A non veg pickle is one of those things almost everyone in India has an opinion about and very few jars actually live up to. At its best, a Kerala pickle is a small, intense luxury, a spoon of meat or seafood that can carry a plain plate of rice all on its own. That is the standard we set out to meet with Pickles by PuliPOP. Not a louder pickle, not a cheaper one, a better made one. So here is what we mean when we say a non veg pickle done the premium way, and what actually changes when you make it with care.
What people really mean by a non veg pickle
In Kerala, a non veg pickle is not a side note. It is the thing that earns the meal. A good one is bold, slow built, and balanced, with the spice carrying the meat or seafood rather than smothering it. The tradition is generations deep along this coast, and it rewards patience in a way that mass habits rarely allow.
That tradition is the whole brief for a Kerala pickle by PuliPOP. We are not reinventing it. We are trying to make it the way it is supposed to be made when nobody is cutting corners.
The four pickles in the range
We began with four non veg pickles, each chosen because it is a Kerala favourite worth doing properly.
Buffalo Pickle by PuliPOP, the one most people grew up calling beef pickle. Same dish, two names, and we put the honest one on the label. Lean buffalo, cut to hold its bite, deep and dark with spice. We wrote a full piece on why the jar says buffalo when your memory says beef.
Chicken Pickle by PuliPOP, boneless, so every spoon is meat and there is no bone to work around. Built to be a proper spicy chicken pickle where the heat is bold but you can still taste the chicken underneath. We covered the thinking behind the heat in its own post.
Prawn Pickle by PuliPOP, the delicate one, where the whole thing is decided at sourcing. A prawn pickle does not forgive a tired prawn, so this one starts at the shore. We told that sourcing story separately.
Anchovy Pickle by PuliPOP, the most overlooked of the lot and quietly the most coastal. Small silver fish, big flavour, the kind of pickle that people who know it tend to guard. It is sharp, savoury, and built for anyone who already loves the sea on their plate.
What small batch actually changes
Small batch is not a slogan for us, it is a constraint we accept on purpose. Annjo cooks these in small batches in Thrissur, and that is the only way the person making the pickle can taste it, adjust it, and answer for it. Spice and salt drift the moment a recipe is pushed past the point where a human can watch the pan. We keep the batch small so the tenth jar tastes like the first.
It costs us speed. It buys you consistency. That is a trade we are happy to make and happy to tell you about.
Why we cook in gingelly oil
Every pickle in the range is cooked and kept in gingelly oil. It carries a warm, nutty note that sits underneath the spice and ties the whole jar together, and it is the oil this style of Kerala pickling was built around in the first place. When you open one of our jars, a good part of what you are smelling is the oil doing its work.
We state that plainly because it is simply what we use. It is a fact about how we cook, nothing more and nothing less.
How oil preservation works across the range
Every non veg pickle we make is oil preserved. The cooked meat or seafood and the spices sit submerged in gingelly oil, and that layer of oil is what keeps the pickle stable and lets the flavour settle and deepen in the days after it is made. It is one of the oldest preserving methods in Indian kitchens, and it is the reason a properly made jar does not need a long list of preservatives to stay good.
The care on your side is the same for all four. Keep the contents under the oil. Use a clean and dry spoon every time. Store the jar cool and out of the sun. Done that way, a good pickle often tastes better a week in than it did on day one.
The honest jar
The thread running through all four is simple. We tell you exactly what is inside. Short ingredient lists you can actually read, the real name of the meat on the label, no added colour, and no preservatives standing in for care. A non veg pickle asks for your trust, because you cannot see how it was made. We would rather earn that trust by saying more than we have to than by saying as little as we can.
That is the premium way, as far as we are concerned. Not a fancier jar. A more honest one, made small, made in Kerala, and made to be the first thing you reach for.
Frequently asked questions
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What is a non veg pickle?
It is a pickle made with meat or seafood rather than vegetables or fruit, a deep rooted part of Kerala cooking. Pickles by PuliPOP currently span buffalo, chicken, prawn, and anchovy. -
What non veg pickles does PuliPOP make?
Four to begin with: Buffalo Pickle by PuliPOP, also known as beef pickle, Chicken Pickle by PuliPOP, Prawn Pickle by PuliPOP, and Anchovy Pickle by PuliPOP. -
What oil is used in the pickles?
Gingelly oil. Every pickle is cooked and preserved in it. -
Are the pickles made in Kerala?
Yes. They are cooked in small batches in Thrissur, Kerala.
Naseef Gafoor is co founder of PuliPOP Foods LLP