For an Indian from India, it is sometimes hard to understand the Trinidadian names of foods and spices that are of Indian origin. The names resonate of some thing familiar yet time and distance have distorted them, though not, at least yet, beyond all recognition. Masala, of course, means "spices," but amchar is curious. Achar is the word for 'pickle, "so these could originally have been pickling spices. Indeed, such spices are used for pickling in India.