Chutney or Relish

Food · Pantry & Condiment · Food, Typed Supps

Made of fruit and vegetables, but preserved with enough sugar and salt to change what it is.

Stage by stage

Intake (Acid masks the sugar): Vinegar balances the sweetness, which is why chutney tastes far less sugary than its 41.5g per 100g suggests.
Digestion (Nothing to break down): Long cooking has already broken the sugars down; there is minimal protein or fat to slow gastric emptying.
Absorption (Sugar and sodium): Sugars and sodium are absorbed quickly, though a realistic 20g serving keeps the amounts modest.
Across the day (Cumulative sodium): Condiment sodium matters as a daily total rather than per serving — this is how most intake accumulates.

Time to effect

Not applicable: No meaningful acute effect at condiment doses; sodium and added sugar count as daily totals.

Allergens

None of the fourteen major allergens. May contain: Mustard. Derived from what this food is, not from a product label.

Eating patterns

Fits: Vegan, Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Halal, Kosher, Gluten-free. Depends on the product: Low-FODMAP.

Satiety

Not scored: the satiety index is measured on 240 kcal servings, and nobody eats a 240 kcal serving of this. The question does not apply rather than the answer being unknown.

Cost band

Mid — roughly £5 per kg, as a band midpoint rather than a price.

Key nutrients

Added sugar
Sodium

Nutrition per 100g

Calories: 180
Protein: 0.5g
Carbohydrate: 43.1g
of which sugars: 41.5g
Fat: 0.3g
of which saturated: 0g
Fibre: 2.2g
Sodium: 690mg

Food vs. supplement

Not applicable. The useful swap is sideways — a fresh uncooked salsa or a mustard gives similar flavour intensity with far less sugar.

Kitchen tip

Homemade versions can cut the sugar, but they then need refrigerating and using within weeks — the sugar is holding the jar together as much as flavouring it.

Common myth

"It is made from fruit and vegetables, so it counts as one." In reality: Boiling fruit with sugar and vinegar for hours destroys the vitamin C and concentrates the sugar to over forty per cent by weight. Around two thirds of that sugar is added. It is a condiment worth enjoying on its own terms, not a vegetable serve.

In the glossary

Absorption