Atchara: A Salad, a Condiment, a Sandwich Filling

Back in 2018, we were the cooks in residence at TASTE Cooking, an online publication and podcast. During our tenure, we shared a lot of personal Filipino-American stories and recipes. Growing up, atchara, or papaya pickle, was a small haystack that came with Filipino lunch plates, a lot like the pickled daikon radish or pink pickled ginger you'd get with sushi or bento boxes.

Atchara, sometimes called atsara or achara, is a green papaya pickle. At first, it looks a little like sauerkraut with a tropical twist—or a relish. But in reality, it falls somewhere between these condiments and a crunchy side dish. You’ll find it accompanying grilled, roasted, and fried meats with rice—some of my favorites are crispy pata, deep-fried pork knuckle, and milkfish that is marinated in vinegar and then deep fried (it’s called bangus). Atchara’s tangy, syrupy brine cuts through rich flavors and offsets spiciness. In addition to cleansing oil off the palate, it aids digestion.

In some areas of the Philippines, atchara is known as ensalada (salad). The most traditional recipes use young papaya, carrots, onion, chile pepper, and occasional regional additions, like bitter melon, jicama, or moringa leaves. Some home cooks add raisins for extra sweetness. They can be a point of contention: My dad and I hate them and will fight you if you put them into our jars. For other types of pickles, the word “atchara” becomes an adjective in Tagalog: atcharang dampalit for pickled purslane, and atcharang lambong for bamboo.

Accompanying the piece is a family recipe for atchara. Let us know in the comments if you'd tried it at home!

My auntie Minda’s mom and my great-grandmother, Bai Amparing, was rumored to have the best atchara recipe in the family. She would make jars as pasalubong, or gifts, for those traveling back to the United States. Atchara is perfect with fatty grilled foods. It’s extremely rewarding to throw tongfuls on hot dogs or burgers and between bites of smoky rib bones.