toast combo is Better than San Francisco Sourdough with Tomato Achaar and avocado. 
3. Give your pizza some pizazz. Brooklyn Delhi suggests using their Tomato Achaar instead of tomato sauce or topping a pizza with sautéed mushrooms tossed in the Roasted Garlic Achaar.
4. Spice up your sauces, dips, and dressings. Stir some Tomato Achaar into your pasta sauce, shakshuka, or labneh. Add even more depth of flavor to already spicy buffalo wing sauce and gochujang sauce. Swirl a spoonful of Roasted Garlic Achaar into hummus or mayonnaise.  
5. Treat it like you would any other condiment. Spoon some on scrambled eggs, dollop it on top of grilled meats, spread it on a sandwich, and use it to garnish pasta dishes. Lindsey Rampton, Web Services Manager at Zingerman’s Creative Services stocks up on Tomato Achaar during Zingerman’s Mail Order’s annual Summer Sale, explaining, “I always keep some handy for times when I need a quick cheese board pairing or more spice in a rice bowl.”

So far, I’ve used the Garlic Achaar to make next-level garlic bread and swirled it into sour cream for leftover falafel that was sorely in need of saving from its dry, crumbly self. I’ve dabbed the Tomato Achaar onto fried eggs and leftover pizza. (Are you sensing a theme here? These condiments take leftovers from something you eat out of guilt to something you look forward to.) I’m a big fan of Yotam Ottolenghi’s iconic Eggplant with Buttermilk Sauce from his cookbook Plenty, so next on my to-make list is Brooklyn Delhi’s twist on it with Garlic Achaar. (Pro tip: Their website has a wealth of tempting recipes.)

Ready to squeeze the day and try them for yourself?! Get Brooklyn Delhi’s achaars at Zingerman’s Deli or let Zingerman’s Mail Order ship one (or both the Tomato Achaar and the Roasted Garlic Achaar) to your doorstep.

Want more? We want to hear from you over on our social media platforms. Share your experience or your favorite food at any of our Zingerman’s businesses. We will happily share it on our Instagram and Facebook @Zingermanscommunity. 

We’re governing with grace… and Grace (Grace Singleton, that is!)

“Is Zingerman’s still run by its founders?” you ask. That’s a great question. We’ll answer with a tale, both old and new (just like our pickles!). What began with the Delicatessen, founded in 1982 by Paul Saginaw and Ari Weinzweig, now includes 11 food and service businesses, 18 managing partners, 800 employees, and a council of leaders among leaders (hang tight, we’ll explain that in a minute).

An Overview of Zingerman’s Governance

Since 1994, the Zingerman’s Community of Businesses (ZCoB) has been steered by our Partners Group (PG), a group that includes Ari and Paul, the ZCoB’s managing partners (the individual business owner-operators), and staff partners (staff members who own a Community Share; they serve two-year terms). As Ari explains:

It’s where we govern the Zingerman’s Community of Businesses—we use consensus decision-making there to lead the organization. The PG makes decisions on organization-wide issues, like deciding to approve our new 2032 Vision or our new Statement of Beliefs. Or if there was, in a strange sci-fi sort of scenario, just for conversation’s sake, let’s say a global pandemic, the PG is where we would decide how to deal with it.

One important piece that the 2032 Vision outlines is the ZCoB’s evolution of governance:

… we’ve seen a successful transition from Ari and Paul as founders heading the Zingerman’s Community of Businesses (ZCoB) to a mode of governance that will last beyond the tenure of any individual. While long-time ZCoB leaders continue in important roles, a couple of new “generations” of insightful, collaborative folks have stepped forward.

That mode of governance is the Zingerman’s Stewardship Council, a five-member group created in 2020 as part of a succession plan to transition the leadership of the organization from its founders to the other managing partners. To be clear, the Partners Group isn’t going anywhere, rather, as Ari says, “The Stewardship Council is filling the role Paul and I have filled for many years as ‘leaders among leaders.’” He adds:

Our main focus in doing this work with the Stewardship Council is, by far and away, looking at how we can do what we do here at Zingerman’s ever more effectively. We want it to be a way to help lead the ZCoB in becoming an ever-bigger contributor to the community of which we’re a part. We want to support succession and inspire future success. We’re committed to creating a governance model that will help both the organization and everyone in it to thrive for many decades to come.

The original council members include Amy Emberling, Zingerman’s Bakehouse co-managing partner; Toni Morell, Zingerman’s Mail Order co-managing partner; Tom Root, Zingerman’s Mail Order co-managing partner; Ron Maurer, Zingerman’s Chief Administrative Officer and Zingerman’s Service Network managing partner; and Ari Weinzweig. Council members serve three-year terms, and just like the Partners Group, decisions are made using consensus. In June of 2023, we reached the end of the first set of three-year terms. The Council has been designed so that one of these original managing partners will come off each year—the first was Ron Maurer who has his eye on retirement in 2023 after more than two decades with the organization—and a new one is selected. Ari explains how that happens:

Our agreed-upon process for selecting members is that Paul and I, as co-founding partners, consult with our staff partners (since they’re not eligible to be on the Council) and others whose views we value, to make the decision. After a LOT of conversation, and honoring what we believe is the best decision for the organization, we chose the next member. 

This time, Ari and Paul offered the spot to Grace Singleton, co-managing partner of Zingerman’s Deli since 2004. Grace knew from the beginning that she was destined for a life full of food (and she may or may not have thought the food industry would be glamorous thanks to a New Orleans restaurant where she received special treatment, sitting at the captain’s table and sampling Frangelico (a hazelnut liquor) at the age of 13!).  Grace received her culinary degree at Paul Smith’s College in New York and managed restaurants across Ohio (we don’t hold this against her) and Michigan.

She found her way to Ann Arbor for the role of general manager at the Gandy Dancer and became a fan of Zingerman’s Deli. Eventually, she made the jump, calling it “the very best job in the food industry,” and in 2004, she stepped up from retail manager to co-managing partner. Since then, Grace has overseen the gold level LEED-certified Deli expansion project (2010–2014), the opening of Zingerman’s Greyline event space (2016), the addition of virtual tasting events for fans around the country (2021), and more, all while continuing to lead the day-to-day of Deli catering and retail specialty foods. (Impressive, right?!) Of this new role and her latest opportunity to impact the Zingerman’s organization and the Ann Arbor community, she says:

I’ve been here for more than 20 years and I’m really invested in the transition of our CEO’s roles. Ari in particular set the stage with his dedication to doing business differently and how we govern is an important part of that. I look forward to working toward our future with this committed group.

Want to read more? Ari wrote about Grace’s addition to the Council and the work of the Stewardship Council in Ari’s Top 5, his weekly e-newsletter, saying, “Success leads to succession work which, when done well, helps create more success. It’s a very virtuous and very inspiring cycle to be a part of.”