Achar (also achaar or aachar) is the Indian family of oil pickles — sun-cured chunks of unripe fruit or vegetable, most classically green mango or lime, packed in salt and pungent mustard oil with a fierce blend of ground and whole spices. Sharp, salty, sour and searingly aromatic, a small spoonful of the glistening, spice-flecked relish is served alongside dal, rice, curd rice, parathas and thalis across the subcontinent to cut richness and wake up a plate.